Dear faculty and staff colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce that we have hired Jim Zook as our new Vice President for Marketing and Communications. Jim, who will join us Sept. 16, is a talented and experienced communications and marketing professional with more than 30 years of experience spanning higher education, professional services, the federal government and the news media. Like many of us, Jim’s move to the Forty Acres is a return to UT, where he earned an MBA from the McCombs School of Business.

I want to express my sincere thanks to Emily Reagan for serving in this role for the past four years. Following Jim’s arrival and the recent restructuring in our marketing and communications units, Emily will remain on the team, leading our marketing initiatives.

Jim comes to us from the University of Mississippi, where he has served as Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications. At Ole Miss, he led the university’s central marketing and communications function, an award-winning overhaul of admissions marketing to prospective undergraduates, the development of a comprehensive brand identity, and efforts to manage reputational risk.

Prior to joining Ole Miss, Jim served for nine years in various communications leadership roles for Deloitte. He also served communications and change-management clients for the global consulting firm Mercer, and in a range of marketing roles for BellSouth. He has been a speechwriter in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education and a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News. Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in American studies from the University of Sussex in England in 1989 before earning his Texas MBA.

Jim and his team will further strengthen our brand, and celebrate and promote the achievements of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. They will tell our story strategically and proactively, vividly illustrating the power of our education and research to change lives here on the Forty Acres and beyond. I also know that Jim will help us deftly manage reputational risks at a time when higher education is under increased scrutiny, while also influencing, shaping and sharing broader narratives about UT’s impact.

Please join me in welcoming Jim Zook back to UT.

Hook ’em!
Jay