Margaret Williams, Dean of the Rawls College of Business announced that the school has hired Nancy M. Hood, a 25-year corporate marketing and public relations veteran, to lead branding and marketing.
"Many business schools are now looking to corporate marketing veterans to help better define brands, build value propositions and position their programs to attract the best and brightest students and faculty," said Williams.
According to Hanover Research, one of the most notable trends in higher education is hiring marketing professionals from the corporate world, including chief marketing officers. Across the country, universities are putting more emphasis on branding, and colleges are investing significant time and money to create strong institutional brands.
Hood has spent much of her career building brands nationally and internationally in agriculture, animal health, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and business-to-business marketing. She has been on the leadership team of two start-up companies and is an award-winning feature and editorial writer.
"I'm honored to work at the Rawls College with Dean Williams and a dynamic team of professionals in marketing and development who work hard to achieve a lofty vision for this school," said Hood. "My role is to help define the brand of the Rawls College and present it in such a way that students are excited to come here, faculty are anxious to work here and our business community actively calls upon the college for support and partnership."
Hood graduated from Texas Tech with her bachelor's in English (technical writing) and a minor in agricultural economics. She was an active leader in the College of Agricultural Sciences, serving as the first female president of the Student Section of the American Agricultural Economics Association. She was instrumental in getting undergraduate student papers published in the AAEA Journal. Hood graduated from high school in Estelline, Texas, and has lived and worked all over the country.
"This college has already done amazing things with a lot of help from our alumni," said Hood. "My goal is to define and transparently execute the vision of our graduates, students, faculty and staff and find ways to build the future they desire."