UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rick Ayers, chief marketing officer and assistant dean for strategic communications in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, has been named the University’s new associate vice president for marketing, effective Nov. 6.
Following a national search, Ayers succeeds Tracy Powell, who joined Drexel University as senior vice president of marketing and communications in October 2022.
Reporting directly to Rachel Pell, vice president for Strategic Communications, Ayers will lead an outstanding team of about 20 professionals whose work is focused on helping to advance Penn State’s mission, with a focus on enterprise-level brand strategy, enrollment marketing, content creation, creative design and web strategy. Ayers will lead and advance the team’s efforts, helping to bring Penn State’s brand to life and communicating its story to the world, with strategies that promote the University as a whole and amplify its unique strengths. He will work closely with Penn State’s Lead Communicator Council, composed of senior communications professionals from colleges, campuses and units University-wide.
“Rick has been a tremendous partner during his time in the Smeal College of Business, and we are thrilled to add a professional of his caliber to our team in Strategic Communications. Rick’s experience and expertise will help to augment and elevate the critical work we do to advance one of the most recognizable brands in American higher education,” Pell said. “Rick has deep experience in brand management and positioning in complex organizations, and he will play a leading role in our organization, working collaboratively with our partners across the institution to showcase and elevate Penn State’s reputation as one of the world’s premier public research universities.”
Ayers joined the Smeal College of Business in March 2020, where he currently is a member of the dean’s senior administration and directs the college’s brand, marketing and communication strategy. Among his accomplishments at Smeal, Ayers led a comprehensive, data-driven initiative to refresh the college brand, resulting in improved core brand ratings among external stakeholders and increased reputation ratings among corporate recruiters and hiring managers. He also implemented an integrated marketing communication and content strategy to enhance brand storytelling about the student experience, faculty research, and alumni thought leadership and engagement, and he launched a podcast series featuring faculty and alumni thought leaders on trending business topics.
In addition, Ayers collaborated with Penn State World Campus to lead the development of an enrollment marketing team in support of an integrated portfolio of online and resident professional graduate programs and executive education. He also oversaw marketing strategies that have supported new degree and certificate programs and contributed to significant increases in enrollment across the college’s academic portfolio.
“I am deeply honored by this opportunity and could not be more excited to work alongside the outstanding professionals in the Office of Strategic Communications to tell the Penn State story,” Ayers said. “While I’ve long harbored a passion for Penn State, I have in the past three years developed a greater appreciation for the University’s impact in the commonwealth and around the world. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow communicators and other colleagues across the various units, institutes, colleges and Commonwealth Campuses to raise the visibility of Penn State’s excellence in teaching, research and service.”
Prior to arriving at Penn State, Ayers served as vice president of public relations and marketing at WellSpan Health in York for more than six years, where he led the health system’s marketing, strategic communications, physician outreach, and government and community relations efforts. Ayers’ career at WellSpan covered more than two decades, where held a series of leadership positions in marketing and communications before assuming the role of vice president.
Originally from Tyrone, Pennsylvania, Ayers also serves on the board of directors and is president-elect of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and is a member and second vice president of the Downtown State College Rotary Club.
Ayers holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master of health administration from Penn State.