A communications strategist with 30 years of experience has joined UT to lead the Marketing and Communications Office.
Barbara J. Owens, former vice president of corporate communications and chief communications officer/senior communications advisor with Owens-Illinois Inc., has been named interim associate vice president for marketing and communications.
Owens
Prior to that, she ran her own consulting business, Owens Communications LLC, in Chicago and Detroit. Her clients included General Motors Corp., Bayer AG in Germany, Bayer Corp., Baxter Healthcare Corp., Owens-Illinois, Edelman Public Relations, Gagen MacDonald, and Fox-Coffey Translation Services in Austria.
Owens also served as manager of corporate public relations at Bayer Corp. in Pittsburgh for two years and as the North American liaison for public relations of Bayer AG in Leverkusen, Germany, for six years. She speaks German fluently.
“Barbara brings with her a wealth of experience and will help lead UT’s marketing and communications efforts through a time of transition,” President Sharon L. Gaber said.
“I am excited to join this talented group of professionals and look forward to helping integrate the marketing and communications team and developing a communications strategy that supports the University’s objectives,” Owens said. “We will continue to deliver excellent marketing and communications support to our many stakeholders and customers in support of building a stronger UT.”
Owens has a bachelor of arts degree in political science and international politics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management.
