Marketing and Communications Leader Joins Caltech

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristen Brown as the Institute's new assistant vice president for marketing and communications, effective May 5.

Brown will direct and lead the Institute's communications and marketing initiatives as well as create and lead a comprehensive program that will help define, emphasize, and enhance the Caltech brand.   She will oversee the online communications, media relations, and editorial and content development departments and will report to Peter Hero, vice president for development and institute relations. According to Hero, Brown's mission is to integrate communication efforts across the Institute and elevate Caltech's outreach to a new level.

"We're very fortunate to have Kristen joining us, with her exceptional skills and her background of academic and corporate responsibilities," says Hero.

Brown brings a track record of innovative branding initiatives and integrated, multi-platform marketing programs at leading global organizations in higher education, entertainment, and consumer goods, including the American Film Institute, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Nestle USA.

She received her BA from Smith College and studied architecture at Parsons School of Design in New York and architectural history at the University of Virginia. A longtime volunteer for the Alumnae Association of Smith College, Brown is past president of the Smith College Club of Los Angeles and currently serves on a committee that advises and supports Smith's alumnae volunteer leaders around the world.