Brand, Marketing & Communications Joint Task Force
This group brings together marketing and communications leaders from across UT San Antonio’s academic and health enterprises to align strategy, coordinate institutional messaging, and advance the development of a unified university brand.
As UT San Antonio continues its integration, the task force serves as a coordinating body to ensure that brand, marketing and communications efforts across the institution are aligned with leadership priorities and positioned to strengthen the university’s national reputation.
Through this collaboration, central and distributed communications teams work together to:
- Align communications efforts with institutional strategy
- Coordinate major campaigns and high-visibility initiatives
- Support the implementation of the new UT San Antonio brand across schools, colleges and units
- Share tools, guidance and best practices for communicators across the enterprise
The task force also supports brand migration efforts, campus communications alignment and professional development opportunities for communicators as UT San Antonio continues building a cohesive and recognizable institutional identity.
Task Force Updates
Update
Date
Workforce Strategies – January 2026
- This new Task Force launched three Working Groups focused on harmonizing plans, programs and offerings across the merged university: Leave Plans, Benefit Programs and Wellness Programs. These Working Groups are conducting initial discovery to inventory offerings across both institutions.
- Three more Working Groups will launch by the end of February for Staff Compensation, Learning & Development and Onboarding.
Brand & Marketing – January 2026
- Advanced major brand initiatives, including the UT San Antonio brand video, VIP merger ceremony (Sept. 12), expanded brand booklet, brand migration listening sessions, and alignment with the Communications Task Force using shared metrics and KPIs.
- Continued brand migration across logos, websites, and branded resources, alongside planning for the January 2026 MarCom all-hands and development of the UT San Antonio Year in Review video.
- Outlined next steps focused on team development, paid media performance dashboards, creative campaign updates, continued brand and web migration, signage and wayfinding, brand guidelines, and brand and web governance.
- Placed sponsored merger content in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and LinkedIn.
Communications – January 2026
- The Launchpad podcast channel launched in September with a series of five podcast episodes specific to the merger that ran through September and October.
- In the month of September, earned media related to the merger was placed on multiple local and regional platforms, including a KLRN news special, featuring Henry Cisneros, Dr. Eighmy and Dr. Cigarroa.
- UT San Antonio Today, our new university news site, launched. The platform has several new features, including Research and Health pages that curate content relevant to the new UT San Antonio university.
- A series of stories related to the UT San Antonio integration can be found on the site.
- The Brand and Marketing Task Force and the Communications Task Force continue to meet collectively to establish additional points of intersection and collaboration.
- In the new fiscal and academic year, shared metrics and KPIs were developed for the Division of Marketing, Communications and Media aligned with the overarching UT San Antonio goals and destinations.
Research, Discovery, and Innovation – January 2026
- Approved key financial and reporting decisions, including HERD Optimization (FY26), UTHSA/UTSA F&A base-year alignment, Blue Ridge consolidated reporting (FY25), and HERD consolidated reporting (FY26).
- Completed policy, program, and operational reviews across Commercialization & Innovation and Research Operations, validating shared campus pain points, aligning program direction, updating institutional data, implementing proposal templates, and completing a policy inventory, with recommendations moving into FIT working groups.
- Advanced faculty-focused initiatives, including the Health Research Challenge event, assessments of research faculty onboarding, promotion and tenure, and development, progress toward final recommendations and award selections, and the launch of the Research Analytics Working Group.
SACSCOC Accreditation – January 2026
- UT San Antonio successfully completed its SACSCOC site visit in the fall.
- The site committee reported no recommendations, confirming continued compliance with accreditation standards as a merged institution.
Academic, Student, and Faculty Affairs – January 2026
- Launched five new working groups: Curriculum Development and Delivery Working Group, Faculty Development and Cross Appointments Working Group, Admissions/Recruitment Decision Working Group, Academic and Program Advising/Student Support Working Group and Faculty Advisory Bodies Working Group.
- Advanced existing work as the Libraries and Collections and Financial Aid working groups begin a second phase following AY24–25.
- Discussed preparation for the SACSCOC visit and reviewed findings from the Path to AAU Membership presentation during the fall Task Force meeting.
Task Force Team
Co-Chairs
Heather Adkins
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Health Campus
Members
Susan Anasagasti
Director, Health Care Communications
Jennifer Bittle
Senior Director, Brand and Creative Services
Brett Calvert
Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Special Projects
Sean Cartell
Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
Debra Del Toro
Senior Director, Strategic Messaging and Academic Support
CeCe Frost Griffin
Associate Vice President, Donor Engagement
Tina Garza
Associate Vice Provost ,Enrollment Marketing, Communications and Systems
Jennilee Garza
Senior Director, Strategic Communications for Donor Engagement
Jennifer Horton
Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications and Media
Joe Izbrand
Associate Vice President, University Strategic Communications and External Affairs
Le'Keisha Johnson
Director, Student Life
Margaret Lamar
Managing Editor, University Strategic Communications
Lety Laurel
Senior Director, Communications
Rebecca Luther
Senior Director, Academic Strategic Communications and Marketing
Kimberly Maldonado
Senior Associate Vice President for Presidential Initiatives and Executive Communication
Jan McKinney, PhD
Associate Dean of Students – Operations
Anne Peters
Associate Vice President for Marketing and Special Projects
Liz Rockstroh, EdD
Associate Vice President for Administrative Services
Eric Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Web and Digital Services
Brad Smith, EdD
Deputy Athletics Director, External Affairs
Eddie Tamez
Manager, Brand and Creative Design
Monica Taylor
Senior Director, Public Relations
Eve White
Assistant Vice President, Institutional Advancement
Lizette Yanes, PhD
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Kristen Zapata
Communications Specialist-Senior
Working Groups
Brand Guidelines Working Group
The Brand Guidelines Working Group will develop a comprehensive visual identity system and brand style guide for the integrated institution. This guide will inform how the merging institutions consistently communicate and implement the brand strategy and brand expression across all platforms, materials, and audiences.
Leads
Jennifer Bittle
Senior Director, Brand and Creative Services
Health Campus
Brett Calvert
Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Special Projects
Academic Campus
Members
Catherine Adams
Senior Designer, Creative and Brand
Sue Bolden
Lead Designer, Creative and Brand
Gris Campos
Multimedia Designer III, University Marketing & Special Projects
Priscilla Dominguez
Senior Designer, Creative and Brand
Rene Echávarri
Manager, Web Initiatives
Jackson Floyd
Manager, Digital Experience
Jenny Gonzalez
Web Developer, University Marketing & Special Projects
Kristin Law
Digital Asset Manager, University Marketing & Special Projects
Katie Myers
Assistant Athletics Director for Creative Services
Emanuel Rodriguez
Senior Designer, University Marketing & Special Projects
Mitzi Shipley
Director of Creative Services, University Marketing & Special Projects
Lauren Smith
Director, Marketing and Communications, Mays Cancer Center
Eddie Tamez
Manager, Brand and Creative Design
Christina White
Senior Designer, Academic Affairs
Completed Working Groups
These working groups have successfully completed their initial scope of work. Expected deliverables have been presented to the Communications Task Force to inform future integration efforts.
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