Rebecca Keane, Longtime Ivan Allen College Communications Director, Retires

Posted December 18, 2020

When Rebecca Keane arrived as the newly hired communications officer for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts in 2008, she set to work creating a professionalized communications program that had, until then, been handled on a part-time basis by another department.

Keane developed messaging, digital, and physical assets to convey the College’s identity. She developed a College-focused reputational survey – supplementing the primary Georgia Tech survey – and a  college alumni survey to craft evidence-based key messaging that has served as a pillar of the College’s communications for the past decade.

“The alumni survey resoundingly affirmed that the College was fulfilling its mission to educate graduates who can bridge technological and non-technological realms to address complex problems,” Keane said. “That is one key for telling our story about what defines liberal arts at Georgia Tech, and what defines Georgia Tech as a 21st-century university.” 

Keane feels fortunate to have worked with two deans who “articulated clear visions and strategies for the College.”

“That enabled me to do my job – developing communications strategies to help achieve those goals, as well as other initiatives that I felt were critical to moving us forward.”  

Keane worked for almost nine years as a one-woman department, drawing support from freelancers and a revolving cadre of graduate students to achieve strategic communications goals. 

“What we have now, she built,” Carol Silvers, marketing and administrative coordinator in the Ivan Allen College dean’s office, said of Keane’s work.

Keane retired as the College’s Director of Communicators on Dec. 18, having worked for three of the College’s four permanent deans. 

“In communications, one has to be able to adapt to different visions and needs as an organization grows and changes. Rebecca was able to do so continually,” said Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing. “Being an effective communicator means being a good diplomat and a good storyteller, and Rebecca was wonderfully at ease doing both.” 

Renee Kopkowski, vice president for Institute Communications, said Keane’s communications expertise and professionalism contributed significantly to the College and Georgia Tech. 

“She has built a strong communications program in Ivan Allen and is an integral part of the entire Georgia Tech Communications community,” Kopkowski said. “She set a standard for openness and collaboration with her willingness to share knowledge about Georgia Tech, Ivan Allen College, and higher education. She will be missed on campus. Yet, I wish her the absolute best in her next chapter.” 

Before coming to Ivan Allen College, Keane worked as communications and marketing consultant for small businesses, and as a senior brand manager, creative services manager, and producer/director for The Weather Channel, including the period when it ranked as the number one brand in the country according to Young and Rubicam. At other points in her career, she worked as an account services director, a journalist, and as a television news anchor.

She was attracted to Georgia Tech by the opportunity to help build and elevate College’s communications to a level consistent with Georgia Tech’s reputation. That meant the daily work of turning out stories and collaborating with other communicators to more extensive projects, such as launching the College annual impact report, partnering in mounting an extraordinary array of high profile signature events with global dignitaries, a value campaign to Atlanta employers highlighting the attributes of our graduates; extensive work to optimize the College’s digital footprint including several comprehensive relaunches of the College website and work optimizing the College’s digital platform for search engines that achieved a 36% increase in traffic. 

Two recent projects stand out for Keane: her ambitious College History Project, which involved conducting interviews with more than 40 faculty and staff; originating or enlarging on timelines for the College and its six schools; building histories; and document tracing three critical junctures of liberal arts at Georgia Tech since 1888.

A second project makes prominent the legacy of College namesake Ivan Allen Jr. (Commerce 1933) through a new exhibit mounted in 2020 in the dean’s offices in the Savant Building. 

“I view these as legacy projects for the College. Each was multifaceted and took about two years to complete,” she said. “My hope is that they ensure that the story of this extraordinary College and Mayor Allen’s story are there to inspire and inform our students, to support future leadership and College communicators, and the campus. Georgia Tech is naturally focused on the future, what’s next. But these projects serve those moments when we pause to look at what’s been achieved, how far we’ve come.”

The dedication of the Allen Exhibit was postponed due to the campus closure in March. Keane hopes it will take place in the spring if donors Col. Steve Hall and Mrs. Pamela Hall can be present.

Keane credited the faculty and her coworkers in helping accomplish the mission of raising the College’s profile on campus and beyond. 

One of those partners, Marilyn Brown, Regents Professor and interim chair of the School of Public Policy, said it was a joy working with Keane.

“I’ve enjoyed watching Rebecca champion the effort to make communications happen for the Ivan Allen College,” Brown said. “Such coverage doesn’t just rise out of thin air. For years, she has worked to orchestrate school campaigns, engage with stakeholders, uncover noteworthy stories, pull together the school communicators, craft social media, and promote our College. Her savvy and always upbeat personality, her networking, and her understanding of the College and schools will be tough to replace. I’m going to miss her.” 

“What a great place this is,” said Keane. “Always something new happening – a variety-lovers dream. Now Dean Husbands Fealing is aboard, bringing a new horizon.

“I am so grateful for the relationships I’ve had here – with our inspiring deans, school chairs, fabulous faculty and staff, my colleagues in the dean’s office, and my Communications team including writer Michael Pearson, and the delightful graduate students from places all over the world who have worked with me through the years. We have worked so hard, but we laughed a lot too. What a gift.” 

But now, she is looking forward to new challenges, starting with some time to rest – a commodity often in short supply for communications directors.

“I’d like to experience life for a while totally free of obligations. Then, I’ll get into a new rhythm –taking care of my husband, doing charitable work, drawing and painting, upping my home repair skills, and taking classes at USG colleges under Amendment 23. Two thumbs up on that!”