A presentation from the 2014 Michigan conference, given by Geoff Leavenworth, Chief Communications Officer, The University of Texas at Austin and Mike Horn, Director of Digital Strategy, The University of Texas at Austin.

The presentation was entitled ‘Rules of Engagement; How Texas Built a Social Media Strategy to Fortify Itself’.

In this session, the presenters told the story of how, in the face of political attack, UT Austin shaped an engagement strategy that used social media – as well as traditional media relations, third party advocacy, and digital platforms – to successfully defend the institution and its leadership, set fundraising records, and build broad public support.

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2014 Michigan Conference presentation: Rules of Engagement; How Texas Built a Social Media Strategy to Fortify Itself

Geoff Leavenworth is responsible for the university-wide communications plan. Prior to being named UT’s first Chief Communications Officer, Geoff served four University presidents as special assistant and Head of Presidential Communications.

He previously served as associate editor and Houston bureau chief for Texas Business magazine. His work as a journalist has appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, Texas Monthly, The Christian Science Monitor, and many other publications. He is the author of three books and more than 500 articles.

Mike Horn is an online strategist with extensive experience driving digital communications and e-commerce marketing strategies. He currently serves as the Director of Digital Strategy for the University Communications department at UT Austin, where he oversees digital content and platforms including utexas.edu, social media, and mobile apps.

Previously, Mike worked as a product manager at Dell, driving new products from idea conception to launch with over 50 successful global launches over the course of 11 years. Mike holds an MIS degree from the University of Tulsa and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin.

If you want to find out more about attending this year’s conference please visit our conference page or get in touch via email.