Tim Kennedy ’82Alumni and Staff

Vice President for Marketing and Communication in Marketing and Communication

Tim Kennedy, a 1982 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, returned to his alma mater in September of 1984 as an intern in the Sports Information Office as a part of his master's work in athletic administration at Western Illinois University.  He became the vice president for marketing and communication in the 2011-12 school year.  Over the past 37 years, Kennedy has served the College in multiple capacities including stints as an admission counselor, a residence hall security officer, a head resident in a college residence hall, the head women's basketball coach, the head women's soccer coach, and the sports information director.  He served as the sports information director for 21 years (1990-2011).

Under Kennedy’s leadership, the Office of Marketing and Communication has helped the College articulate the value of a Gustavus education through its Return On Education initiative, while also continuing to build the Gustavus “Make Your Life Count” brand and aggressively moving into digital marketing and social media. The office has also substantially increased its content on the College’s website by publishing more than 250 news and feature stories and created a student photography staff to build an institutional photo library to more effectively tell the visual story of the College.  The marketing team has also ramped up its efforts on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, and YouTube.

Prior to beginning his current position directing the marketing and communication initiatives of the College, Tim handled the marketing and media relations for the Gustavus Athletics Department. He aggressively pursued a comprehensive web communications strategy that included extensive use of multimedia, video and audio streaming, and social media, giving Gustavus one of the most recognizable athletic web sites in Division III. He also directed marketing and media relations for six national championship events hosted by Gustavus, including the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. He has placed numerous stories in national publications such as Sports Illustrated, the NCAA Magazine, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as regular feature stories in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, WCCO Radio, and all four Twin Cities television stations. During his tenure as the sports information director, Tim nominated 75 student-athletes that went on to receive Academic All-America honors and he coordinated the nomination of 24 student-athletes who received prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. In 2012, he received the Mike Augustine Award from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for his outstanding contribution to the promotion and support of the MIAC athletic programs and its student athletes.  He also received the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award from the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2010, and the Eric Norelius Award as the Outstanding Administrator at Gustavus in 2001.

Tim lives in St. Peter with his wife Mary. They have two daughters, Maggie, who graduated from Gustavus in 2016, and Lydia, who graduated from Gustavus in 2017.

Education

B.A. management, Gustavus Adolphus, 1982 graduate study in athletic administration, Western Illinois University, 1985