Radford University has named a seasoned marketing and communications professional to serve as its new Vice President for University Relations.

John Hachtel (right) will join the university’s senior management team as the chief communications officer for the campus. He will lead the university relations staff in supporting the university’s 7-17 strategic planning efforts and develop an institution-wide marketing communications plan to present to the University’s President and Board of Visitors for approval. He will join the university’s administrative team on November 12.

“John Hachtel has been successful as a communicator throughout his career in higher education,” said President Penelope W. Kyle. “He has gained recognition for his work in media relations, university marketing and crisis communications.”

Hachtel has more than 25 years of experience in communications and marketing, including 15 in higher education. Prior to accepting the position at Radford, he was the associate vice president for marketing and communications at Case Western Reserve University. He has also served as the senior campus communicator at Auburn University in Alabama and Binghamton University in New York and as the Director of Media Relations at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Hachtel is an active volunteer with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and recently chaired the organization’s national conference for communications and marketing professionals.

Hachtel received his undergraduate degree in English from the University of Delaware and his MA in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore.