U. fills 2 positions in marketing, communcations

SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah has filled two vacancies on its roster of communications professionals.

Brian Rasmussen is the new marketing director and will oversee a team of creative professionals, including graphic designers and copywriters who provide strategic guidance to clients across campus. Rasmussen will work with the university team to ensure the integrity of the U.’s brand is maintained and its story is told consistently and effectively.

A University of Utah graduate, Rasmussen has worked at several agencies and also owned an advertising firm. He has developed marketing campaigns for high-profile clients, including Intermountain Healthcare and Utah Transit Authority, which led to his involvement in marketing and branding public transit agencies nationwide. He also served as past president of the Utah Advertising Federation.

Barb Smith also joins the department as executive communications manager. Smith will serve as speech writer for U. President David Pershing and as a senior member of the communications staff. Smith comes to the U. from KTVX in Salt Lake City, where she worked as an anchor-reporter for the past 21 years.

In addition to her on-air duties, Smith has served as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University, a member of the board of trustees at Utah Valley University and spokeswoman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.