Brigham Young University has announced the appointment of Michael Hansen as chief strategic communications and messaging officer. This is a newly created position within the Advancement division of the university.
“We are pleased to welcome Michael this week to BYU and are excited to have someone with his skill set to help lead our strategic communications efforts at the university,” said Keith Vorkink, vice president of Advancement at BYU. “Michael’s professional experience is impressive, but those on the search committee were equally impressed with his understanding of and alignment to our university mission and to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a remarkable fit for this role at BYU.”
Hansen has a long career in strategic planning, marketing and branding. Before serving as a mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ for the France Paris Mission from 2020 to 2023, he had been with Nike, Inc., for 20 years. From 2008 to 2020, he was the senior director of Global Sports Marketing.
Prior to his time at Nike, Hansen was with UCLA Healthcare, where he led an organization of over 250 people. He has also served as the assistant to the chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles. In this position he managed special projects related to strategic planning, real estate, budget, finance and general administration. Additionally, he acted as liaison to the Office of the President and the Board of Regents.
Hansen is a member of the Young Men General Advisory Council of the Church of Jesus Christ and sits on the National Advisory Council of the BYU Marriott School of Business.
He has a Master of Business Administration and bachelor’s degrees from BYU. He has taught as an adjunct faculty member with the BYU Marriott School of Business, where he taught a course in sports marketing.