St. Olaf names chief marketing officer
St. Olaf College Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations Michael Kyle ’85 has announced the appointment of Katie Warren ’95 as its first chief marketing officer.
Warren, who is currently president and director of strategy at the Minneapolis-based marketing services agency Gabriel deGroodBendt (GdB), will begin at St. Olaf July 5.
Warren has spent the past 16 years leading brand strategy, innovation, and marketing communications plans in both the advertising and retail industries.
Prior to joining GdB, she was vice president of brand marketing at SuperValu, where she led banner brand marketing and advertising, private brands marketing, health and wellness marketing, and strategic planning. She also worked at Campbell-Mithun and Br&nd Innovators, assisting clients like Coca-Cola, General Mills, and Land O’Lakes.
“Katie is strategic, accomplished, and down-to-earth,” Kyle says. “The experience she brings will drive stronger integration across campus, enabling the group she leads to provide effective, authentic, and compelling communications.”
This new role at the college is intended to strategically elevate the role of marketing in the college’s communications plan to increase awareness and visibility of the college and support the college’s strategic plan.
“St. Olaf has long had a place in my heart and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to leverage my skills and experience to take the St. Olaf brand to the next level,” Warren says.
Warren holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf, where she majored in English, and a master of marketing communications certificate from the University of St. Thomas.