Retirement of Jeff Fowler, Vice President for Marketing and Communications

October 18, 2021

Dear members of the SLU community,

I write to share with you the news that vice president for marketing and communications, Jeff Fowler, plans to retire at the end of May 2022. At that time, Jeff will have been with SLU for 21-and-a-half years.  He is currently the longest-serving full-time member of the University’s senior leadership team.

Over his career here at SLU, Jeff has served with distinction as associate vice president for Marcom, Chaifetz Arena project manager, vice president for Advancement, and, since October 2014, in his current role. In all of these positions, he has demonstrated commitment, integrity, and loyalty — his love of Saint Louis University ever obvious.

Among many notable accomplishments, Jeff led the rebranding of the University in 2015 and the redesign of the SLU website in 2016.  More recently he led his division’s effort to moving the majority of our undergraduate enrollment marketing to digital and social platforms.  This has driven record traffic to our website and assisted the Division of Enrollment Management in bringing in our two recent record freshman classes.

In the seven-plus years of my tenure as president, Jeff and I have worked closely on a number of issues. Even in the most difficult of times, Jeff is calm, thoughtful, focused, and maintains a sense of humor. I value our collaboration and I am grateful for the role he has played in the many successes SLU is currently enjoying.  The impact of his work will be long lasting.

In the coming weeks, I will announce the formation of a search committee to conduct a national search for the next vice president of marketing and communications. My hope is to have the next Marcom vice president at SLU prior to Jeff’s retirement.  Jeff has promised to do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.

I invite you to join me in thanking Jeff for all he has done for SLU and wishing him and his wife Jean, a former SLU employee herself, the best as they prepare for the next steps in their journey together. Always looking ahead, Jeff and Jean have already begun to formulate a few post-retirement plans.

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
President