Reappointment of Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications Mary Osako
Dear Colleagues:
Following the standard five-year administrative review, we are pleased to announce that Mary Osako has been reappointed to serve a second term as UCLA’s vice chancellor for strategic communications. Providing a strong recommendation for reappointment, the review committee praised Vice Chancellor Osako for leading a complete transformation of UCLA’s Office of Strategic Communications, substantially enhancing our university’s storytelling capabilities and serving as an indispensable resource to leaders across campus in managing critical communications needs.
Osako was appointed UCLA’s inaugural vice chancellor for strategic communications in September 2019, at a time when the university was re-envisioning its communications and marketing unit. In a short period of time, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, she has completely reshaped and modernized the office — restructuring its major areas of work; adopting “twin north stars” of transparency and humanity to guide institutional communications; diversifying and enhancing the channels UCLA uses to tell its stories; and launching new teams focused on proactive media pitching, internal communications, experiential marketing, insights and analytics and more.
The strategies Vice Chancellor Osako has enacted have led to substantially greater visibility for UCLA, its scholars and its activities — including a 70% increase in positive news media mentions, an 1,850% increase in social media engagement, and a 4,100% increase in views on the university’s video channels — as well as a significant strengthening of the university’s brand. Key initiatives she has spearheaded include the First Thursdays series to help revitalize Westwood, a Moment of Reflection event bringing our community together after months apart due to the pandemic, a marketing campaign related to our #1 public university ranking, and the rollout of major university announcements including our recent property acquisitions across Los Angeles and the selection of UCLA’s next chancellor.
Vice Chancellor Osako has also done an exemplary job of building StratComm into a trusted partner to campus leaders and a key resource for colleagues across UCLA. She has significantly improved collaboration among marketing, communications and events professionals on campus, implementing a weekly collaboration meeting, virtual training series and in-person annual summit. Vice Chancellor Osako has also forged deep relationships with key stakeholders — from campus leaders to student-run media — and has received praise for making herself and her team available for guidance and support on issues of all kinds. Her strong and decisive leadership style has been crucial in helping UCLA navigate crises, from wildfires near campus to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
In addition to her regular duties, from 2020–22, Vice Chancellor Osako led the Campus Honorary Naming Advisory Committee, which issued a report on principles, criteria and processes for honorific namings, unnamings or memorials on campus. She serves on the boards of several organizations connected to UCLA, including the Hammer Museum, Geffen Playhouse and Geffen Academy.
As a proud Bruin alumna, Vice Chancellor Osako’s love for UCLA and passion for telling its stories run deep. We are grateful to have such a dedicated leader in this key campus role, and we look forward to her continued work on behalf of the university. We also wish to thank the review committee and support staff for their efforts in completing this administrative review.
Please join us in congratulating Vice Chancellor Osako on her many outstanding accomplishments to date and sharing best wishes to her for her second term.
Sincerely,
Darnell Hunt
Interim Chancellor
Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost