Georgia Tech president Ángel Cabrera named Aspen Institute president and CEO

Cabrera will remain at Georgia Tech until November after overseeing a 55% rise in enrollment and annual sponsored research awards above $1.4 billion.

Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera will become president and CEO of the Aspen Institute after remaining at the university until November

Georgia Institute of Technology President Ángel Cabrera has been selected as the next president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, bringing his seven-year leadership of the Atlanta university to an end.

The Aspen Institute's Board of Trustees voted on June 15 to appoint Cabrera, whose tenure at Georgia Tech has included growth in student enrollment, research activity and investment in fields including artificial intelligence, neuroscience and space research.

Cabrera plans to remain at Georgia Tech until November to support the leadership transition.

Since Cabrera became Georgia Tech's 12th president in 2019, enrollment has increased by 55% to more than 56,000 students. Georgia Tech says this makes it the largest university in the state by student population.

The university has also surpassed $1.4 billion in annual sponsored research awards and expanded its research centers, campus facilities and innovation districts. Cabrera will now move from higher education leadership into a nonprofit organization focused on leadership development, public dialogue and policy issues.

Enrollment reaches more than 56,000 students

Cabrera led Georgia Tech alongside more than 5,700 faculty and staff, with the institution reporting record levels of applications, enrollment, graduation rates, research funding, startup creation, invention disclosures and philanthropic support during his presidency.

He also oversaw the creation of Progress and Service for All, Georgia Tech's strategic plan for expanding access, increasing research activity and extending the university's economic and social impact.

"Georgia Tech transformed my life, first as a student and later as president," Cabrera says. "Leading this extraordinary institution has been the honor of a lifetime. I leave with immense gratitude for the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who have made our shared progress possible and with tremendous confidence that Georgia Tech's best days are still ahead."

Georgia Tech says it enrolled more undergraduate students from within Georgia while increasing graduation rates. The university's annual economic contribution to the state has reached $5.8 billion, according to the University System of Georgia.

The institution has also expanded its physical presence in Atlanta through the development of three innovation districts: Tech Square, Science Square and Creative Quarter.

Research awards pass $1.4 billion

Annual sponsored research awards at Georgia Tech have surpassed $1.4 billion during Cabrera's tenure, while federal research expenditures have increased to more than $1.2 billion.

Georgia Tech says it now ranks first nationally for research expenditure among universities without a medical school and second for federal research funding.

Investment has included the development of research centers and programs spanning AI, neuroscience, space, entrepreneurship and other areas of science and engineering.

Georgia Tech has also expanded startup formation and invention disclosures, although the institution has not included figures for either measure in its announcement of Cabrera's departure.

Georgia Tech succession process begins

Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, says Cabrera's effect on the university extended beyond its enrollment and funding figures.

"The scale of what Ángel achieved is clear," Perdue says. "Under his leadership, Georgia Tech enrolled more in-state undergraduates than ever while raising graduation rates and pushing total enrollment to the highest in the state."

Perdue adds that Georgia Tech will now need to sustain the pace of growth established during Cabrera's presidency.

"The Tech community likes to say, 'We can do that,' and Ángel has done it, which means we have our work cut out for us to maintain this momentum when he leaves," he says.

The University System of Georgia will announce its plans for Georgia Tech's next president at a later date. Cabrera will continue leading the university until November while the transition arrangements are developed.