Vice President for Communications & Marketing
Meet Rolando Rivas
Rolando Rivas is an award-winning, results-driven Communications and Marketing executive with 35+ years of experience expertly launching and enhancing major brands in the higher education, telecommunications, and media industries. Rivas’ career has focused on defining brands, reaching new customers, and building successful teams. His early career began directing and producing television commercials for major hotel brands, followed by careers in the telecom and media industries. Rivas led Sprint Business Communications and received the Diamond Award from the company, the company’s highest recognition. At Verizon, Rivas led a rebrand of the 3.4B local search/advertising/yellow pages business and managed all marketing and communications. Rivas entered higher education in 2007 at the University of North Texas, where he led recruitment marketing, trademarks and licensing, and brand management. At UNT, Rivas initiated a comprehensive marketing campaign that reframed the university as a major research institute in North Texas and increased enrollment.
Skilled at progressively designing, implementing, and evaluating integrated marketing approaches encompassing all facets of marketing, advertising, and communications, Rivas has played an invaluable part in the Belmont Abbey College administration as he has led a visual rebrand, led several brand recruitment campaigns, led several website redesigns, established the college’s robust social media presence, orchestrated advertising campaigns, and continuously contributes to the college exceeding its annual enrollment goals. In addition, Rivas guides the college’s public relations efforts, supports the college’s leadership and internal communications, manages all its social media profiles, maintains the college’s website and SEO initiatives, and supports the college’s Advancement organization. Overseeing the college’s brand identity and trademarks and licensing program, Rivas also oversees the Events and Conferences team at the Abbey, ensuring every event held on campus is on brand and an exceptional experience. The leader of a small, integrated team, Rivas has helped make Belmont Abbey College one of the fastest-growing Catholic Colleges in America.
Rivas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Communications at Belmont Abbey College. He is a published musician and composer with five albums released on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube Music. Rivas, his wife, and his three local children live in Gastonia, NC. Rivas also has two daughters in religious life, with one a fully professed Carmelite in Dallas, Texas, and the other a 2nd-year Poor Claire in Hanceville, AL.
