Shannon Clute
Emory Libraries and the Michael C. Carlos Museum have hired Shannon Clute as the first senior director for communications, marketing, and public relations, effective March 25.
Clute joined Emory University in October 2019, when he became the inaugural director of The Hatchery, Emory’s center for innovation.
“We’re so pleased to have Shannon join our team,” says Valeda F. Dent, vice provost of libraries and museum at Emory University. “His expertise in corporate, innovation, and higher education settings, plus his faculty experience, make him a natural fit for our organization and the work ahead.”
At The Hatchery, Clute built a campuswide resource to support student innovation and startup activity across all schools and program areas. Previously, he was the senior director of brand and communications for alumni affairs and development at Cornell University. Prior to that, he served in multiple roles with Turner Classic Movies including director of business development and strategy, where he built a collaborative culture of innovation to foster creativity, and director of marketing and editorial, where he was tapped to build and lead the marketing department for TCM.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” Clute says. “My marketing and communications roles at Turner Classic Movies and Cornell University taught me that passion brands are uniquely positioned to engage their fans in deep and meaningful ways. And there is no doubt that Emory Libraries and the Carlos Museum have passionate fans.”
Prior to joining the marketing industry, Clute was an assistant professor at Saint Mary’s College of California and a visiting assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, where he taught courses in French and Italian language and literature. He holds a BA in Italian from the University of Colorado Boulder, and MA and PhD degrees in romance studies from Cornell University.
Working at the crossroads of brand strategy, innovation, and instructional design, Clute has launched several initiatives in support of literature and the arts, libraries, and museums to drive broad engagement while serving a greater good. These include “Calliope’s Cabinet: An Exploration of Curious Innovations Through the Ages” (a video series developed in partnership between Emory Libraries and The Hatchery), “Yaddocast” (a podcast series for the artist retreat Yaddo that served as the audio companion to an exhibit at the New York Public Library and was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine), and “Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir” (a film analysis podcast series that was broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Radio National and led to a monograph with UPNE/Dartmouth College Press entitled “The Maltese Touch of Evil: Film Noir and Potential Criticism”).
“I believe the lessons I’ve learned from these initiatives will carry over to generating awareness, engagement, and support for Emory Libraries and the Carlos Museum,” Clute says.
Related links:
Organizational changes position Emory Libraries and Carlos Museum for even greater innovation
Emory launches new innovation space, The Hatchery; names director (2019)