Michael Hoad, MA
Vice President of Communications, USF
Associate Vice President Communications, USF Health


In his dual role as Associate Vice President of Communications for USF Health and Vice President of Communications for the University of South Florida, Michael Hoad, MA, oversees all communications, marketing and media relations. Under his leadership, the communications team is the point of contact for local, regional and national media- proactively pitching stories to news organizations and responding to daily requests from print, broadcast and web based media. Mr. Hoad oversees message-based, integrated communications in support of the missions of USF Health and USF.  Named Associate Vice President of USF Health Communications in 2005, Mr. Hoad is responsible for public affairs, community engagement, corporate communications and marketing for USF's colleges of medicine, nursing and public health.  He was named Vice President of Communications for USF by President Judy Genshaft in February 2008. 

Since joining the university in 1988, Mr. Hoad has directed media relations, public affairs and advancement for what was known as the Health Sciences Center and played a pivotal role in the rebranding USF Health in 2005.

Mr. Hoad began his career in communications as a print journalist, writing for the Tampa Tribune, the Oakland Tribune in California, and a free lance writer-intern at UPI news wire service in San Francisco. His academic degrees include: The Poynter Institute of Media Studies, Fellowship in Newspaper Management, 1986; Stanford University, MA in Communication (Print Journalism), 1986; Yale University, MA in International Relations, 1980; and Drew University, BA in Political Science, English Literature, Minor in Spanish, 1978.

Mr. Hoad is a veteran media trainer and frequent speaker on the topics of media ethics & human subject research and using mass media as a vehicle for Public Health messaging – a guest speaker and presenter to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and other institutes.