Gabriel Welsch

Gabriel Welsch is vice president for marketing and communications at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he has served since 2019. In his years at Duquesne, he spearheaded a research-driven overhaul of the University’s brand platform and related tools, including continued testing of brand equity and awareness. With his team, he also led development of a new, award-winning University website with strong governance measures and regular assessment. His team has implemented school- and college-level strategic communications plans and metrics, driven efforts to redesign flagship admissions and advancement publications, developed brand extensions for inter-University units, and created or revised policies to make marketing and communications activity contemporary and accountable. Simultaneously, Welsch introduced a culture of data-informed collaborative decision-making and worked with the team to pursue strategic goals and development of the division. 

Prior to his appointment at Duquesne, Welsch served in executive functions at Juniata College: vice president for strategic communication and marketing, vice president for advancement and marketing, and interim vice president for enrollment. Welsch started his career in advancement communications for Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts, at the University Park campus, during which time he also taught as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English. He is past president of the board of directors of CUPRAP.

In addition to presenting at national conferences on marketing and advancement topics, Welsch is the author of four books of poems and, most recently, a collection of short stories. He serves on the board of directors of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures.