Coblentz arrives at RPI after serving as a communications specialist and strategic adviser to Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Association, a role he held for nearly eight years. Prior to that, he had worked in various roles in the U.S. government, including as a senior adviser to Jackson when she chaired the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1997 to 1999.

That Coblentz was, as he described himself, “not completely an unknown quantity” may have influenced Jackson’s eventual decision to hire him. According to Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell, the Institute received approximately 10 applications for the position. Following a preliminary review of their qualifications, two of those individuals were invited to campus for interviews with representatives from various parties whom the new chief of staff would interact with. After looking over their feedback, Jackson interviewed the candidates herself and made a selection.

The chief of staff is a cabinet position that is often overlooked by much of the campus; it is a role that is largely carried out behind the scenes. As the title implies, a fair amount of the work goes into coordination. Each member of the president’s cabinet is responsible for a particular segment of the operation and advancement of the campus. The chief of staff is responsible for ensuring that all the members are working together and are making progress—both towards their own goals as well as those delineated by The Rensselaer Plan.

According to Jackson, however, that is just one of four primary aspects of the job; the other three all relate to communication in its various forms. As he takes on the new position, Coblentz will need to spend lots of time interfacing with the campus, the community, and the outside world. He will be the interface between the campus and the president’s office, particularly in times where Jackson is unable to attend to matters personally. Likewise, he will work closely with strategic communications and external relations to ensure an effective and appropriate flow of information.

Jackson also noted another role that the chief of staff fulfills—an ombudsman and liaison in areas of potential conflict. To achieve that end, in particular, Coblentz brings a lot of real-world knowledge to the table.

He described his experiences with the IAEA, where much of what he said and did alongside the director general was scrutinized under an intense media spotlight. As part of the team that went to Iraq in the months and years following the September 11 attacks, he was responsible in part for taking the findings and framing them into a report for the United Nations. The precise phrasing of that document would very likely mean the “difference between war and peace.”

Coblentz expects to apply that same sort of precise communication to issues that have arisen recently and that may continue to spring up in the course of normal operation. By coming in with a fresh external standpoint, and most importantly listening carefully to and understanding every side of the situation, he hopes that he will be able to help ease some existing tensions on campus: “If I’m going to address any of those problems, I’m going to need to think on that level and understand the other side.”

McIntyre, who officially left RPI on January 15, has taken the job of senior vice president for the Council on Competitiveness, a non-governmental organization that seeks to enhance competitiveness in the global economy and create “high-value economic activity in the United States.” In that position, she will give oversight of several programmatic aspects of the council, including high performance computing as well as energy innovation and sustainability; she will also be responsible for ensuring that the council’s staff is both proficient in their work and sufficient to fulfill its mission.

Highlighting her work on the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center and the Office of Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer, and New Ventures, Jackson noted McIntyre’s accomplishments in solidifying the role of both institutions of today’s campus. She was a driving force of the EMPAC project from the very beginning, seeing it rise from an idea to a task force, and then throughout its design and construction. She also played a key role in building up the IP office and assisting in its search for a new director.