Ralph Gigliotti

As chief of staff at Rutgers University, Ralph Gigliotti leads presidential operations and serves as a senior adviser and strategic partner to President William F. Tate IV. In this role, he advances institutional priorities through strategic counsel, cross-university coordination, and execution across a complex Big Ten research university. He provides leadership on presidential initiatives, guides the development and implementation of the university’s strategic priorities, and promotes alignment across presidential and cabinet-level operations.

A member of the President’s Cabinet and Administrative Council, Gigliotti serves as a key liaison among executive leadership, board members, the University Senate, and external stakeholders. He translates presidential vision into actionable strategies, supports institutional decision-making, and drives the advancement of university-wide priorities. His portfolio includes oversight of presidential and cabinet operations, Office of the Secretary, Office of the University Senate, Scarlet Service, and strategic initiatives. He also coordinates the university’s response to significant institutional challenges and emerging issues in close partnership with University Communications and Marketing.

Gigliotti holds affiliated faculty appointments in the Department of Communication at the School of Communication and Information; the Executive MBA program at Rutgers Business School; the doctoral program in higher education at the Graduate School of Education; and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. His research, teaching, and consulting focus on leadership, crisis management, strategy, team dynamics, organizational communication, and training and development in higher education. He is the author or editor of 10 books and more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and is past president of the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation.