University President Ronald Liebowitz announced on Monday the hiring of a new senior vice president for communications and external relations. Ira A. Jackson will assume the role after leaving his position as a vice provost at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Liebowitz told the Brandeis community in an April 24 email.

Jackson has held senior-level positions in not only academia but also government and business, and he is a co-author of “Profits With Principles: Seven Strategies for Delivering Value with Values.”

In his capacity as senior vice president for communications and external relations, Jackson will act as a Brandeis liaison with government, businesses and the general public on a local, national and global level, according to Liebowitz’s email.

“His ability to communicate and to implement new approaches will be useful as Brandeis embarks upon a period of renewal and transformation,” Liebowitz wrote in Monday’s email.

“Brandeis’ commitment to social justice and to research that matters for society totally aligns with my values and life’s work,” the email quotes Jackson as saying.

At a time when Louis Brandeis’ active citizenship and Jewish values are needed to combat ignorance and intolerance, Jackson said, “Brandeis feels like the right place at the right time.”

Judy Glasser, who has served as interim senior vice president for communications for two years, will remain at the University after Jackson starts. She will work closely with Jackson, according to Liebowitz’s email.

—Amber Miles