Georgia Tech president stepping down

by Atlanta First News staff

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Georgia Tech’s president will step down this fall, the university announced Monday.

Ángel Cabrera has served as the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology since 2019.

He’ll stay on until November, after which he’ll become the next president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, “one of the world’s foremost nonprofit organizations dedicated to leadership, dialogue, and addressing society’s most pressing challenges,” Georgia Tech said in a press release Monday.

Since becoming Georgia Tech’s 12th president, Cabrera has overseen “record growth across enrollment, research, innovation, and philanthropy,” the university said.

Under Cabrera’s leadership, Georgia Tech has seen record levels of student applications, enrollment, graduation rates, research funding, startup formation, invention disclosures and philanthropic support, according to the press release.

During his tenure, annual sponsored research awards have surpassed $1.4 billion, helping push Georgia Tech to No. 1 nationally in research expenditures among universities without a medical school and No. 2 nationally in federal research funding. He’s also overseen an expansion of the university’s leadership in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, space research and entrepreneurship.

Under Cabrera, Georgia Tech also expanded and modernized its campus “significantly” through the development of three “innovation districts” in Atlanta: Tech Square, Science Square and Creative Quarter.

“Georgia Tech transformed my life, first as a student and later as president,” Cabrera said in a statement. “Leading this extraordinary institution has been the honor of a lifetime. I leave with immense gratitude for the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who have made our shared progress possible and with tremendous confidence that Georgia Tech’s best days are still ahead.”

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue praised Cabrera for “solidifying Georgia Tech’s reputation as a world-class, global research institution,” though his “true impact on Georgia Tech goes well beyond the numbers.” 

Since rejoining his alma mater, Cabrera has “brought energy, warmth, and engagement to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the entire Tech community” demonstrating a personal touch that has “made a profound difference.”

Cabrera will stay on the job until the fall to help ensure a smooth leadership transition. The University System of Georgia will announce plans for selecting Georgia Tech’s next president at a later date, the press release said.