Ángel Cabrera is the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of America’s leading research universities, serving nearly 48,000 students and conducting more than $1.4 billion in annual sponsored research.

Since Cabrera’s arrival in the fall of 2019, enrollment grew to an all-time high, applications broke Institute and state levels, and the undergraduate program became the third most-selective among public universities. Offering best-in-class graduation rates and career outcomes, coupled with lower tuition and fees than most other leading research universities, Georgia Tech is consistently recognized for offering one of the best returns on investment for students. 

Georgia Tech’s research enterprise has also experienced considerable growth since 2019. With more than $1.2 billion in annual research expenditures, the Institute ranks among the top 20 most research-intensive universities in the nation and is No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech’s unprecedented growth stems from a 10-year strategic plan that was developed under Cabrera’s leadership with the participation of more than 5,700 members of the Institute community and adopted in November 2020. In the plan, titled “Progress and Service for All,” Georgia Tech pledges to amplify its impact and lead by example in a mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

During Cabrera’s presidency, Georgia Tech has continued to build on two decades of progress in transforming the neighborhoods surrounding its campus into thriving hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2023, the third and final phase of Tech Square broke ground with the construction of the George and Scheller Towers, and Science Square Labs was completed in 2024 — the first phase of a new district on Atlanta’s westside dedicated to medical technology research and innovation.

Cabrera came to Georgia Tech after serving for seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia. During his presidency, GMU joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification, became the largest and fastest-growing institution in the state, launched numerous academic and research programs, and established a campus in South Korea. Before GMU, Cabrera was president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University, and dean of IE Business School in Madrid.

As a business educator, Cabrera played a key role in advancing professional ethics, internationalization, and corporate social responsibility. In 2007, while serving as a senior advisor to the United Nations Global Compact, he was the lead author of the “Principles for Responsible Management Education” (PRME). A United Nations–supported initiative that advances sustainable development through management education, PRME has been adopted by more than 800 schools around the world. He is also a co-founder of the University Global Coalition, a global network of universities working in partnership with the United Nations in support of its Sustainable Development Goals.

Cabrera has been named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, a “Star of Europe” by Bloomberg Businessweek, a “Henry Crown Fellow” by the Aspen Institute, and a “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He has received honorary degrees from Miami Dade College and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. 

Cabrera serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society, Harvard College Visiting Committee, Atlanta Committee for Progress, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Bankinter Innovation Foundation in Spain. He has served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the advisory boards of Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey and Georgia Tech (which he chaired), and the boards of three public companies.

Cabrera earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology and cognitive science from Georgia Tech, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a B.S. and an M.S. in computer and electrical engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. His academic publications have been cited thousands of times.

He is married to management scholar and Georgia Tech classmate, Elizabeth. Their son, Alex, is a graduate of Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon University, and their daughter, Emilia, is a graduate of Harvard University. Cabrera is the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university.

You can follow President Cabrera on Twitter @CabreraAngel.

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