The Aspen Institute is excited to announce that Dr. Ángel Cabrera, the current President of the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been appointed as incoming President and CEO, following a unanimous vote by the Institute’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Cabrera will begin his service on November 1, 2026.
Dr. Cabrera is a globally recognized leader with a distinguished record of building institutions that advance innovation, expand access to opportunity, and prepare rising generations to thrive. Since becoming the 12th President of the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2019, he has guided the university through a period of remarkable growth — enrollment has increased by 55 percent to more than 56,000 students — while annual sponsored research awards have surpassed $1.4 billion, making Georgia Tech the top-ranked university in the nation in total research expenditures among institutions without a medical school. He has also overseen the development of major new research centers in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and space, and championed Georgia Tech's role as an
anchor of innovation and economic development in Atlanta. Prior to Georgia Tech, Dr. Cabrera served for seven years as President of George Mason University, where he led the institution to R1 research status, the largest enrollment growth of any Virginia university, and established a campus in South Korea.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Cabrera served as President of the Thunderbird School of Global Management — now a part of Arizona State University — and as Dean of IE Business School in Madrid. As a scholar and educator, his work on knowledge management and organizational behavior has been cited thousands of times. He has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and is the first person born in Spain to serve as president of an American university.
"The Aspen Institute occupies a rare and vital place in the world — a place where honest dialogue, principled leadership, and a belief in human possibility converge in service of a stronger society," says Dr. Cabrera. "I have been part of this community for many years, including as a Henry Crown Fellow, and I know firsthand the power of this organization to change how people see themselves, each other, and what they can do together. It is an honor to be entrusted with leading it forward. I am deeply grateful to Margot and the Board for their confidence, to Dan for the strong and vibrant institution he has helped shape, and to the entire Aspen Institute community for the warmth and purpose I have already encountered. I cannot wait to get to work."
