Denver CBS Reporter Mike Hooker Named Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Colorado State University

Colorado State University today named Mike Hooker, a 21-year TV news veteran, the new executive director of Public Affairs and Communications.

Hooker has spent 17 years at Channel 4 in Denver, most of it as the Northern Colorado bureau reporter. He begins his new job February 20.

The university conducted a national search for the position, which drew nearly 100 applicants. Hooker replaces Brad Bohlander, who took a similar position at North Carolina State in October.

“Mike is a quintessential storyteller with a passion for building relationships and educating the public in compelling, informative ways – skills that will be hugely beneficial at the university and help propel our communications strategy forward,” said Tom Milligan, vice president for External Relations. “We are pleased to have someone with his extensive knowledge of the community and the university.”

Hooker is an Emmy-award winning journalist who worked at NBC stations in Missouri and Tennessee before joining CBS4 News in Denver in 1994. He has received multiple awards for his reporting while in Denver from such organizations as the Colorado Broadcasters’ Association and the Associated Press, among others. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“I’m looking forward to improving on the success the university has had in attracting top-flight students and faculty, continuing the university’s ascent in national ranking and reputation, and leading the charge to show Coloradans and our elected leaders the value of investing in higher education,” Hooker said.

Hooker lives in Fort Collins with his wife, Deb, and their two daughters.

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