Tony Dobies
Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy Strategic Communications and Marketing
Biography
Tony Dobies is the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing at West Virginia University. He’s an experienced marketing leader and visionary who has helped WVU become and continue to be a higher education leader in central marketing and communications efforts. He leads the Marketing and Brand Strategy team, which includes 40+ marketers, brand strategists, creators, and industry specialists.
Tony leads the University in holistic marketing and branding efforts, in collaboration with countless partners across the University. Together, they help to accomplish WVU’s highest-level engagement, enrollment, fundraising, and retention goals through strategic marketing efforts. He believes in an audience-based marketing approach for higher ed, showcasing how marketing can bring data-driven results, and that every creative decision starts with a strategic decision.
Tony has been at WVU since 2011 in a variety of roles including: Executive Director of Marketing, Senior Director of Marketing, Social Media Director, Social Media Strategist, Senior Writer, and Communications Specialist. During that time, he’s developed a track record of taking strategic risks, setting industry standards, leading successful teams, and winning numerous awards, including the Best Central Social Media Team award in 2021. He was also named a PR News “Rising PR Star 30 & Under” in 2015.
Now, he oversees a team that develops marketing strategy across 7 key audiences. In addition, head leads a team of brand strategists in the following areas: advertising, digital signage, email design/delivery, mixed-media broadcasts/recordings, photography, print design, videography, web development, and more. He also oversees unit budget, operations, and ROI. Together, this team helped to refresh the WVU brand in 2025.
Tony is a proud, 2-time WVU graduate. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, he’s now a devoted Mountaineer. Prior to joining WVU, he was a sportswriter for a number of local and regional publications, covering the Mountaineer football and men’s basketball teams.
Education
- B.S. Journalism, West Virginia University
- M.S. Integrated Marketing Communications, West Virginia University