Pedro Ribeiro was appointed vice president for public affairs and communications in October 2023. In this role he provides strategic communications and government relations advice to the president and other senior University leaders, communicating about and advocating for the mission and priorities of Notre Dame. He oversees the offices of public affairs, central communications, and Notre Dame Magazine.
He came to Notre Dame after serving for more than six years as senior vice president for communications for the Association of American Universities, a consortium of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. He directed and coordinated AAU’s public affairs, communications, and media relations activities and staffed the Public Affairs Network constituent group.
Before joining AAU, Ribeiro served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In that role, he was a senior advisor to the department’s senior leadership on media, public, and employee engagement strategies. He also helped develop and manage the department’s strategic engagement plans for complex issues in coordination with other departments and the White House.
Prior to his service as deputy assistant secretary of DHS, he worked in the department as an assistant director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In that role, he was responsible for managing and overseeing ICE’s external and internal messaging programs. He directed the agency’s global communications efforts and a staff of 60 employees responsible for media engagement, strategic communications, and internal communications.
Before joining DHS, he served as the director of the Office of Communications in the Executive Office of the Mayor in the District of Columbia. His responsibilities included being the senior on-the-record spokesperson for the government of the district and coordinating all of its public and employee outreach efforts. He also managed the district’s Joint Information Center and was responsible for coordinating the public information response to both the Navy Yard shooting and Hurricane Sandy.
Previously, he served as deputy chief of staff and communications director to Representative Zoe Lofgren of California during her tenure as chair of the House Ethics Committee and chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration. He also served as press secretary to Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and in the non-profit community as a communications adviser.
Ribeiro earned his bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America. He and his wife, Leah, are the parents of one daughter.