By Emily Werchadlo

A critical university position that has been vacant for almost 10 months has finally been filled. Robert Gittens has been named the new Vice President for Public Affairs, and will soon be an integral part of increasing the local and national visibility of Northeastern.

“My job will be to spread the news of what Northeastern has already been doing; the great things it has been doing,” Gittens said.

According to an e-mail sent out to faculty and administration by President Richard Freeland, Gittens will, “oversee the university’s interactions with federal, state and local government agencies and officials, as well as with representatives of the communities surrounding Northeastern University campus.”

Gittens may be just the man for the intensive community relations that are required for his post.

“I have worked with government agencies for the past 20 years,” said Gittens. “I have worked in the community in several capacities.”

Worked he has. Gittens has filled several posts, boards and committees in his career. His resume is extensive, and he has served under four Massachusetts governors. Most recently he has served as the Cabinet Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for former Governor Jane Swift. Before that, Gittens was the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services for former Governor Paul Cellucci, chairman of the parole board under former Governor William Weld, and was also former Governor Michael Dukakis’ deputy chief legal counsel.

It’s a mouthful, and there’s more, but Gittens believes all the prior experiences he has will only aid him in his newest endeavor.

“I will work in the groups in the surrounding community to encourage initiatives and relationships,” he said. “As I have done before, I will establish relationships between Northeastern University, and representatives on the federal level.”

Gittens replaces Thomas Keady, the former Vice President of Government Relations and Community Affairs, who left NU to accept a similar post at Boston College. Keady established a relationship with the community of Roxbury, which resulted in the construction of the Davenport Commons Housing Complex. The position Gittens will hold is slightly different. In addition to the responsibilities Keady had, Gittens will be responsible for intensifying and synchronizing the university’s agenda of urban engagement and raising its national visibility and reputation.

Gittens, a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s board of overseers, said he would look for opportunities to establish relationships with institutions, like the BSO, that surround

NU. He would not speculate on any ideas he had envisioned for this relationship, but would say the BSO’s focus on the arts is something that NU admires, and something the university feels is important as well.

When asked why he chose to join the faculty of Northeastern, the alumni of both the undergraduate school and the law school, said he likes the vision of President Freeland and the work NU has done as an urban university.

Gittens will not ascend his post until March 10, and says he will spend this time getting to know more about the work of his office, and familiarizing himself with his responsibilities.

“But I also want to get some relaxation in,” he joked.