Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera's Legacy of Growth and Progress
By: Jennifer Herseim, Lead Photo by Rob Felt | Categories: Featured Stories
Georgia Tech’s 12th President, Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, will leave Georgia Tech to become president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, effective Nov. 1.
In late 2019, Cabrera rolled into his investiture ceremony hanging on the side of the Ramblin’ Wreck and ushered in a new era of growth and innovation marked by record enrollment and fundraising.
Continuing the Momentum
“I admired what G. Wayne Clough and Bud Peterson had done before me with the sense of momentum and growth, and I was hoping to at least keep that up—if not accelerate the impact that Georgia Tech could have,” remembers Cabrera. “I am blown away by what Georgia Tech has done in the past seven years.”
The strategic plan, launched in 2020 soon after Cabrera arrived, was refreshed in 2024 with his four “big bets” for Georgia Tech: becoming a leader in outcomes and value for students, expanding research, doubling the number of degree and non-degree learners, and amplifying Tech’s impact as a national hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
Enrollment Growth, Record Fundraising
The 10-year plan is on its way to hitting those goals. Enrollment has grown to nearly 57,000 students while research expenditures have grown to a record $1.5 billion. Launched in 2022, Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech surpassed its $2 billion goal with more than a year remaining. In 2025, Tech received its largest single gift with a $100 million donation from the late alumnus John W. Durstine. These milestones weren’t met without headwinds, from a global pandemic to increased federal pressure on higher education.
“If you think about the crises that we’ve come through, staying still would have been OK. Instead, we’ve probably had the fastest growth in our history,” Cabrera says. “I’m very proud of the staff, the team, and how they’ve embraced the challenges and instead said, ‘How can we have a bigger impact?’”
Georgia Tech's Second Alumnus to lead
Cabrera followed Tech’s 10th President, G. Wayne Clough, as the second alumnus to lead the Institute, and he is the first president whose spouse, Dr. Beth Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, is also a Tech grad. His son and daughter-in-law are Yellow Jackets, too.
“I don’t have to fake my passion for Georgia Tech. That extra level of pride in Tech and the commitment to its future is there when I sit with a donor or an alum because I’m a fellow alum,” Cabrera says. “My whole life has been connected to this place.”
First lady Dr. Beth Cabrera has volunteered extensively at Georgia Tech, serving on the campaign steering committee and sharing her expertise in well-being with students, staff, and faculty. “She does it because she cares about this place,” Cabrera says.
Creating a Walkable, Livable Campus
The campus Cabrera attended as a graduate student is different today.
A new bike and pedestrian course runs through campus. West of campus, Science Square opened to serve as a hub for the life sciences and cutting-edge research. Across the street is Tech’s Creative Quarter, a new arts and technology space that recently opened its first exhibit. The first new traditional residence hall since 2005, the Bud and Val Peterson Residence Hall opened this fall—to accommodate Tech’s considerable growth in enrollment. Tech served about 55% more students last year than it did when Cabrera returned in 2019. “We’re proud of the quality and the value that Georgia Tech delivers, and we’re defining our success by how many people we can help instead of being exclusive or staying small,” Cabrera says.
"Georgia Tech has been fortunate to have a president who cares as much about improving the human condition as he does about improving life for everyone inside our institution.” —Monish Soniminde, Student Body President Undergraduate SGA
Graduation Rates, ROI
There aren’t just more students at Tech, Cabrera notes. Graduation rates and ROI are higher, too. “We’ve demonstrated that you can have one of the best public universities, offer the best value for students, and deliver it to many students,” he says.
Beyond academics and enrollment growth, athletics has also evolved. In 2023, Georgia Tech Football reached its first bowl game in seven years, defeating UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. The ACC expansion to the West Coast has also brought more visibility to Tech’s brand.
“We are now in parts of the country that are very important to technology. The power of a good strong athletics program to carry our brand is amazing,” Cabrera says.
Perfect Time to Leave
"My hope all along was that I could pass the baton to the next leader when the Institute is strong." —Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, Georgia Tech President, 2019–2026
For Cabrera, ending his academic career at his alma mater was a dream. So why leave now?
“This is a relay race. It’s about an institution. I took the baton from Bud, and I ran my laps as hard as I could. My hope all along was that I could pass the baton to the next leader when the Institute is strong. So in a way, it was the perfect time to leave,” he says. “But at the same time, it’s the hardest time to leave when the Institute is so strong.”
His advice for the next president is to be present. “Show up on campus at events and be out there. It’s good for the Institute, and it’s good for you, too, because that’s how you realize the impact that this place has.”
