Jonathan Alba is a lecturer in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches undergraduate courses focused on sales, communication, and relationship building.
His career spans research, teaching, and executive leadership across academia, government, and the private sector. At the University of Texas at Austin, Jonathan worked as a researcher in cognitive psychology and later at the IC² Institute, where he served as a researcher and consultant studying innovation ecosystems and advising cities, incubators, and economic development organizations on entrepreneurship and economic development strategy.
He later served as chief operating officer for a startup risk management firm, where he led and scaled the organization while negotiating high-stakes engagements across public agencies, municipalities, and large-scale entertainment and media environments. In that role, he worked with clients including Netflix, Amazon, Live Nation, C3 Presents, Circuit of the Americas, Tesla, and SXSW, and served on state and local task forces focused on public safety and large-scale event risk.
Alongside teaching, Jonathan consults with public sector–facing firms and organizations operating in government, academic, and entertainment markets on strategic communication and go-to-market strategy, particularly in environments defined by long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and high trust requirements.
In addition to consulting, he delivers workshops and lectures internationally, with a particular focus on European innovation ecosystems, including ongoing work connected to Portugal.
Jonathan holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Texas State University.
