Senior Executive Director, Alumni Association

The University of Maryland seeks an innovative and
entrepreneurial leader to serve as the next Senior Executive
Director of the Alumni Association. Applications, inquiries, and
nominations are invited.
Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland, College Park is a
public land-grant research university, the state’s flagship
institution, and home to more than 41,000 students, 14,000 faculty
and staff, and 414,000 alumni. The 1,250-acre College Park campus
is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., the nexus of the
nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power.
This unique proximity to business and technology leaders; federal
departments and agencies; and a myriad of research entities,
embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit
organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for
faculty and students are ubiquitous in the nation’s capital and
surrounding areas. It is also close to Baltimore, a major center
for commerce and higher education in Maryland. The University is
committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse
faculty and staff that will enhance its stature of preeminence in
its three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in
the community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.
The Senior Executive Director of the Alumni Association is the
chief alumni officer for the University of Maryland, in addition to
serving as the leader of the University of Maryland Alumni
Association (UMDAA) 501c3, representing 414,000+ alumni. The UMDAA
is an industry leader in alumni relations, earning 13 CASE Circle
of Excellence Awards, including four Grand Gold awards since 2018.
Demonstrating growth across key metrics, from alumni engagement,
membership participation, and rental income from the Samuel Riggs
Alumni Center business, the UMDAA is well-positioned for expanded
growth following the launch of its new strategic plan Forever
Fearless, in July 2023.
The mission of the UMDAA is to connect, cultivate, and channel the
power of alums to enrich their own lives, advance the University,
and impact the greater good. The Senior Executive Director will
develop strategies and action plans to build alumni pride and
involvement, promote social and career networking among alumni,
develop regional/affinity/special interest/corporate alumni
networks, enlist alumni in service to, and support of, the
University, provide services to alumni, and build awareness of the
UMDAA among current students. They will be responsible for
advancing a comprehensive alumni relations program for UMD, which
proactively engages deans, vice presidents, directors, students,
staff, and volunteers with alumni.
As a member of the senior staff team for the Division of University
Relations (UR), reporting directly to the Associate Vice President
of People and Engagement, the Senior Executive Director works with
divisional leadership, key volunteers, and university
representatives to achieve UR’s goals and advance the University,
providing input on division-wide priorities including staffing,
policies, budget, and fundraising campaigns.
The successful candidate will have at least 11 years of experience
within alumni or volunteer relations or related/relevant fields;
progressive experience supervising and managing staff and budgets;
superior public speaking, storytelling, communication, managerial,
planning, organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills; and
a demonstrated knowledge of non-profit organizations, with an
emphasis on higher education institutions.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited.
Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume
and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership
profile.
WittKieffer is assisting the University of Maryland in this search.
For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received
by June 3, 2024. Nominations, inquiries, and application materials
can be directed to Lauren Bruce-Stets and Kim Migoya at
[email protected].