Colby College (Waterville, Maine), one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, seeks a successful and entrepreneurial Chief Advancement Officer (CAO). Partnering with internal and external constituents, the ideal candidate will build on the College’s exceptionally strong foundation by collaborating with outstanding faculty, staff, and students to shape Colby’s next chapter.
Colby is currently in the institution’s largest, most successful campaign, Dare Northward. The College has exceeded its original campaign goal of $750 million and has extended its campaign goal to over $1 billion. The institution is currently at $930 million of this goal. A new CAO will infuse a renewed energy, a deep understanding of best practices, and an expectation that the advancement program will be highly integrated and closely connected to the College’s academic program.
The CAO will be responsible for all aspects of fundraising, alumni and donor engagement, and operations and research. The new leader will be an experienced, senior advancement professional with a compelling combination of fundraising, campaign oversight, alumni relations, and program/personnel leadership experience and achievement. The ideal leader will demonstrate a personal track record of developing and leading high performing teams and considerable success as cultivating a major/principal gift fundraising plan.
Colby seeks an executive who has outstanding organizational and communication skills and demonstrated experience leading, managing, and developing high-performing teams while continuously assessing and identifying opportunities to advance professional capabilities. The selected candidate will have a record of success leading a comprehensive advancement program of similar scope and complexity. At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership and management experience is required, and candidates with a track record of volunteer management and program development are strongly desired. The CAO will be a champion of the liberal arts and understand and embody institutional values of honesty, integrity, and personal responsibility. Previous experience in an institutional environment similar to Colby will be a substantial advantage but not a requirement. A bachelor’s degree and demonstrated experience in building and sustaining a high-performing, donor-centric development operation is required for the role.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. They can be directed to Mercedes Chacón Vance, Sarah Palmer, and Jevon Walton at [email protected]. Applications should include, as two separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest.