Executive Director, CU Boulder Alumni Association

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For more details, including the full position profile and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, please contact Greg Duyck and Mercedes Chacon Vance at CUBoulderAlumAssocExecDir@wittkieffer.com

Announcement:

The University of Colorado Boulder seeks an inspiring, innovative, and future-focused leader to serve as the next Executive Director of the CU Boulder Alumni Association. The ideal candidate will bring strategic vision, strong engagement and fundraising expertise, and a collaborative leadership style to help shape the future of alumni engagement during a defining moment for the university.

An important driver of this momentum, the CU Boulder Alumni Association has cultivated a proud tradition of alumni engagement and service for more than 140 years. As a dues-free membership organization serving a globally connected community of more than 380,000 alumni, the association advances lifelong connection, institutional pride, advocacy, volunteerism, and philanthropic engagement across the Forever Buffs community.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Engagement, the Executive Director leads the alumni association's strategy, operations, and engagement model in alignment with the university's comprehensive campaign and long-term engagement and fundraising vision. A highly visible ambassador for CU Boulder, the Executive Director advances innovative, data-informed strategies that strengthen alumni connection through communication, experiential, philanthropic, and volunteer engagement pathways while aligning alumni engagement with broader institutional priorities.

The Executive Director leads a team of 16 alumni association professionals, fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and values-driven culture. This leader will help shape the future of alumni engagement by deepening participation, strengthening institutional loyalty, and expanding alumni's impact in an evolving higher education landscape.

The role also oversees board governance, volunteer leadership, and strategic partnerships for the alumni association. Serving as the primary liaison to the Forever Buffs Advisory Board, the Executive Director cultivates a strong pipeline of alumni leaders, advocates, mentors, and volunteers while advancing inclusive programs and signature engagement opportunities that strengthen alumni connection and advance institutional priorities.

The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated success in alumni relations, advancement, engagement strategy, or related fields within complex organizations, along with exceptional relationship-building, operational, and financial leadership skills. Most importantly, they will possess the ability to inspire others, foster innovation, and lead with authenticity, optimism, and purpose.

Founded in 1876 and recognized among the nation's leading public universities, CU Boulder is entering a transformative era marked by growing national visibility and its first campus-based comprehensive campaign. As the state's flagship university and one of only 38 U.S. public research institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU), CU Boulder is advancing research and creative excellence, global sustainability impact, and student success in pursuit of its vision to transform lives in service to a just and sustainable world. Led by Chancellor Justin Schwartz and Vice Chancellor of Advancement Katy Kotlarczyk, the university is deepening connections with alumni, donors, students, and supporters worldwide as it celebrates 150 years of impact and looks toward the future.

An important driver of this momentum, the CU Boulder Alumni Association has cultivated a proud tradition of alumni engagement and service for more than 140 years. As a dues-free membership organization serving a globally connected community of more than 380,000 alumni, the association advances lifelong connection, institutional pride, advocacy, volunteerism, and philanthropic engagement across the Forever Buffs community.

CU Boulder Advancement is committed to a culture of joy, motivated by collaboration, passionate about excellence and driven by impact. These four values define the culture and drive engagement and fundraising success.

We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate oppressive ideologies-including racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example in building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal colleagues and external partners. We hold ourselves accountable through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess our progress, growth, and outcomes-ensuring alignment with our mission and values every step of the way.

• Champion innovation in alumni engagement by continuously evaluating emerging trends, technology and best practices that position CU Boulder at the forefront of alumni engagement nationally.
• Develop, implement, and regularly refine the Alumni Association's strategic plan in alignment with campus and divisional goals, broader divisional engagement and fundraising strategy and comprehensive campaign objectives.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the CUBAA team, fostering clarity of roles, accountability, high performance, and a culture that embodies divisional values of joy, collaboration, excellence and impact.
• In partnership with the Assistant Vice Chancellor and campus partners, advance a data-informed engagement model aligned with CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics and the CU Boulder Advancement Continuum, driving measurable growth across communication, experiential, philanthropy, and volunteer engagement that supports broader philanthropic pipeline development.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner and subject matter expert on alumni engagement across the division and broader campus community.
• Integrate alumni strategy with division-wide engagement and fundraising initiatives, annual priorities, and campaign objectives to ensure cohesive execution and measurable impact.
• Lead or contribute to special initiatives assigned by the Assistant Vice Chancellor or university leadership, including cross-campus initiatives, new engagement models, and crisis response efforts.

Programmatic & Board Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership and governance oversight for the CU Boulder Alumni Association Board of Advisors (Forever Buffs Advisory Board), aligning board engagement, agenda-setting, and advisory priorities with divisional strategy and campaign goals.
• Provide strategic leadership to implement a scalable volunteer engagement strategy that cultivates and sustains a diverse pipeline of alumni leaders- including board members, chapter and affinity leaders, mentors, and volunteers- in support of divisional volunteerism objectives and long-term engagement growth.
• Lead the development and launch of a comprehensive alumni advocacy strategy that mobilizes alumni as informed ambassadors for CU Boulder, advancing institutional priorities at the local, state, and national levels in coordination with campus and system partners.
• Partner with campus stakeholders to design and scale alumni career engagement initiatives-including mentorship, networking, and employer partnerships-that enhance student success and deepen experiential engagement.
• Lead the strategy, implementation and continuous evolution of high impact alumni experiences that foster meaningful connection and advances institutional priorities; regularly assessing alignment, effectiveness and impact.
• Ensure alumni programming reflects the breadth and diversity of the CU Boulder alumni community, fostering inclusive and equitable engagement across generational, geographic, cultural, and professional cohorts.
• Collaborate with Advancement Marketing & Communications and campus partners to align alumni-facing messaging, storytelling, and outreach efforts with broader engagement and campaign strategies.
• Provide regular performance reporting and strategic analysis to divisional leadership, board members, and campus stakeholders, leveraging dashboards and data insights to inform decision-making.
• Continuously assess program effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative metrics, refining strategy to optimize participation, experience, and long-term impact.

Partnerships & External Relations

• Represent CU Boulder Alumni in internal and external forums, serving as a visible ambassador through public speaking engagements, alumni gatherings, campus events, and community partnerships.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with CU System, other CU campuses, and key campus stakeholders-including Enrollment Management, Career Services, Student Life, Athletics, Academic Units, Strategic Relations & Communications, and campus leadership-to integrate alumni engagement across the university ecosystem.
• Partner with CU System and the CU Foundation to lead planning and execution of the annual CU Foundation Trustees meeting hosted at CU Boulder, including strategic theme development and campus coordination.
• Support institutional governmental relations and advocacy efforts by engaging alumni in outreach initiatives, policy dialogue, and community-based partnerships.
• Serve as CU Boulder's representative to the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) and related professional associations, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and national benchmarking standards.

Operations & Financial Stewardship

• Oversee the financial sustainability of the Alumni Association, including annual and multi-year budgeting, forecasting, revenue and expense management, and auxiliary operations such as the Koenig Alumni Center.
• Ensure compliance with university policies, contractual obligations, risk management standards, and legal requirements in partnership with University Counsel.
• Identify and advance diversified revenue opportunities-including sponsorships, events, affinity programs (Forever Gold), travel initiatives, and other earned income strategies-to support long-term financial health.
• Support the continuous optimization of alumni engagement technology and infrastructure, leveraging existing divisional systems and ensuring alignment with broader advancement data, marketing and campaign strategies.

The annual salary range that the University of Colorado Boulder reasonably projects for this position is $180,000 - $210,000. Signing bonus and relocation assistance are available for qualified candidates.

• Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience or combination of education and experience.
• Experience: 6+ years of professional, job-related experience.
• Software Used: Microsoft Office products, donor tracking software (Salesforce), Zoom, Teams, LinkedIn.

• Ability to establish and enhance interpersonal relationships, including ability to coordinate and manage volunteers.
• Strong communication skills including the ability to participate in public events and represent Advancement and the university in a professional manner.
• Ability to analyze information/situations and solve problems.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of tact, discretion, and collaboration in working with a diverse range of constituents including employees, students, volunteers, alumni, donors, and campus colleagues.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple projects/tasks simultaneously; ability to work independently and on a team and adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and to visual appeal of presentation materials.
• Growth mindset, resilience and perseverance.
• Ability to champion the shared values of the Office of Advancement.
• Public speaking skills.
• Ability to embrace a self-starter/self-learning demeanor.
• Strong data/database management and manipulation skills.