Executive Director, Alumni Engagement
Position Summary:
The Executive Director, Alumni Engagement, as a member of the Development and Public Affairs leadership team, provides vision, leadership, and oversight of a comprehensive, centrally coordinated, university-wide alumni engagement program. This role leads the development of a cohesive engagement strategy across UTHealth Houstons seven academic schools and programs, advancing lifelong relationships with alumni, parents/family, and students. Serving as the universitys senior alumni engagement expert, the Executive Director partners with school leadership, faculty, and staff to align engagement initiatives with institutional priorities and philanthropic goals. This position builds and applies data-informed engagement metrics to strengthen the alumni donor pipeline and expand participation through integrated communication, volunteerism, experiential learning, and philanthropy.
Key Accountabilities:
• Designs, develops, and leads the overall strategy, priorities, and goals for the long-term expansion of the universitys alumni engagement program. • Leads and drives the centralized university-wide strategy for integrated, comprehensive initiatives tailored for alumni, parents/family, and students. • Establishes institution-wide engagement standards, reporting expectations, and annual goals for all seven schools. • Serves as UTHealth Houstons senior alumni engagement expert, advising campus leadership on national trends, best practices, and emerging models in alumni engagement and alumni giving. • Develops and maintains peer relationships nationally to benchmark performance and introduce innovative approaches that increase alumni participation and giving. • Provides guidance and training to school-based engagement staff or liaisons to ensure alignment with institutional strategy. • Provides budgetary oversight and governance to ensure appropriate management of resources by responsible leaders, in alignment with institutional policies.
Strategic Leadership:
In partnership with university leadership, develops and participates in strategic planning to advance institutional priorities, alumni engagement outcomes, and philanthropic growth. Translates institutional priorities into coordinated, school-specific alumni engagement plans aligned with university-wide goals. In partnership with Development and Public Affairs leadership, guides the development of brand-aligned engagement and messaging strategies that support philanthropic growth, with a focus on increasing alumni participation, giving, and pipeline development. Ensures integrated and consistent alumni-facing communications across all schools.
Alumni Engagement Governance:
Provides strategic leadership for the creation, development, and ongoing management of a university-wide Alumni Association Board of Directors. Establishes board purpose, structure, governance, and membership to ensure effective representation of UTHealth Houstons alumni population. Engages alumni leaders to support institutional priorities, expand volunteer leadership, and strengthen alumni engagement and advocacy.
Collaboration and Partnerships:
Works closely with the fundraising teams to provide strategic recommendations for alumni-focused solicitations, including annual giving, direct mail, digital, and leadership giving strategies. Collaborates across the department to gain strong participation in alumni giving at the university. Expands existing programs to re-engage alumni and donors and strengthen philanthropic support from families and friends through targeted outreach and relationship-building.
Human Resources and Operations:
Manages Human Resources activities for direct reports in regards to: recruiting and selection; hiring and termination, training, development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations, and salary planning. Responsible for the design, execution, and effectiveness of a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that operations are effective and efficient, assets are safeguarded; financial information is reliable and compliant with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Education and Experience:
• Bachelors Degree in a related field required • Masters Degree preferred
Minimum Experience:
• 7 years of progressively responsible experience leading alumni engagement and events in higher education, academic healthcare, or other non-profit setting required • 2 years of management experience required
Physical Requirements:
• Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects
Residency Requirement:
• Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas