President and Chief Executive Officer

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with the University of Vermont Foundation in the search for a President and Chief Executive Officer. Reporting to the UVMF Chair of the Board of Directors and working in close partnership with the University President, the CEO will play a central role in implementing and executing the University's strategic plan to meet both immediate‑ and long‑term fundraising goals.

Key priorities will include expanding a high‑performing team of frontline fundraisers; enhancing infrastructure to support increased philanthropic activity; and deepening campus partnerships to amplify fundraising impact. The CEO leads an enterprise solely dedicated to advancing UVM's full spectrum of academic, research, and public service programs—including NCAA Division I athletics, as well as helping to advance the University of Vermont Medical Center and UVM Health.

Serving as a strategic partner to President Tromp and other key stakeholders, the CEO will cultivate transformational gifts and build upon the work of the last campaign that raised over $500M, while also maintaining and expanding donor relationships and articulating the case for support to donors, alumni, prospects, and colleagues across the University. The CEO will foster a highly productive, motivated, and diverse team, implementing leading‑edge practices that fuel the University's aspirations;

benchmark development programs against best‑in‑class institutions; streamline communication and stewardship; and ensure that all efforts yield a substantial return on investment. The CEO will raise the profile of the University by engaging and inspiring the entire community as an active participant—both within the University and externally with UVMF board members, alumni, faculty, staff, students, government, business, and community leaders—in ways that reflect the collaborative and collegial culture of the University.

Established in 2011, the University of Vermont Foundation serves as the preferred and primary vehicle for fundraising and alumni relations activities that support the University of Vermont. The Foundation has 80 full‑time staff and is led by an eight‑person senior management team. Most academic units on the campus have at least one major gifts officer assigned to them. The work of campus‑based major gifts officers is complemented by centrally‑administered annual fund and planned giving officers, as well as full‑service, back‑of‑house functions.

The UVM Alumni Association sits under the UVM Foundation in an effort to integrate fully all engagement and fundraising strategies to maximize impact. Since its founding, the Foundation has helped grow the University's endowment – through a combination of contributions and investment return – from $320 million at the end of 2011, to over $1B to support UVM's mission and ambitions.

As Vermont's land grant and only comprehensive research university, UVM plays a vital role in the well‑being of communities and people across the state. The University educates students, conducts research, and serves the state through its seven undergraduate schools and colleges, honors college, graduate college, division of professional and continuing education, UVM Extension, and the Larner College of Medicine. The University has been consistently ranked among the nation's top public universities.

It provides a rich environment for teaching, research, and scholarship in many realms of human inquiry, achieved in large measure through a distinguished faculty of accomplished teacher‑scholars. The University received the No. 1 ranking on Princeton Review's 2024 list for "Best Schools for Making an Impact." UVM has also made Princeton Review's "Green Rating Honor Roll" in recognition of sustainability‑related practices, policies, and academics, and it ranked first among institutions with larger populations in their list of top green colleges.

A bachelor's degree and at least ten years of progressive leadership experience in a complex organizational setting with supervisory responsibility across multiple teams is required for this position. At least eight years of high‑level major or principal gift…