Don Hasseltine, vice president for external relations at Carleton College, joined the University as the new vice president for development Aug. 1.
Hasseltine will work alongside Senior Vice President for Advancement Patricia Watson on several fundraising initiatives, including an upcoming capital campaign and the University’s 250th anniversary in 2014. He will oversee the policy, strategic development and execution of the primary fundraising program, Watson said.
The three-month search process resulted in three top candidates, Watson said. Hasseltine learned of his selection in early June.
“I was looking for someone that not only did the work themselves, coming up through the ranks … but also could lead the work. And he clearly had that experience,” Watson said of Hasseltine.
Hasseltine previously served as vice president for college advancement at Dickinson College and vice president for advancement at Colby-Sawyer College. He was also the director of the annual fund at Georgetown University.
“I have been a senior vice president for the last 14 years,” Hasseltine said. “So I’ve had the opportunity to be at the table helping to guide the strategic direction of a couple of great colleges.”
Hasseltine applied for a position at the University’s Office of Advancement several years ago, but the search was abandoned, Watson said.
Many positions within the office have been vacant for several years because of significant turnover, Watson said. She was given the task of filling the office’s open vice president position when she joined the University last December.
“When you consider the number of vacancies, the best thing will be to have another senior person to run ideas off of, to strategize and take some responsibility off of my plate, so that I can serve the president and the Corporation more effectively,” Watson said.
The office is currently awaiting the fall release of President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, which will dovetail with a long-term capital campaign, The Herald first reported last fall. The University will align its other fundraising initiatives with Paxson’s objectives at that time, Watson said.
Hasseltine said he has already begun discussing the strategic planning and long-term future of the University with Paxson.
The advancement office is also planning for a 250th-anniversary fundraising campaign, Watson said.
“It’s a campaign to engage people who may not have been engaged up to this point or may have lost contact with the University for a variety of reasons, including career development, raising families, babies, travel,” Watson said. “We’ll see who’s out there and make sure that they know Brown is having a 250th anniversary party.”
Brown’s significant private funding and the new leadership in advancement influenced Hasseltine’s decision to apply, he said.
“I’m excited about that opportunity to be a part of a community that has all the right pieces in place to do really great things in the years ahead,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
