Executive Brief

Director, Operations and Team Performance
Georgia Tech Institute for Technology

The Organization: Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute for Technology (Georgia Tech)

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech - At a Glance:

Mission & Values:

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything they do:

  1. Students are our top priority.
  2. We strive for excellence.
  3. We thrive on diversity.
  4. We celebrate collaboration.
  5. We champion innovation.
  6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
  7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
  8. We act ethically.
  9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Academic Excellence:
  • Georgia Tech is ranked #3 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. All of Georgia Tech's graduate engineering programs rank in the top 10 (Source: U.S. News & World Report).

  • Scheller College of Business ranks #21 among all Undergraduate Business Programs and #17 for their Part-Time MBA (Source: U.S. News & World Report). 

  • Computer Science ranks #6 by U.S. News & World Report's Undergraduate Program Rankings#7 by U.S. News & World Report's Graduate School Rankings, #17 by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and #28 in The Guardian's QS World University Rankings.

  • In the category of Statistics and Operational Research, Georgia Tech ranks #9 in The Guardian's QS World University Rankings. Georgia Tech's graduate urban planning program is ranked #6 in the U.S. and #2 in Big City Programs by Planetizen.

Diversity:
  • The Institute is consistently rated among the top universities in the nation for graduation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, physical sciences, and architecture and planning.
     
  • With more than 60 chartered student organizations exploring religious, racial, sexual, and ethnic identity (but open to all), Georgia Tech's students find a way to celebrate, strengthen, and share their part of the robust cultural melting pot that thrives in the university's community.

Georgia Tech Office of Development (DEV)

The Office of Development is committed to securing the philanthropic resources that are transforming Georgia Tech. We engage alumni, friends, families, corporations, and foundations in the life of the Institute and encourage financial investment in Tech's future.

The fundraising team at Georgia Tech currently consists of 100+ professionals who are focused on securing transformative philanthropy (major and principal gifts) to support the strategic priorities of the Institute and its colleges, schools, and programs including Athletics.

Learn about the groups that make up the Office of Development:
College & School Representatives
College & School Representatives

From endowed chairs and professorships to undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and facilities, donors can support the college, school, or academic program of their choice.

Corporate Engagement
Corporate Engagement

Building partnerships with the corporate community is a top priority for Georgia Tech. Working together, the group grows philanthropy and helps companies connect to Tech through research, recruitment, and diversity initiatives.

Foundation Relations
Foundation Relations

Support from foundations provides vital resources for Georgia Tech strategic initiatives, making it possible for the Institute to advance knowledge across all disciplines.

Gift Planning
Gift Planning

Gift planning begins with a donor's desire to make a gift. Whether the choice is a bequest provision in a will or revocable trust, or a life-income gift, the gift planning team assists with all gifts.

Intercollegiate Athletics
Intercollegiate Athletics

Athletic excellence has long been a source of pride and passion at Georgia Tech. The university wants to become one of the elite athletics programs in the nation with the best combination of athletics and academics.

International Development
International Development

Georgia Tech's vision of leadership in the 21st century is a global one. Moving international efforts to the next level cannot happen without private philanthropy.

Parent Giving
Parent Giving

Parents play a vital role in the life of Georgia Tech. Through advocacy, volunteering, and philanthropy, they have a unique opportunity to become stakeholders in every Yellow Jacket's future.

Regional Development
Regional Development

Regional development representatives travel extensively, connecting with alumni and friends and sharing opportunities for supporting Georgia Tech through private philanthropy.

Reunion Giving
Reunion Giving

Each year, milestone reunion classes celebrate through combined philanthropic giving that advances Georgia Tech and enhances opportunities for students – today and for generations to come. 

For fiscal year 2022, the DEV team’s efforts resulted in over $211 million in new gifts and commitments, which helped to publicly launch Georgia Tech’s largest comprehensive campaign in the Institute’s history Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech which is intended to bring over $2 billion in new commitments and gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other organizations. One of the most significant priorities within Transforming Tomorrow is ensuring access of the brightest undergraduate, graduate and professional students to Georgia Tech, regardless of their socioeconomic background. To learn more about Transforming Tomorrow and the other thematic priorities of the campaign, click here.

Georgia Tech Office of Development (DEV) - Leadership Spotlight:

Leslie Gonnella - Associate Vice President, Development Operations and Services

Leslie Taylor Gonnella
Associate Vice President, Development Operations and Services


Leslie Taylor Gonnella is a seasoned executive-level development professional with a track record spanning over two decades, dedicated to leading the operational and administrative aspects of development and alumni relations programs. With a passion for driving impactful outcomes, Leslie excels in building highly productive and strategic teams that deliver proactive solutions.

Currently serving as the Associate Vice President of Development Operations and Services at the Georgia Institute of Technology since April 2023, Leslie oversees the day-to-day operations of the development division. Her responsibilities include managing diverse teams covering budget and finance, prospect development, information processing, reporting, donor relations, event management, gift administration and facilities. She plays a pivotal role in building and leading the systems and processes that support the division in meeting and exceeding annual fundraising goals.

Prior to her current role, Leslie held significant leadership positions at institutions such as Lehigh University and the University of Chicago. At Lehigh University, as the Associate Vice President & Chief Operating Officer from October 2017 to March 2023, Leslie led operations for the development and alumni relations division, modernizing all operations teams and spearheading division-wide planning efforts overseeing the launch of the $1 billion-dollar campaign. At the University of Chicago, Leslie served in leadership roles for the Medical Center and Hospital supporting grateful patient fundraising, Central operations supporting all schools and units across campus and eventually Booth School of Business, where she served as the Chief Operating Officer and Campaign Director, she oversaw development operations and led the department in the successful launch of a $1 billion-campaign.

Throughout her career, Leslie has demonstrated a unique ability to collaborate with institutional leaders, manage multi-billion-dollar campaigns, build development communications teams, campaign brands and plans, design relationship management systems, and oversee data analytics, reporting, and pipeline development. Her expertise extends to talent management, budgeting, and finance, as well as event management, CRM conversion, gift administration, compliance and policy development.

Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Whittier College and has been recognized as a Fulbright Research Scholar (Budapest, Hungary). Her commitment to excellence, coupled with her strategic mindset and extensive experience, continues to drive impactful outcomes in the field of development and alumni relations.

The Opportunity: Director, Operations and Team Performance

Georgia Tech - Director of Operations and Team Performance - Job Description (PDF Download)

Position Summary

Reporting to the AVP Development Operations and Services, the Director, Operations and Team Performance will serve as the connector for all teams on department strategy and fundraising goal performance. The Director will build department consensus around policies, fundraising goal reporting, and procedures to achieve fundraising goals efficiently and effectively. In partnership with the HR Partner this position will strategically connect professional development planning to overall division growth and continuing education, utilizing a mix of industry offerings (e.g., CASE, AASP, EAB, APRA, ADRP, AFP etc.), consultants, and internally developed content from GTHR to curate training curricula for department and team meetings. This position will advise and counsel Development leadership and staff, Georgia Tech board of directors and Executive Leadership. This position will collaborate with the HR Partner, university faculty, staff, Board of Directors, alumni and Development leadership and staff.

The Role and Responsibilities

Responsibilities:
  • Makes content recommendations for all staff meetings, ad hoc training and staff retreats bringing industry best practices to the Development division.
     
  • Builds a Development onboarding program, curating personalized welcome programs and introductions to the Division that may include, introduction to Development as an industry, introduction to the Development divisions at GT (e.g., leadership structure and where the fit in the organization), onboarding meeting recommendations and scheduling with Development division leaders, liaising with hiring managers to plan for the first six months of an employee joining the team.
     
  • Develops plans and objectives to ensure success of the operations processes while working with departments across the division to build mutually beneficial relationships, improve communication and collaborative teamwork, and increase campus understanding of development fundraising processes.
     
  • Coordinates planning and status updates or meetings for reporting analysis, process implementation, and project timelines.
     
  • Anticipates the needs of supervisors and department staff to help them stay focused on their fundraising goals and project initiatives by identifying and resolving operational issues before they arise.
     
  • Assists in the development, facilitation, or management of development fundraising division and program objectives by building departmental expertise with Development Operations, maximizing effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, accuracy, and ROI.
     
  • Coordinate with DEV’s Vice President, AVP Operations and Services, DEV Cabinet, Senior Leadership Team, and managers throughout the division on professional development opportunities related to the development/philanthropic industry, proactivity identifying growth and learning paths for individuals in both operations and frontline roles.
     
  • Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • KNOWLEDGE
    • Thorough knowledge of Development as in industry, with deep understanding of how the operations teams supporting frontline activity increase the efficiencies and effectiveness of frontline productivity.
       
    • Experience working in Development operations, human resources, or talent management.
       
    • Ability to collaborate and work with varied experienced level of professionals for strategy or confidential discussions. Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
       
    • Knowledge of applicable database.
       
  • SKILLS
    • Excellent communication, project, and management skills.
       
    • Excellent analytical thinking and computer-based critical thinking skills.
       
    • An open and collaborative leadership style.
       
    • A proven record as a successful manager.
       
    • Knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Office applications (especially Word, and Excel).
       
    • Knowledge of One USG preferred.
       
  • ABILITIES
    • Strong organizational and analytical skills with ability to initiate, analyze, and monitor plans that support the goals and objectives for the division.
       
    • Ability to lead groups and projects and function as part of an integrated team.
       
    • Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize work and manage diverse and competing priorities while meeting deadlines.
       
    • Ability to communicate with a broad range of personalities with tact and diplomacy and capability of creating connections or consensus between and among individuals and teams.
       
    • Ability to take initiative, use sound judgment, and ask questions as needed.
       
    • Ability to operate independently and as part of a team—this position will collaborate closely with staff across the department.
       
    • Ability to manage, and maintain sensitivity to, highly confidential information.
       
    • Willingness and ability to learn additional technologies as needed.
       
    • Ability to deliver results within the established timeframes while managing multiple priorities.
Qualifications:

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in business finance or related field.
     
  • 3-5 years of relevant experience including supervision and leadership, with experience in advancement or development preferred.
     
  • 5-7 years development and operations, administrative services, human resources or related field; experience in an independent school, college, university, or academic setting preferred.

Applications & Nominations

The Georgia Institute for Technology has partnered with Boyden Executive Search. For more information about this opportunity or to submit a cover letter and resume, please email:

Lisa Vuona
Managing Partner, Boston
lvuona@boyden.com
LinkedIn

Lisa Vuona has decades of experience in executive search and human resource management, primarily in the non-profit, healthcare and education sectors. She is distinguished by her track record and network, and by her approach, which combines the strategic power of data with a finely tuned ability to understand the client’s organization and identify high-caliber leaders who fit the culture.

Holly Wolk
Senior Advisor, Boston
hwolk@boyden.com
LinkedIn

Holly Wolk serves as a senior advisor for Boyden Boston and brings almost 25 years of recruiting, leadership development and talent management experience in higher education to her role. Holly is passionate about understanding organizational needs and finding candidates that align with the position, as well as the mission and core values of the institution. She is a certified Gallup strengths coach and believes in helping people uncover their innate strengths and bring their authentic self to the role.

Don’t check off all the boxes or meet every single requirement? We have learned that potential candidates hesitate when applying for a job unless they meet every single requirement. Boyden Boston is dedicated to inclusivity and valuing diversity and equity in the workplace. If this opportunity excites you, but your background may not be a perfect match, we still encourage you to apply.

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