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:
Students are our top priority.
We strive for excellence.
We thrive on diversity.
We celebrate collaboration.
We champion innovation.
We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
We act ethically.
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 ratedamong 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 Library
The Georgia Tech Library, since its earliest incarnation in the Carnegie building in 1907, has served the needs of Georgia Tech's students, faculty and staff. It is open 24 hours a day during times when school is in session.
The Georgia Tech Library features more than 3.9 million items in its circulating collection, including books, e-books, music and movies. The majority of this physical collection is housed in cold storage at the Library Service Center in partnership with Emory University, meaning students, faculty and staff have access to their multi-million volume collection, as well.
The library is primarily a digital-first organization, meaning the library's customers use the online resources most heavily, averaging more than four million downloads a year from more than 85,000 journals covering virtually every conceivable topic of scholarship. The library also offers access to numerous news and government sources.
To learn more about the Georgia Tech Library’s top priorities, please click here.
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:
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 Techwhich 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 - Leadership Spotlight:
Leslie Sharp - Dean of Libraries
Leslie Sharp
Dean of Libraries
Leslie N. Sharp became Dean of Libraries on July 1, 2020. Previously, she served in dual roles as interim chief executive officer for the Library and associate vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.
As associate vice provost, Sharp managed operations across the organization, including communications, human resources, finance, and general administration. She also oversaw an expanding organizational mission and operations, including growing personnel and services that offered enhanced graduate student support, professional development for graduate students and postdocs, postdoctoral services, and more intentional faculty development. Additionally, she authored new procedures for the Regents Professor and Researcher processes, resulting in more representative and inclusive practices for nomination, selection, and reappointment, and helped put in place a transparent and consistent promotion path for lecturers and academic professionals, which included adding a principal level to both.
As Dean of Libraries, Dr. Sharp will continue work on her priorities for the Library. These include:
Providing ethical and compassionate leadership to create a positive and highly productive environment where everyone has an opportunity to thrive;
Building an inclusive and diverse atmosphere within the Library where the contributions of people of all backgrounds are valued;
Further integrating the Library with the academic and research mission of the Institute;
Pursuing opportunities for diversified support through leveraging campus resources, corporate partnerships, and consortia agreements;
Embracing Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons as an integral part of the Library and its vision and collaborating with Undergraduate Education on a shared vision for Clough; and
Investing in the digital technological infrastructure of the Library.
Dean Sharp teaches historic preservation in the College of Design, where she formerly served as the assistant dean of Academic Affairs and Outreach. She holds a Ph.D. in history and sociology of technology and science and a master's in history of technology from Tech. Her research explores the impact of technology on people and places within the framework of historic preservation, gender, and race.
Leslie came to Tech from Middle Tennessee State University, where she held a joint appointment as an associate research professor for the Center for Historic Preservation and History Department. Sharp earned her bachelor's in history from the University of Georgia and her master's in history with an emphasis in historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University.
Ashley Coogan - Assistant Vice President of Development
Ashley Coogan
Assistant Vice President of Development
Ashley is an accomplished senior member of the Georgia Tech Development team with a robust track record of enhancing fundraising strategies and supporting access in higher education. With a Master of Public Administration from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a Biology minor from Georgia Institute of Technology, Ashley combines academic excellence with over a decade of professional experience in development roles across prestigious institutions.
Currently serving as the Assistant Vice President of Unit Development overseeing the College of Design, College of Sciences, Library, and Scheller College of Business, Ashley leads a dynamic team in designing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies to support the priorities of her deans. Prior to this role, Ashley served as the Director of Development for the College of Sciences and the Director of Development for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering both at Georgia Tech. In these roles, Ashley’s efforts expanded individual major giving and corporate engagement significantly, reflecting her aptitude for building robust, diverse stakeholder relationships.
Earlier in her career, Ashley served as Director of Development and Associate Director of Development at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute, achieving notable success in securing substantial gifts and revitalizing donor engagement strategies. Her tenure at UCLA as Director of Stewardship and at the Cal Alumni Association at UC Berkeley further honed her skills in managing high-profile donor relations and developing strategic stewardship initiatives.
Ashley is recognized for her creative problem-solving skills, strategic vision, and dedication to supporting her team and alma mater.
Ashley, her husband, and their two young children are avid Georgia Tech fans who can often be found cheering on the White and Gold.
The Director of Development will be a highly collaborative, creative, and persistent front-line development officer responsible for planning and implementing a coordinated program of fundraising activities. They will use professional relationship building skills to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major gift prospects. The Director of Development will establish and effectively manage relationships with significant prospects. In addition, this role will support special events to involve and cultivate major gift prospects, identify stewardship opportunities for major gift prospects, and design and implement comprehensive plans. This role will collaborate with deans and faculty, and coordinate with development, and alumni relations staff. The Director of Development will typically solicit gifts in the range of $25,000+ with a fundraising goal in the first year of approximately $250,000-$500,000. The Director will build, cultivate, and ultimately manage a portfolio of up to 150 prospects. This position will interact on a regular basis with major and principal gift donors, and prospective donors, including alumni, parents, representatives of corporations and foundations, staff, and volunteers. This position typically will advise and counsel: Deans, school chairs, faculty, academic unit and program leadership, unit volunteer leadership, and other development officers.
The Role and Responsibilities
Responsibilities:
Design and implement comprehensive fundraising plans for assigned college, school, program, region, or constituency.
Use professional relationship building skills to develop and implement plans and strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift donors and prospective donors.
Close major gifts and commitments, personally and consistently, with a typical gift solicitation of $25,000+.
Maintain ongoing relationships and provide exceptional donor stewardship to encourage future giving.
Establish and maintain a high degree of collaboration with other development officers and staff, as well as deans, school chairs, faculty, and other Institute academic and executive officers.
Submit timely contact reports, prospect plans, and solicitations into tracking system.
Prepare written development materials including case statements, proposals, and fundraising initiative/ campaign related literature for assigned college, school, and/or program(s).
Support special events and/or advisory board meetings to involve and cultivate major gift prospects.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Skills and Qualifications
Skills and Abilities:
Broad knowledge of fundraising approaches and the highest levels of interpersonal skills, ethical standards, and good judgement.
Ability to drive team results while building long term, meaningful donor relationships.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong ability and experience in prioritizing, negotiating, and influencing.
Effective use of interpersonal skills.
Ability and history with strategic planning, project management, program administration and organization.
Capability of being self-motivated, the ability to work independently and as a team member, and the capacity for multi-tasking.
Use of office-related computer applications is required.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Travel is an essential part of the position as is participation in evening and weekend activities.
Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, annual giving, or alumni relations and/or relevant experience in sales and marketing, or other related fields.
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 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.
Lindsey Gale has extensive experience in social impact with nearly 25 years of success in executive search, fundraising and consulting. She is an accomplished relationship builder, strategist, communicator and community influencer, and applies these skills to help individuals and a variety of non-profit organizations achieve their goals.
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.
Georgia Tech Library - Director of Development - Job Description (PDF Download)
