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 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 Office of Development (DEV) - Leadership Spotlight:
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.
Georgia Tech, College of Sciences, CoS
The College of Sciences (CoS) cultivates curiosity, encourages exploration, and fosters innovation to develop scientific solutions for a better world. The College's connected community of scientists and mathematicians collaborates across disciplines and challenges to achieve excellence in science, teaching, and research. To learn more about the CoS, please click here: https://cos.gatech.edu/about
The Office of Development is committed to securing the philanthropic resources that are transforming Georgia Tech and engage alumni, friends, families, corporations, and foundations in the life of the Institute and encourage financial investment in Tech's future. To learn more about the College of Science’s campaign priorities, please click here: https://transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu/colleges/sciences
Georgia Tech, College of Sciences- Leadership Spotlight:
She serves as chief academic officer of the College, providing leadership to more than 3,000 students and 500 faculty members and researchers conducting over $60 million in annual research across six internationally ranked schools.
Lozier earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University, and spent three years working as a chemical engineer for the DuPont Company before joining the University of Washington to complete a master’s degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in physical oceanography. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Washington’s physical oceanography doctoral program.
Following postdoctoral studies at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, she joined the faculty of Duke University in 1992, where she led as department chair, faculty senate chair, vice provost for strategic planning, co-chair of Duke’s effort to reimagine graduate education, and as Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor of Earth and Ocean Sciences in the Nicholas School of the Environment, among the highest honors that Duke can bestow on a faculty member.
Dean Lozier is a physical oceanographer with an interest in large-scale ocean circulation, as well as understanding the physical controls on marine productivity. An active researcher, she is the international lead for the National Science Foundation Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (NSF OSNAP) observing system.
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020, Dean Lozier has served as president of The Oceanography Society, and is past-president of American Geophysical Union (AGU), the scientific organization of more than 60,000 members in 137 countries is a leading voice for science toward a sustainable future. Learn more.
The Opportunity: Director of Development II, College of Sciences
The Director of Development II, College of Sciences will be an experienced and successful fundraiser responsible for leading all development activities related to the College of Sciences, including planning and implementing a coordinated program of fundraising activities in support of the College’s and School’s philanthropic priorities. The Director will use advanced relationship building skills to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward major and principal gift individual prospects, and support the strategy for corporate and foundation prospects in collaboration with central development colleagues. This position will establish and effectively manage relationships with critical, high-profile prospects for the College of Sciences providing meaningful stewardship opportunities and reporting on the annual impact to endowment donors. The Director’s role will be to design and implement strategic fundraising plans in support of the Dean’s fundraising priorities and manage special events to involve and cultivate prospects, such as the bi-annual College Advisory Board meetings. In addition, the Director will collaborate with the Dean of the College, School Chairs, Director of Alumni Engagement, and other faculty and staff leaders within the College to further philanthropic relationships. Typically, this position solicits gifts in the range of $100,000 to $5 million and manages a portfolio size (average annual fundraising accountability) of $2.5 million to $3.5 million. This position will interact on a regular basis with major and principal donors and prospective donors, and may service complex fundraising markets or regions in collaboration with regional development colleagues. The prospect pool managed is up to 150 prospects, primarily residing in the state of Georgia and will collaborate closely with regional development colleagues on cultivating prospects outside the state. This position typically will advise and counsel: Deans, school chairs, faculty, academic unit and program leadership, College advisory board members, and other development officers. This position will supervise an associate director of development who holds fundraising expectations and a senior development assistant.
The Role and Responsibilities
Responsibilities:
Design and implement comprehensive fundraising plans for assigned college, school, program, region, or constituency.
Use advanced professional relationship building skills to develop and implement plans and strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and principal gift donors and prospective donors.
Close major gifts and commitments, personally and consistently, with a typical gift solicitation range of $100,000 to $5 million. 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).
Manage special events and/ or advisory board meetings to involve and cultivate prospects.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Skills and Qualifications
Skills:
Broad knowledge of fundraising approaches.
Highest levels of interpersonal skills, ethical standards, and good judgement.
Excellent skills in building long-term relationships.
Persuasive written and verbal communications skills.
Abilities in prioritizing, negotiating, influencing, strategic planning, project management, program administration and organization.
Self-motivation, ability to work independently and as a team member.
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.
Four to six years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising and/or relevant experience in sales and marketing, or other related fields.
Preferred Qualifications
Master's Degree.
Eight plus years of proven experience and results in soliciting and closing seven-figure major gifts in a higher education setting and a campaign environment.
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 - Director of Development II, CoS - Job Description (PDF Download)
