The University of California, Berkeley seeks its next vice chancellor (VC) for university development and alumni relations (UDAR), a visionary leader able to take Berkeley’s successful development and alumni relations efforts to new heights.
Partnering with Berkeley’s new Chancellor, Richard Lyons, for whom advancing philanthropic success is a key priority, the next VC will join Berkeley at a pivotal moment. The VC will be an active partner with the chancellor, provost, deans, and other senior leaders in the campus’s strategic planning, working with these leaders to design the philanthropic campaign that will support the campus's strategic plan. As a member of the chancellor’s senior management team, the VC will be expected to provide meaningful input on the full range of issues facing the campus; hence, contemporary and comprehensive knowledge of higher education is highly desired.
Berkeley seeks a strategic VC who demonstrates a strong commitment to sustaining a world-class fundraising and engagement enterprise, someone who will guide a robust comprehensive program adaptable to a changing social, educational, and fundamental research climate, and an expanding role for the university to play in technological innovation. A data-informed risk-taker and decision-maker, the VC will implement the necessary enhancements to UDAR’s infrastructure and processes to best position Berkeley to respond effectively and efficiently to the evolving nature of philanthropy; to enhance donor pipelines at all levels; and to deepen the strong philanthropic ties between the university and its supporters. Working closely with the UDAR team, as well as with development colleagues across the university, the VC will build upon the campus’s remarkable momentum and philanthropic success, including building upon the recently concluded Light the Way: The Campaign for Berkeley, which raised more than $7.37 billion, the largest total in history for any public university and for any university without a medical school.
Critical to success will be the VC’s ability to foster productive and collaborative relationships with academic and administrative leaders across the university, as well as with all development colleagues, both those centrally based in UDAR and teams embedded in the colleges, schools, and units. Such collaborative relationships are critical to realizing the philanthropic potential of Berkeley’s alumni, donors, and friends and achieve collective success. To that end, the VC will possess the ability to inspire a spirit of experimentation and entrepreneurialism and mobilize high-performing teams, advance a results-oriented work environment that promotes collaboration and achievement, retain and recruit talent, as well as build and manage relationships with key alumni and donors.
With at least 15 years of leadership experience in best-in-class development operations, the ideal candidate will be a proactive self-starter who operates with intentionality and who possesses an extensive track record of co-creating institutional strategies to achieve ambitious fundraising goals; a keen understanding of fundraising best practices and a comprehensive knowledge of all major development and alumni engagement functions, including a depth of campaign experience; and the political savvy to navigate a complex academic and donor community. The VC must be a person of impeccable character and humility with extraordinary communication and negotiation skills, and a high level of agility, diplomacy, and perseverance. With high emotional intelligence, superb relationship-building skills, and the authenticity to create genuine connections, the next VC will possess the ability to build bridges with a broad array of constituents across and affiliated with a university community and a deep understanding of and passion for the mission and goals of an outstanding comprehensive research university. A bachelor’s degree is required.
The full leadership profile can be found on the Isaacson, Miller website
Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website
For general questions about the SMG search process, please review the SMG searches FAQAdditional questions may be referred to Kristine Lee Wilby at kristineleewilby@berkeley.edu
Timeline
The VCUDAR search advisory committee members were selected in February. Listening sessions took place in February and March to gather feedback about the opportunities and challenges, qualities and skills, and the priorities for the next VCUDAR. The full leadership profile is now published. Recruitment for the position has been ongoing and interviews will be conducted in the late spring and summer. While search timelines can change, we anticipate the hiring decision will be made in the late summer or early fall.
Community Feedback Survey
We seek input from the campus community about this critical position. Please submit your input on this online survey. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes. It is a way for the search advisory committee and search consultants to seek input from the Berkeley community in all areas. Information gathered will help identify opportunities and challenges as well as perspectives of ideal qualities of the next VCUDAR. The survey will be available throughout the search.
Search Advisory Committee Roster 2025
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Richard Lyons, Chancellor (Search Committee Chair)
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Nadine Tang, Board Member of the Berkeley Endowment Management Company and Trustee Emerita of the UC Berkeley Foundation (Search Committee Co-Chair)
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Benjamin Hermalin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
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Brooke Bodipo-Memba, Executive Director of the Student Experience and Diversity
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David Ackerly, Dean, Rausser College of Natural Resources
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David Milnes, Chair, Department of Music
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Maria Hjelm, Assistant Dean of Development, Mathematical & Physical Sciences
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Nancy McKinney, Associate Vice Chancellor, Advancement Operations, UDAR
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Raka Ray, Dean, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters & Science
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Shaun Keister, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations, UC Davis
Search Staff: Kristine Lee Wilby, Academic Affairs Manager and Andrea Lambert-Tan, Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Office of the EVCP.