Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to share that Julie M. Hooper CFRE is returning to Berkeley to serve as the interim vice chancellor for university development and alumni relations (UDAR) effective today, March 16, 2026, following the departure of former Vice Chancellor Julie Lucas in January 2026.
Most recently, Julie served as the executive vice president and chief development officer for the Environmental Defense Fund, where she led enterprise-wide fundraising strategy and directed a global team of more than 140 professionals.
Julie brings deep knowledge of Berkeley, having demonstrated ten years of exceptional leadership under three different chancellors as the vice chancellor for UDAR until early 2025. In particular, her leadership of Berkeley’s Light the Way campaign generated $7.37 billion – the highest campaign total for any public university with or without a medical school.
Julie has agreed to serve in this role for two years. During this period, she will serve as the president of the UC Berkeley Foundation. She will lead UDAR, oversee the planning of our next comprehensive campaign, and work directly with us on the university’s highest priority philanthropic opportunities, in addition to other strategic opportunities for the advancement enterprise. Julie will be instrumental not just for continuing our terrific fundraising momentum, but for increasing it still further.
We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition and have been working closely with the UDAR leadership team to prepare. We’ll provide further information about the launch of a national search down the road.
We also want to thank the UDAR team and the entire advancement community at Berkeley. Without your work, we would not continue to be the world’s foremost public research university. Thank you for your dedication, your partnership, and your passion for this community.
Sincerely,
Richard K. Lyons, Chancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost