Andrew Davidson, who will serve as the College’s new vice president for development starting Dec. 1, said he feels Dartmouth is positioned for a “terrific stretch.” As an external hire, Davidson said he will bring both experience and new energy to the College’s advancement division.
His appointment fills a spot that has been vacant for around two years and completes the formation of a senior leadership team in the advancement office.
Former vice president for development Tom Herbert left Dartmouth in 2012. Vice president for alumni relations Martha Beattie said two vice presidential searches began when senior vice president for advancement Bob Lasher joined the College last July, one for development and one for presidential initiatives and principal gifts.
Vice president for presidential initiatives and principal gifts Michael Kiefer started in early September.
Davidson, currently the assistant dean for resource development and alumni relations at Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, will be the final addition to the advancement division’s senior leadership team. He will join Lasher, Beattie, Kiefer and chief operating officer for advancement Ann Root Keith.
The division’s development section is responsible for seeking charitable support for the College. As vice president for development, Davidson and the four teams that report to him will represent Dartmouth in fundraising discussions with alumni, parents, corporations and foundations, Lasher said.
He said that the College’s development program, for which Davidson will provide strategic oversight, specializes in four areas. These sections include the Dartmouth College Fund, individual giving, gift planning for alumni and parents who want to include Dartmouth in their estates and corporation or foundation support.
“The team that he will lead is a significant group of specialists that are led by very strong managers, and it represents Dartmouth and takes our message and priorities out to the world and encourages them to support them,” Lasher said.
Davidson has held various positions at Harvard over the past 13 years, including senior fundraising strategist for a $450-million campaign. He also served as the executive director of capital giving in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences spokesperson Paul Karoff called Davidson personable, easygoing and engaged.
“He cares about both the mission of the organization and the people,” Karoff said.
Davidson said that the transition from Harvard has both professional and personal value.
“The opportunity to be a vice president at Dartmouth is a step up in my career and it’s an important step that is exciting for me professionally,” he said. “But also on a personal basis, I think that it’s important to find opportunities where you are going to challenge yourself and push yourself and this is that opportunity for me.”
