Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement

Trinity College, one of the nation’s preeminent historic liberal arts colleges, seeks an enterprising and experienced advancement professional to serve as its next associate vice president for alumni engagement (AVP). This opportunity comes at a defining moment as the College recently welcomed a new leader in President Daniel G. Lugo and introduces a new vice president for advancement (VP), to whom this role reports. Ben Anderson will join the College as VP from Boston College, where he most recently served as associate vice president for principal giving and campaign director, on September 2, 2025. In addition to welcoming new institutional and advancement leadership, the College recently completed All In, a $425 million comprehensive campaign effort, on June 30, 2025. As Trinity embarks on its next chapter of excellence, growth, and innovation, the College seeks an innovative leader to expand upon the depth and breadth of alumni engagement opportunities and contribute to elevating a culture of philanthropy in support of the College’s mission and aspirations. 

Reporting to the incoming VP and serving as a member of the advancement senior leadership team, the AVP is responsible for providing leadership and strategic vision to all aspects of Trinity’s alumni programs in an effort to significantly and steadily increase alumni participation. Following a year-long assessment, the Board of Trustees is eager to implement a transformational approach to alumni engagement and philanthropy. Embracing the overarching vision of “Trinity for Life,” a concept that requires investment in the Trinity experience from the moment of enrollment through an alum’s potential journey with the College, the goal is to change the trendline of both gifts to the College and alumni participation. Recognizing that engagement is foundational to investment, the College has elevated this leadership role as it seeks to modernize and transform alumni engagement efforts, capturing the mindshare and commitment of Trinity’s 30,000 alumni. As such, the AVP will formulate and implement comprehensive and creative programs that utilize the rich and varied resources of the College and offer value to Trinity’s alumni who are geographically diverse and have a wide array of personal and professional interests. With the opportunity to significantly build the alumni engagement operation, the AVP will establish a culture of high achievement, accountability, and collaboration, and further integrate alumni programs into the College’s broader advancement efforts. 

As part of this transformation, the AVP will be expected to lead with innovation and curiosity, leveraging technology to enhance alumni connections in new and meaningful ways. This includes exploring the strategic use of artificial intelligence to personalize outreach, leveraging data and analytics to inform decision-making, and amplifying Trinity’s presence across digital and social media platforms. The AVP will identify and implement emerging tools and trends that elevate alumni engagement, increase visibility, and foster a sense of community among Trinity’s diverse and growing alumni networks. With a deep appreciation for both tradition and innovation, the AVP will position Trinity as a leader in innovative alumni engagement among its peers in the liberal arts landscape. 

The ideal candidate will be a strategic and creative thinker, a persuasive communicator, and an excellent team player eager to work in close partnership with academic and administrative leadership and colleagues across campus. With a data-driven mindset and strong business acumen, the AVP will have a solid track record of successfully implementing change and building programs that have transformed overall alumni engagement efforts at an institution and will possess experience recruiting and mentoring a high-performing team capable of meeting ambitious goals. In addition, the AVP will bring a thoughtful, entrepreneurial, and strategic approach to transforming new ideas into executable, measurable, and enduring programs that lead to greater involvement of and service to alumni. 

Located in the capital city of Hartford, Connecticut, Trinity College offers students and faculty an unrivaled opportunity to gain a broad learning experience on the campus and in its neighborhood. With a deeply engaged faculty and an increasingly talented student body, Trinity continues to evolve its strong liberal arts program by integrating more experiential learning to meet the changing needs of today’s students. Trinity's accomplished faculty are dedicated mentors and recognized scholars who foster intellectual curiosity, creativity, and civic responsibility in their students. This is a campus where students curate their learning and experiences to meet the ambitious mission of the College. Their passion for the institution carries through as an engaged alumni community, continually championing the ambitions of Trinity. 

Jack Gorman is leading this search with Nicole Poe and Sandeep Kaur. 

Trinity is a highly selective, independent, nonsectarian liberal arts institution located in the capital city of Hartford, Connecticut. The College maintains a rigorous academic profile complemented by a vibrant co-curricular program. With more than 2,100 full-time undergraduate students, representing 43 states and 91 countries, Trinity considers its location in a culturally and socioeconomically diverse capital city to be among the College’s most distinctive assets; and its constituents cultivate strong connections with their surrounding neighbors and with institutions and organizations throughout Hartford and the region. As a preeminent liberal arts college in an urban setting, Trinity College prepares students to be bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives.