About Us

University Advancement strengthens William & Mary’s ability to make meaningful connections with each and every member of the university community. The team’s overarching goal is to create a lasting, robust culture of engagement and philanthropy among our students and alumni, parents and friends, faculty and staff as well as corporations and foundations. We integrate alumni engagement, annual giving, development, marketing, communications and university events teams. University Advancement strives to foster lifelong relationships that enable William & Mary and its people to flourish.

We work in Williamsburg, Virginia, but some of us work and live outside of Williamsburg, specifically in our regional offices in New York City; Arlington, Virginia; and Los Angeles. Our regional model supports our constituents who live in these parts of the country, so we can bring William & Mary to them.

We are a diverse group of professionals with a wide range of skills, united by a passion for making a difference. We are fundraisers and analysts, writers and designers, accountants and programmers. We’re proud of our work and have been recognized for outstanding performance over time. We have received numerous awards from professional organizations, including the AGB Nason Award for Board Leadership, the CASE Educational Fundraising Award for Overall Improvement and a CASE Circle of Excellence Award for our campaign communications.

Our work brings alumni, students, parents and friends closer to the university, provides vital funding and lays the groundwork for the future of William & Mary. Philanthropy helps the university advance its educational mission, breaking the boundaries between research and teaching, student and teacher, living and learning. By telling the story of William & Mary’s distinctive excellence, we enhance William & Mary’s standing as a top institution of higher learning in the U.S. and around the globe.

In June 2020, William & Mary completed its boldest fundraising campaign yet, with $1.04 billion raised, ties among alumni and alma mater strengthened and its status as the No. 1 public university for alumni participation cemented several years in a row. For nearly a decade, the For the Bold campaign infused revolutionary ideas and bold initiatives into our more than 300-year-old institution of higher learning. The campaign led to wide-ranging transformations across the university and new opportunities and experiences for generations of students, faculty, alumni and staff. While the campaign has concluded, our work remains: supporting the people, places and programs at William & Mary that are at the forefront of everything we do.

Learn more about our teams within Advancement and meet our staff.

Learn about the university (yes, William & Mary is a research university).