Administrative News
April 16, 2024
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Hannah Peters, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, recently shared her plans to retire at the end of our academic and fiscal year after five successful years. She joined Brandeis in 2019 as Vice President of Development and later took the helm as leader of the division on an interim and then permanent basis.
During Hannah’s tenure as SVP, Institutional Advancement has secured levels of philanthropy not seen in more than a decade, including $94 million in FY22. The current three-year average giving total is nearly $30 million higher than that of the previous three years. An unprecedented number of named professorships have been secured by the team under her leadership, with six in FY22, two in FY23, and three thus far in FY24. This is truly an accomplishment across higher education philanthropy.
In addition to delivering strong fundraising results, Hannah has helped position a culture of best practices, mission alignment, and collaboration across the division. During her tenure she recruited many highly sought-after development professionals to Brandeis, raising the visibility and respect of Brandeis’ advancement program. She laid the groundwork for a major campaign by overseeing qualitative and quantitative assessments of our strengths and opportunities, working closely with Trustee leaders. Internally, she encouraged fundraisers to confidently pursue seven- and eight-figure gifts as reflected in our increased totals. Advancement also successfully built pride and connection with constituents turning out in unprecedented numbers during our 75th Anniversary celebrations.
Hannah will remain with us until the end of our academic and fiscal year on June 30. We will appoint an experienced interim leader and launch a search for a strong replacement to build upon her outstanding work. Please join me in thanking Hannah for all she has done for Brandeis.
Sincerely,
Ron Liebowitz