PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Patricia (Trish) Jackson, an accomplished leader with more than three decades of experience leading fundraising and engagement initiatives in higher education, has been appointed Brown University’s next vice president for development, effective Dec. 3, 2018.
In the position, Jackson will play an integral role in the University’s comprehensive campaign, BrownTogether, which to date has raised more than $1.8 billion toward its $3 billion goal. She will lead fundraising efforts to support Brown’s schools, colleges and teaching and research initiatives as well as the Brown Annual Fund, planned giving and foundation relations.
Senior Vice President for Advancement Sergio Gonzalez said that Jackson’s extensive higher-education fundraising experience and proven track record as a standout manager, communicator and relationship-builder position her for success in advancing Brown’s development work.
“Trish is an experienced leader who has excelled not only as a fundraiser but also as an effective manager in guiding development teams and overseeing comprehensive campaigns that have surpassed expectations,” Gonzalez said. “She brings expertise to this role that will help us achieve our BrownTogether goals and lay the groundwork for sustaining the University’s long-term fundraising success.”
Jackson will join Brown from Dartmouth College, where she served most recently as interim vice president for development and alumni affairs at the Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. She spent three years leading both organizations’ fundraising and campaign activities, managing engagement efforts with major donors, setting fundraising records and directing a successful capital fundraising effort to create a new palliative and hospice care center.
Previously, Jackson served as chief of staff in Dartmouth College’s advancement office, providing fundraising counsel and support to the college’s senior leaders, and as associate vice president for development, where she oversaw all direct fundraising programs and led a staff of 140.
Between those two roles at Dartmouth, Jackson spent nearly eight years as vice president for development at Smith College in Massachusetts, where she managed a $486 million comprehensive campaign, among the most successful campaigns achieved at any women’s college.
For three years, Jackson was vice president for education at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a nonprofit association for alumni relations, communications and fundraising professionals in higher education. Earlier in her career, she spent a collective 15 years on fundraising teams at Wheaton, Mount Holyoke, Claremont McKenna and Scripps colleges.
Jackson said she is excited for the opportunity to work toward even greater support and investment in Brown’s mission and strategic priorities.
“With momentum continuing to build toward the successful culmination of the BrownTogether campaign in 2022, I am excited to come to College Hill to work with outstanding academic leadership and a committed and engaged group of volunteers, alumni, parents and friends,” Jackson said. “I look forward to working with remarkable colleagues to ensure that we achieve our campaign priorities to advance the Brown experience for today and tomorrow’s amazing students and faculty.”
Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Scripps and an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
She was one of 10 fundraising professionals profiled in the book “Making the Case for Leadership,” where authors Jon Derek Croteau and Zachary A. Smith dubbed her a “natural-born fundraiser.” She has contributed to several other books on fundraising, including “The Return on Investing in Talent Management,” “From Donor to Philanthropist” and “The Board’s Role in Fundraising.”
Her appointment follows a national search. As vice president for development, she will report directly to Gonzalez.