Johnson & Wales University (JWU), founded as a business school in 1914 in Providence, Rhode Island, is a private, nonprofit, accredited, comprehensive university that offers an excellent educational experience to students across a diverse spectrum of programs that are designed to prepare graduates to make meaningful and immediate contributions in their fields of choice. JWU serves more than 8,000 graduate, undergraduate, and online students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and has a global impact, with alumni in 130 countries, pursuing careers worldwide.
JWU is an innovative educational leader, and the university’s seven colleges offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business, engineering, food innovation, hospitality, nutrition, and health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts, dietetics, and design. In 2014, the university began offering online classes, which today, through its College of Professional Studies, offers more than 100 online undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, certificate and micro-certificate programs to 2,500 students from 53 states/territories and 16 countries.
JWU’s unique model provides students with personalized attention, academic expertise, and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at JWU is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings, and economic mobility rankings.
The Providence Campus - the university’s flagship campus – is comprised of two locations serving a diverse student body of 4,542 students. The Downcity Campus, located in the heart of Providence, is home to the College of Business, the College of Hospitality Management, the John Hazen White College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering & Design, and the College of Health & Wellness. A short distance south is the Harborside Campus, home to the College of Food Innovation & Technology. Other major facilities on this campus include the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School, the Wildcat Center (home of the NCAA Division III JWU Wildcats), Harborside Village residence halls, and the university’s Culinary Arts Museum. Consistent with JWU’s longtime commitment to creating a greener, cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable campus environment, the university has revitalized close to 100 acres of waterfront alongside the Harborside Campus through significant brownfields remediation efforts.
The university also has a campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that opened in 2004 and currently enrolls more than 1,100 diverse students from 46 states and 13 countries. The nearly 12-acre, urban campus in Uptown Charlotte offers programs in food innovation, hospitality, business, arts and sciences, and health and wellness, as well as a combination of urban living and Southern charm.
The Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Relations (V.P.) reports to the University Chancellor and serves as a member of the university’s Cabinet. The Vice President serves as the chief fundraising officer of JWU and develops and implements short- and long-term strategies to enhance the university’s revenue and support the accomplishment of JWU’s strategic priorities through philanthropy. The V.P. provides strategic leadership for the university’s fundraising, alumni engagement and sponsorship, foundational grants, and the annual fund while building strong, productive relationships with university, industry, and community leaders as well as prospects, donors, volunteers, and university alumni.
The V.P. is managerially and operationally responsible for building and leading a comprehensive fundraising effort that engages all levels of donors in order to significantly strengthen alumni participation, increase major giving, and expand the pipeline of individual, foundation, and corporate donors. As such, JWU is positioned to fund efforts and staffing that support a goal-oriented, measurable, and aggressive fundraising plan designed to foster short- and long-term results.
The successful candidate will have significant leadership experience in progressively responsible development positions, including business development, donor relations, fundraising, or related experience. Successful capital campaign, annual fund, grant writing, and major gift and corporate solicitation experience; knowledge of best practices in advancement; and effective direct experience in the supervision and development of a development and alumni staff is also needed. Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive salary and a competitive benefits package.
To make a nomination, provide a referral, or for additional information, please use the contact information below. JWU is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce teams and encourages individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. While applications and nominations will be accepted until a successful candidate has been appointed, interested individuals are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible as review of candidate materials will begin immediately.
To apply, please submit a resume and/or vita, and cover letter, to: JWUAdvancement@buffkinbaker.com
Ken Carrick, Partner Janny DeLoache, Associate Partner
980-296-5401 704-377-7828
Embracing diversity for a richly inclusive community is a guiding principle at JWU. Our students, faculty and staff have varied backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that unite us as one community and contribute to our success. JWU has adopted a statement of diversity, equity and inclusion which reads, in part, that "Johnson & Wales University is firmly committed to nurturing and further strengthening an inclusive and equitable environment that embraces the broad range of diversity of all members of our community. We accept and celebrate diversity in every form – including diversity in thought..."
Johnson & Wales University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law.
