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After an extensive national search, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Shilling as Vice President for Advancement. Jeff brings to Saint Mary’s more than 25 years of advancement experience successfully implementing fundraising, alumni relations, and engagement strategies within the education and non-profit sectors. His first day at Saint Mary’s will be Monday, February 3, 2025.

Jeff is currently the principal of Shilling Consulting Group, where he uses his fundraising expertise to help clients maximize their fundraising and engagement strategies. Earlier in 2024, he was tapped to serve as interim Vice President of Advancement at the Keck Graduate Institute during a critical presidential transition.

As UC Santa Cruz’s Chief Development Officer for 11 years, Jeff managed a $3 million annual operating budget and oversaw the work of more than 40 development team members. He led the university’s principal gift fundraising, including comprehensive campaign development, planned giving, prospect development, and major gift teams. He also oversaw the allocation and stewardship of financial, human, and physical resources to support academic programs, research endeavors, infrastructure development, and student success initiatives.

One of Jeff’s hallmark achievements at UC Santa Cruz was the development and execution of the institution’s first comprehensive campaign. His efforts helped to exceed the campaign’s $300 million goal and, in the process, helped to double the University’s annual fundraising revenue. Perhaps even more critically for the long-term financial health of the institution, Jeff helped to establish a strong culture of philanthropy at the university.

Jeff also served for four years as the Chief Development Officer at Stanford University’s Department of Athletics. Leaning into a leadership style that fosters collaboration and innovation, Jeff worked closely with the university’s leadership, athletics director, and coaching staff to ensure fundraising alignment with departmental priorities and student-athlete experiences. 

At Stanford, Jeff cultivated strong, strategic relationships with key donors, leading to a 25 percent growth in the department’s donor base and an overall 30 percent increase in annual major gifts. Along with campus partners, he introduced an innovative priority seating program that resulted in more than $500,000 in new annual gifts. Jeff’s engagement strategies and ability to connect with new populations helped reverse a 10-year trend of declining donor participation at Stanford Athletics.

Earlier in his Stanford career, Jeff served in major and reunion-giving roles at the University’s Graduate School of Business. Among other accomplishments, he helped increase overall alumni donor participation and secured multiple six-figure gifts.

Jeff’s fundraising experience extends to secondary education and the nonprofit sector. He served as Senior Vice President at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, where his efforts helped reverse a five-year downward trend in the Foundation’s donor counts. His work at the Foundation also led to the largest fiscal year fundraising result in the organization’s history, with more than $293 million raised. Earlier in his career, Jeff served as Vice President for Advancement at Bellarmine College Prep, where he and his team completed the school’s first endowment-focused campaign.

I know Jeff is looking forward to applying the same level of creativity and strategy to Saint Mary’s that he has implemented so successfully throughout his career. He has indicated how excited he is to be joining our campus community at such a pivotal time, and that he can sense the energy and enthusiasm. 

I would like to thank the Search Committee representing our faculty, staff, students, and Board of Trustees for their efforts. The time and energy they devoted are much appreciated, especially knowing that much of the work took place during a very busy fall semester. 

Finally, I want to thank our Associate Vice President, Tom Carroll ’04, MA ’07, for serving so capably throughout 2024 and managing the day-to-day operations of the University Advancement team. Among many other successes during this period, Tom worked closely with his University Advancement colleagues and other campus stakeholders on what was ultimately a highly successful Golden State Gaels Tour. I very much appreciate Tom’s leadership, dedication, and the enthusiasm he always brings to his work, and I know he will be an enormous asset to Jeff and the University Advancement team as he comes aboard in February. Thank you, Tom!

Please join me in welcoming Jeff Shilling as our Vice President for Advancement at Saint Mary’s College. 

Sincerely,

Roger J. Thompson, EdD

President