Imperial appoint its first Vice President for Advancement
Role will look to address and improve alumni relations
Imperial College London announced Sarah Porter Waterbury as its very first Vice President (Advancement) on 27th January. The new role, which she will take up in April this year, sees Mrs Waterbury in charge of all things encompassing alumni relations, events and development.
As New York University’s current Vice President of Development and Campaigns since 2009, Mrs Waterbury has previously held appointments at Harvard Business School, Tufts University, the American University of Beirut, and the Children’s Hospital Boston. Growing up in Latin America and the Caribbean, she graduated with a BA in History from Princeton University. She began her career working in JP Morgan’s private banking division for Central and South American clients.
Appointing an Advancement leader at this level is a common practice among North American universities; Imperial is one of the first UK universities to do so.
Alice Gast, President of Imperial College said: “It is a privilege to introduce Sarah Porter Waterbury to the Imperial community. We are very fortunate to have found someone with Sarah’s experience, talent and vision. She is one of the outstanding advancement professionals in the world.
“She will lead the development of Imperial’s advancement function and its alignment with our academic mission. Sarah will serve as an advisor to our community and as somebody who can grow and build our culture of philanthropy.
“She will build relationships herself and support all those who do so on behalf of Imperial.
“The College already has some of the world’s most exciting academic, corporate and philanthropic partnerships, joining us with people who are as passionate as we are about the impact science, engineering, medicine and business has on the world. We have the ambition to discover, lead and innovate on a grander scale. Sarah will play an integral role in this growth.”
Mrs Waterbury described the appointment as an honour. “Above all, Imperial stands for academic excellence that has an impact on society – these two factors serve as a beacon for its supporters, and for me.
“I look forward to joining Imperial’s phenomenal community of staff, students and alumni as we work to excite and inspire supporters and would-be supporters of Imperial’s impactful research and education activities.”
