Hiram College is pleased to announce the appointment of Walter Williams, a strategic and innovative advancement professional with more than 25 years of experience, as the College’s new vice president for development and alumni relations. He will begin his work with the College on December 13.
As the senior administrator for advancement, Williams will have oversight of the College’s development, alumni relations, and internal communication initiatives, as well as foundation, corporate, and government relations. He will also serve as a member of the president’s Cabinet.
“Over the course of my career, I have come to believe in the transformative power of a liberal arts education, such as the one Hiram has provided for more than 170 years,” said Williams. “It is a challenging time for liberal arts colleges, but challenging times are also times of great opportunity. I am eager to work with President Haney and the faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, and friends of Hiram to help the College make the most of its opportunities to serve students both now and in the future.”
Williams comes to the College after serving as the vice president for advancement at SUNY Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, New York. In this role, Williams served as an advisor to the president on all matters pertaining to the management and operation of development, alumni relations, and community and donor relations. Under his leadership, the College secured $11 million in new gifts and commitments, including the College’s second documented $1 million gift in its history. He also served as the executive director of the Empire State College Foundation, a private nonprofit organization with approximately $31 million under management.
Prior to his role at SUNY Empire State College, Williams served as the senior advancement officer for the School of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, America’s oldest technological research university in Troy, New York. In this role, he worked to create and implement the first-ever comprehensive constituent fundraising program for the School of Science. He also provided oversight of principal and major gifts, the annual fund, corporate and foundation relations, donor relations, and alumni affairs. Williams also served as the senior director of development for the School of Architecture at Syracuse University, and in various roles at Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Slippery Rock University.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with Walter as our new vice president of development and alumni relations,” said David Haney, Ph.D., president of Hiram College. “His experience building and leading development teams at a variety of institutions will be a great addition to our already successful development and alumni operation.”
Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in organizational communication from Ithaca College.
