Chancellor Appoints New Leader for University Advancement

On November 8, Chancellor Jo Ann Gora announced the appointment of Joan M. Fisher, Ph.D., as vice chancellor for institutional advancement. Formerly serving as vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Fisher will take up her duties at the university on December 16.

“Dr. Fisher brings to UMass Boston more than three decades as a higher education administrator, development officer, and fund-raiser,” said Chancellor Gora. “We are thrilled to welcome such an accomplished professional in the field of advancement.”

Fisher is well known for her extensive leadership and managerial responsibility in shaping and building thriving advancement programs for four higher-education institutions and one association, and has helped guide three capital campaigns that have resulted in award-winning facilities and program improvements. She has twice served as an executive director of a foundation connected to a regional public university and, in addition to her fiduciary stewardship, had encouraged each foundation to strengthen its impact on the university it served.

Her doctoral dissertation about the philanthropic impact of women at the turn of the century, winner of CASE’s Grenzebach Award for outstanding scholarship in education, put her at the cutting edge of nonprofit-sector scholarship and led her to be a catalyst in the national movement to empower women philanthropically. Fisher also has delivered more than 100 financial awareness seminars nationally and has been a consultant to the Center on Women in Philanthropy. Her national-award-winning, coedited monograph, Women as Donors, Women as Philanthropists, continues to influence philanthropic programs nationwide.

Fisher’s leadership at IUP has brought about a renewed and expanded charitable giving program. Her initiatives have resulted in the acquisition of more than 100 endowed scholarships, a revitalized corporate partnership program, the introduction of annual giving society memberships with an accompanying increase in annual support, and a greater focus on planned giving and bequests from friends and alumni.

Prior to her six-year tenure at IUP, Fisher served for ten years as national director of development for Jewish Women International (JWI), a volunteer association of 100,000 women, and was also executive director. Her previous posts also include vice president for advancement at Mount Vernon College, and vice president for university development at George Mason University.

Fisher received her B.A. in history from the University of Rochester, her M.P.A. from American University, and her Ph.D. in history and philanthropic studies from Union Institute and University in Cincinnati.

Dr. Fisher will assume her post at UMass Boston on December 16.

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