Colby Appoints Chief Advancement Officer
As vice president of development at Brown University, Lisa Donham has achieved success in all aspects of higher-education fundraising
Lisa Donham, an executive-level advancement leader with more than 20 years of experience at Brown University and an extensive history of success in higher education, will become Colby’s chief advancement officer.
She will begin her work at the College in October.
“Lisa is smart, experienced, and has a long track record of success. In short, she’s a real pro,” said Colby President David A. Greene. “She’s the perfect leader for this moment, when Colby is receiving an unprecedented level of support and when there is still far more to do to ensure the great tradition of the liberal arts thrives into the future. Colby is not a place that has a heavy reliance on government funding—we rely on private support to provide a world-class education. The future is bright for this remarkable center of learning and discovery.”
Matt Proto, senior vice president and chair of the search committee, said Donham brings a broad array of skills and experiences to the position.
“The search committee was extremely impressed with Lisa’s proven abilities to lead a complex team, to collaborate with alumni and families to develop new opportunities and programs for faculty and students, and to remain staunchly dedicated to delivering on the institution’s mission at the highest level,” Proto said. “She is highly skilled in academic partnerships and interdepartmental collaboration, and she has a strong track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with donors, volunteers, staff, and key stakeholders, including trustees, faculty, and administrators.”
Working with other senior leaders across campus, Donham will develop and implement short- and long-term strategies to continue to build on the momentum of the Dare Northward campaign. In her role, she will lead all aspects of the Office of Advancement, while working closely with alumni, families, and friends to create exceptional experiences for students, faculty, and staff through philanthropy and engagement.
At Brown, her alma mater, Donham’s experience includes leading comprehensive campaign planning and execution, principal and major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, planned giving, parent and family philanthropy, international advancement, athletics fundraising, and volunteer management. She led each of these teams during Brown’s most recent Brown Together campaign, which concluded with more than $4.4 billion and 76,000 donors.
‘Lisa is smart, experienced, and has a long track record of success. In short, she’s a real pro. She’s the perfect leader for this moment, when Colby is receiving an unprecedented level of support and when there is still far more to do to ensure the great tradition of the liberal arts thrives into the future.’
President David A. Greene
Building on the success of Dare Northward
Donham joins Colby during a time of unprecedented growth. The College is in the midst of its historic $1-billion Dare Northward campaign, and Colby recently announced it has received a $150-million lead commitment for a new science complex that will catalyze a half-billion dollars of investment in science and technology. The anonymous gift is the largest in Colby’s history and one of the most generous for any liberal arts college.
Donham was drawn to Colby’s growth, pace, and leadership opportunities.
“I am excited to join Colby at this particular moment to build on the success of the Dare Northward campaign,” she said. “I was attracted to the trajectory of growth that Colby has been on for the past decade, philanthropically, as well as through the academic program, the investments in the Waterville community, and the expansion of the physical campus. This is an incredible moment for Colby to continue building on that level of success.”
Under her leadership, she helped foster broad participation across the Brown community to support university priorities, including financial aid, endowed faculty positions, and campus capital projects.
Most recently, as vice president of development, a position she has filled since 2019, Donham was instrumental in Brown’s overall fundraising successes, including a recently completed $4.4-billion campaign. She led annual fundraising growth from $250 million to $500-plus million during the campaign with record year-over-year results in multiple programs, and she played a significant role in growing the annual fund to exceed $50 million.
She personally raised $35 million to $80 million annually, with highlights that include eight-figure naming commitments for five capital projects, including a performing arts center, a residence hall, and a life sciences research laboratory.
She was a member of the President’s Executive Committee, represented Advancement on the Capital Planning Coordinating Committee, and managed a 95-member development team with emphasis on achieving aspirational fundraising and engagement goals and professional growth and retention.
As associate vice president for development from 2016 to 2019, she directed a 40-person development team responsible for domestic fundraising activity. During that three-year time period, she tripled fundraising results from alumni, parents, and athletics donors.
Donham joined Brown in 2004 as a class campaign officer and steadily took on new roles and greater responsibilities, including as senior regional development director with oversight for both the New York and San Francisco regional offices.
‘I am excited to join Colby at this particular moment to build on the success of the Dare Northward campaign. I was attracted to the trajectory of growth that Colby has been on for the past decade, philanthropically, as well as through the academic program, the investments in the Waterville community, and the expansion of the physical campus. This is an incredible moment for Colby to continue building on that level of success.’
Lisa Donham, Chief Advancement Officer
Prior to her career in higher education, Donham worked as a principal consultant and business analyst for American Management Systems in Fairfax, Va., a business and IT consulting firm specializing in technology and data-driven decision making.
She began her professional life as a dancer, performing in the United States and Europe with Boston Ballet and with Ballet Metropolitan in Columbus, Ohio.
She graduated with a B.A. with honors in public policy from Brown and has taken graduate courses in arts management at Boston University and in public administration from the University of Rhode Island. She also completed the Brown University Leadership Institute.
The decision to leave Brown was a difficult one, she said, “but this opportunity at Colby was truly exciting and unique, and it felt like I just could not say no. I am looking forward to spending time getting to know Colby—the culture, community, and priorities. I am also eager to get to know the Advancement team and learn about their successes and places where there are immediate and longer-term opportunities.”
