Assistant Vice President of Alumni Engagement & Executive Director of The UTSA Alumni Association

The University of Texas at San Antonio seeks a strategic, collaborative, and visionary leader to serve as the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Executive Director of the UTSA Alumni Association. 

Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement & Alumni Engagement, and serving as the primary liaison for the UTSA Alumni Association Board, the AVP for Alumni Engagement will provide bold and visionary leadership in building, maintaining and strengthening alumni engagement. With more than 145,000 alumni and a dedicated core group of leadership volunteers, this role will also be significant in leading the Office of Alumni Relations throughout the university’s comprehensive capital campaign, in areas such as volunteer engagement, alumni outreach, donor cultivation, and building an overall culture of philanthropy among alumni. 

Serving as a member of the Advancement and Alumni Engagement leadership team, the AVP for Alumni Engagement will work collaboratively to identify strategies to achieve University and Association goals and objectives. Specific duties include but are not limited to: 

 Leadership & Management 

• Provide vision and leadership and translate vision into action.  
• Provide oversight to the day-to-day operations of the Office of Alumni Relations. Ensure compliance of university policy and procedures and association by-laws.  
• Collaborate with the University President, the Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement, and other campus leadership on major initiatives in support of the strategic objectives of UTSA and the Alumni Association.  
• Establish and act upon long-ranging strategic objectives with clear priorities; set annual goals. Develop metrics and key performance measures; establish benchmarking; ensure staff achievement of strategic goals. 
• Stay up-to-date with industry best practices including participation in CASE and other regional communities of practice. 
• Recruit, develop, and supervise staff. Ensure staff is in alignment with strategic plans and has clearly defined roles. Evaluate effectiveness of team. Conduct performance evaluations for direct reports.  

Internal & External Constituent Engagement 

• Oversee the development and implementation of a wide range of programs and services that will position the Alumni Association as an increasingly valued resource for the university and alumni.   
• Establish, build, and maintain meaningful relationships with current students, alumni, donors, and friends of the university, through consistent and positive communication.  
• Create positive opportunities for increased mutual collaboration across the University; generate new ideas, set goals and objectives, and build consensus among campus stakeholders around engagement and cultivation in support of the University’s strategic priorities.  
• Oversee the creation of an effective communications, branding and marketing strategy to ensure the efficient delivery of programs, events, and services.  
• Provide leadership in staying up-to-date with industry best practices in effort to drive best-in-class, multi-channel marketing and outreach programs to engage members and donors. 

Board Management 

• Serve as the Executive Director of the UTSA Alumni Association; guide the vision and work of the volunteer Board of Directors to advance the mission and strategic objectives of the the University.   
• Provide counsel and staff support to volunteer leadership, including various board committees. 
• Create avenues of communication and opportunities to build relationships between the Alumni Association Board of Directors and Alumni Relations staff, as well as with external and internal university constituents.  

 Finance and Resource Development  

• Develop and implement strategies that lead to identifying the donor pipeline; retention and recruitment of individual donors; and development of corporate sponsorships that support the initiatives of the UTSA Alumni Association.   
• Evaluate and implement alumni engagement opportunities pending the creation of an inclusive alumni program. 
• Responsible for the financial management of all association resources. Work with staff and fiscal committee to develop recommendations for the annual budget, capital planning, and association fees. Support the completion of annual financial reviews and audits.   
• Provide oversight of the UTSA Alumni Association’s scholarship program.  

Required Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and seven years of professional experience in alumni engagement or in a related field including effective management of large, diverse, complex organizations. Master’s degree is preferred.   
• Fluency in the mechanics of alumni relations management and best practices; understands how engaged alumni advance the institution.  Possess business acumen and the ability to inspire a culture of innovation, creativity and collaboration. 
• Critical thinker with proven analytical abilities, strategic planning and organizational skills. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and understands the importance of effective communications in building the Alumni Association and institutional brands.  
• Demonstrated experience in executing vision into action.  
• Is approachable and a connector who understands that relationships are important. 
• Has the ability to be a visible member of the local community. 
• Ability to motivate, build long-term relationships with, and gain the respect of internal and external constituents. 
• Possess knowledge of best practices in metric-driven programs as well as the demonstrated ability to evaluate and assess programs and activities based upon cost, effectiveness, and outcomes. 
• Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  
• Must have a valid Texas driver’s license or be able to obtain one within 30 days of employment. 

 Preferred Qualifications  

• Ten or more years of relevant experience in higher education. 

About UTSA

The University of Texas at San Antonio is a nationally recognized, public, urban serving university with core areas of expertise in cyber, including cybersecurity and computation and informatics; health, including brain health and bio-regeneration; social-economic transformation and fundamental futures. It is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region, with more than 34,000 students, and the third-largest of eight academic universities and five health institutions within The University of Texas System. 

UTSA is rising to new heights as one of approximately 20 universities nationwide that are designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions and hold a prestigious Tier One classification for research excellence. As an institution of learning and discovery, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and its nearly 1,400 faculty members and more than 2,400 staff members are highly focused on student success and meeting the educational needs of first-generation, transfer, DACA, veteran and international students. 

As part of UTSA President Taylor Eighmy’s exciting vision to transform UTSA into San Antonio’s university of the future, UTSA aspires to become a model for student success, a great public research university, and an exemplar for strategic growth and innovative excellence. 

The university prides itself on its diverse student population. More than 60% of UTSA students are from underrepresented groups and nearly half (45%) will be the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, transfer students comprise about 38% of UTSA’s total undergraduate population and approximately 16% of the university’s students are military-affiliated. This includes active-duty military members, veterans, reserves/guard, and their spouses and dependents. 

In 2021, UTSA earned its membership into the American Athletic Conference and Roadrunners Football celebrated a historic season in addition to qualifying for its third bowl game in its 10-year history. This success is a result of the dedication of our outstanding student-athletes and coaching staff, and the commitment of our generous alumni and donors who believe in the university’s bold vision.