Vice President for Advancement

Vice President for Advancement

Founded in 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design is a private, not-for-profit, independent higher education success story. Having grown to more than 1,700 – numbers that held largely steady or increased during the pandemic – and operating in the black for all of its 90-year history, Ringling has raised its academic and public profiles to become one of the most decorated and successful art and design colleges in the nation. To build upon this success, the College seeks a Vice President for Advancement (VPA) to help the College achieve its vision of becoming the preeminent art and design college in the world.

Located in Sarasota, Florida, a community that values and supports arts and cultural programming and education, Ringling College is optimally positioned for even greater philanthropic success. Its new VPA will have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to one of the nation's most successful higher education enterprises. Ringling recognizes that artists and designers play a significant role in society, and the College's primary mission is to provide programs leading to degrees that prepare students to be discerning visual thinkers, ethical practitioners, and creative leaders.

The VPA is responsible for the vision and execution of the College's advancement efforts and serves as the institution's chief development officer. The Vice President oversees all development efforts related to the institution including major gifts, annual giving, donor relations, corporate and foundation relations, grants, planned giving, and capital/comprehensive campaigns. Additionally, the VPA is responsible for alumni relations, special events, advancement operations, research and tracking, and the alumni/donor database. The VPA serves on the President's senior staff and advises the President on strategic direction and policy decisions. Ringling College has a museum campus five miles from the main campus which houses the Sarasota Art Museum – a world class contemporary art museum and the OLLI Life Long Institute at Ringling College. Fundraising for both those areas are part of the VPA's portfolio.

In its next Vice President of Advancement, Ringling College of Art and Design seeks a visionary, collaborative, and strategic leader who models inclusion, integrity, professionalism, and transparency. Ringling also seeks an accomplished advancement leader with deep experience in development who builds authentic relationships. Specifically, the VPA should have experience cultivating, soliciting, and closing major and principal gifts with very sophisticated donors as well as significant experience in comprehensive campaign planning and execution. Also essential is experience leading and motivating an advancement team, with a demonstrated track record of successfully coaching, mentoring, and managing of professionals to higher performance.

WittKieffer is partnering with Ringling College in this search. All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the Leadership Profile.

The search will continue until the position is filled. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer's candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to: Greg Duyck and Jevon Walton at RinglingVPADV@wittkieffer.com.

Ringling College of Art and Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


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