Vice President Sean Pieri 'heading home' to Colorado
William & Mary’s Vice President for University Development Sean Pieri will be leaving the College this fall to become the vice president for advancement at Colorado College.
Since arriving in 2006, Pieri has overseen the most successful fundraising run in the College’s history, including record levels of giving and numbers of donors. This past fiscal year, completed on June 30, 2012, William & Mary recorded more than $80 million in gifts and commitments from more than 30,300 donors, highlighting the best year since Pieri’s arrival.
“Under Sean’s extraordinary leadership, the university’s development program has been literally transformed, both organizationally and in terms of its fund-raising prowess,” said William & Mary President Taylor Reveley. “He leaves us very well prepared to move forward seamlessly. I personally will miss him very much, as will his other colleagues at William & Mary. He and his family head back home to Colorado and his beloved Rocky Mountains with our great gratitude and warmest good wishes.”
Pieri said the move to Colorado College is a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for his family to return home. Pieri lived in Colorado Springs while working for the United States Olympic Committee and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“It has been an honor to serve William & Mary in this capacity, and I hope that in some small way I made a difference for this special institution,” stated Pieri. "I would like to thank President Reveley and my colleagues for affording me this opportunity, and I would especially like to thank the alumni, parents, and friends of the College who believe in investing in its future.”
Before coming to William & Mary, Pieri served four years as vice president for development at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Association of Graduates. Prior to working at the Air Force Academy, he was managing director for development and director of regional development programs at the U.S. Olympic Committee. He also held senior development positions at the University of Washington in Seattle and DePaul University in Chicago.
At William & Mary, Pieri oversaw the top three fundraising years in the university’s history and the 2007 conclusion of the $518 million Campaign for William & Mary. In fiscal year 2012, William & Mary raised $43.6 million in annual gifts –the first time in the university’s history that William & Mary topped $40 million in annual cash gifts for each of four consecutive years.
Pieri will begin his new position in Colorado Springs Oct. 8, 2012. Associate Vice President for Development Earl Granger '92, M.Ed. '98 will assume Pieri’s responsibilities as interim vice president while a national search is conducted. Granger has served as associate vice president since September 2010. Prior to that, Granger served as William & Mary’s associate provost for enrollment.
“We will miss Sean but I have no doubt that the university fundraising operation will continue to move forward powerfully under Earl’s leadership in the interim,” Reveley said.
