Dear CC Community,

Earlier this year, the college began its search for a combined Vice President for Advancement and Communications. Our goal was to hire a leader who would foster collaboration and strategic partnerships, streamline engagement efforts, and capitalize on opportunities to share our vision, values, and achievements with internal and external audiences. We knew that finding the ideal candidate would be difficult, and that our search may not be successful. After conducting a nationwide search, we found this role required two very different skillsets, and our candidate pool did not bring sufficient expertise to lead both divisions at the VP level. Our ambitious fundraising and engagement goals and brand strategy work will each require considerable attention and long-term strategic direction. For these reasons, we no longer plan to merge the Office of Advancement with the Office of Communications and Marketing, and we will hire independent leaders for each division.

Our new Vice President for Advancement will be an internal hire, and the position will be posted in the comming days. Molly Bodnar, who has served as Interim Vice President for Advancement for the last nine months, is recommended for the position. She has been at CC for 11 years as Associate Vice President for Advancement Operations and served as campaign director for the Building on Originality fundraising campaign, which concluded in 2021. Prior to CC, Molly served as executive director of annual giving at the College of William & Mary, associate director of annual giving at the University of Michigan, and manager of the University of Michigan College of Engineering annual fund.

We are also determining our next steps for leadership in the Office of Communications and Marketing. Staff in that division are working collaboratively with me to outline the leadership qualities and core responsibilities they hope to see in this hire. We look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks.

I’d like to thank the staff in the Office of Advancement and the Office of Communications and Marketing for your flexibility during these leadership transitions and throughout the search process. Many of you have taken on extra responsibilities during this time while continuing to drive forward our core institutional priorities. I appreciate you, and I am committed to hiring leaders that will complement and elevate the great work you already do.

Warmly,