Colonial Williamsburg names chief development officer

Earl T. Granger III will start Aug. 2

Published July 2, 2020 by Kate Andrews

William & Mary’s associate vice president for development has been named chief development officer at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Earl T. Granger III will start his new position Aug. 2, the foundation announced Thursday. His hiring comes after a national search.

A 1992 William & Mary graduate, Granger has served in various roles over the past 15 years at the university, including as associate provost for enrollment. He was instrumental in the $1 billion “For the Bold” fundraising campaign and served on the university president’s Task Force on Race and Race Relations, and he serves as a Williamsburg Health Foundation trustee.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Earl join us at Colonial Williamsburg to advance our mission, as he is a dynamic and engaging leader committed to our mission,” Colonial Williamsburg President and CEO Cliff Fleet said in a statement. “His long and impressive record of successful fundraising, passion for education and commitment to organizational diversity will help us to ensure the bright future we see ahead for the foundation.”

Granger will oversee all fundraising activities for the foundation, including major, principal and planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, government grants, the CW Fund and donor society engagement.

“William & Mary has profoundly shaped my personal and professional life, and I will always be a proud supporter of my alma mater,” Granger said in a statement. “Leading the fundraising efforts of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, an organization whose educational mission I have long admired, represents an opportunity I feel I have been preparing for my entire career.”