Virginia Tech’s advancement division announces leadership changes

Changes to equip university for $1.5B fundraising campaign

Published February 3, 2021 by Sydney Lake

As Virginia Tech revs up its $1.5 billion Boundless Impact fundraising campaign, the university’s advancement division announced Tuesday changes to its leadership structure, effective Feb. 16.

Virginia Tech’s Advancement Division, which oversees the university’s fundraising, communications, marketing and alumni engagement, promoted five employees who will pave the way for the university to meet its fundraising goal by Dec. 31, 2027 for the Boundless Impact campaign, which was officially announced in October 2019.

The promotions include:

• Angela Hayes, associate vice president for advancement and campaign and sesquicentennial director: She has worked with Virginia Tech since 2001 and most recently served as assistant vice president for advancement and co-director for Boundless Impact.
• Rhonda Arsenault, senior associate vice president for advancement: She will also continue to serve as chief operating officer for the division. Arsenault, who has been with the university since 2001, previously served as associate vice president for advancement and COO.
• Natalie Hart, associate vice president for advancement, greater Washington, D.C., metro area: Hart has been with Virginia Tech since 2002 and previously served as assistant vice president for advancement for the greater Washington, D.C. area.
• Kristie Caddick, chief of staff for the vice president: Caddick has been with Virginia Tech since 2016 and served as a project manager for the Innovation Campus. 
• Mark Owczarski, associate vice president for university relations and chief spokesperson: Owczarski has been with Virginia Tech since 2003 and previously served as assistant vice president for university relations.

“The past year’s unprecedented events should have all organizations looking carefully at their strategic goals and assessing if they have the right structures and teams in place to reach them,” Charlie Phlegar, Virginia Tech vice president for advancement, said in a statement. “Last year saw extraordinary accomplishments despite unprecedented challenges. But we are always striving to become the strongest organization we can be. These changes were all made with that in mind.”

In conjunction with the university’s goal to raise $1.5 billion with participation from 100,000 Hokies by 2027, Virginia Tech will also celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2022 and the advancement division will lead that effort. In 2015 Virginia Tech combined its fundraising, university relations and alumni engagement functions to form the advancement division and hired Phlegar as its first vice president.

“As we look toward the sesquicentennial, the successful completion of the Boundless Impact campaign, the launch of the Innovation Campus, and the eventual return to a new normal now that there are COVID-19 vaccines, this is an exciting and extremely busy time,” Phlegar said in a statement. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to have strong leaders in place for our division to help Virginia Tech deliver on its major strategic aims.”

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