Published: 04/12/2023
Gannon University announces Nancy Bird as the institution’s next vice president for University Advancement.
Gannon University announces Nancy Bird as the institution’s next vice president for University Advancement.
In this role, she will be responsible for leading and managing University Advancement in evaluating, planning, designing, and developing advancement and fundraising-related initiatives to support the university’s strategic goals, Mission and Catholic tradition.
She will take a leadership role in developing a culture that engages our alumni community to the highest level to meet the university’s key objectives and promote the transformative Gannon experience for our students and employees. She begins this role May 1.
“Nancy’s experience across all areas of the advancement and fundraising sector, along with her leadership as well as her terrific knowledge and love for Gannon’s Mission and community tradition and culture instills confidence that she will continue to successfully propel Gannon forward into our next century,” said President Keith Taylor, Ph.D. “She will be a transformative leader in continuing the execution of Gannon’s current $100 million Capital Campaign and planning for our centennial anniversary in 2025.”
Bird previously worked at Gannon from July 2014 to June 2019– first as director of Alumni Services and then as director of Alumni Engagement. She returned to Gannon last November after serving as the director of Alumni Development at Penn State for three years at the University Park campus, where she managed development functions for the largest dues-paying alumni organization in the world with 174,000 members.
She brings additional constituent relations, advancement, and special events experience from Cathedral Prep / Villa Maria Academy in roles prior to those with Gannon and Penn State.
Bird expressed her gratitude to continue serving the university in this new role.
“With the knowledge I gained at Penn State, along with the experience in my prior development roles at Gannon, I hope to help Gannon finish the Believe. Inspire. Transform. campaign strong and surpass our goals,” said Bird.
“I am excited to continue the momentum started by my predecessors, and I look forward to celebrating Gannon’s 100th anniversary and the progress the university has made in creating such an impactful experience for our students.”
Bird, who is currently Gannon’s director of Constituent Engagement, succeeds Barbara Beuscher, who announced last month she has accepted a position as an executive in healthcare philanthropy in central Wisconsin near family.