Development and alumni relations leadership team appointed

The University’s Development and Alumni Relations office has put in place a new senior leadership team to take the University’s philanthropic agenda to its next and most ambitious stage.
The team is led by Alison Traub, who joined Cambridge in June from the University of Virginia as Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and Kate Wilson as Chief Operating Officer, who has been leading the transition for the alumni and development offices over the past nine months.
Holly Peterson has been appointed Head of Alumni and Supporter Relations, responsible for the design and delivery of Cambridge’s global engagement strategy for alumni and key supporters. She joins from the University of Exeter, where she is currently Assistant Director, External Relations, building a London presence for the university and developing a corporate relations strategy. Prior to this Holly held the role of Deputy Director of Development and Alumni Relations where she developed the University’s alumni relations programme in support of the Creating a World Class University Together campaign.
Morven Knowles takes up the post of Head of Alumni and Development Communications, responsible for delivering the strategic internal and external communications programme to support the University’s alumni engagement and philanthropic objectives. Morven is currently Alumni Relations Communications & Marketing Manager within the Alumni Relations Office (CARO), where she is responsible for mass print and digital communications to Cambridge’s global audience of more than 200,000 alumni. In 2009 she led the award-winning redesign of the University’s alumni magazine CAM. She has extensive communications experience and, before joining Cambridge, worked for the Telegraph Media Group and for a number of major publishers.
Chris Chaney joins as Head of Major Gifts, Schools-Based, responsible for the design, support and delivery of a major gifts programme to support specific Schools, Faculties and Departments across the University. Chris is currently Deputy Director, Major Gift Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSHCC), responsible for the strategic direction of the charity and 15-strong major gifts team. He has over ten years of major gift fundraising experience gained with GOSHCC and, prior to this, was involved with the musical arts, representing classical soloists focusing on artist liaison and concert management.
Clare Birch is appointed Head of Major Gift Partnerships, leading the team responsible for attracting major gifts and co-ordinating fundraising activity with regard to corporates, foundations and trusts, and internationally based donors. Clare is currently Associate Director, International Fundraising at Cambridge, responsible for the design and delivery of all international fundraising activity. Over recent months she has co-led the highly successful Major Gift Fundraising team through a period of transition. She has been a senior major gift fundraiser in the University since 2004 and has extensive experience, particularly in the international field.
Sarah Baker joins as Head of Prospect Information and Analysis from the University of California at Berkeley, where she is currently Director of Prospect Development. Her experience in development research and analytics spans more than a decade, starting at the University of Bristol as Assistant Development Director in the Alumni Relations & Development Office, where she worked for eight years before relocating to California. The Prospect Information and Analysis team will lead research, analytics and prospect information providing key support to the fundraising functions.
All five will take up their posts by mid-October.