College names new vice president for College Advancement

Kimberly M. Verstandig
Kimberly M. Verstandig

Kimberly M. Verstandig, a prolific fundraiser with more than 20 years of experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector, has been named vice president for College Advancement. The appointment is effective Nov. 6.

Verstandig is currently the interim Collyer Vice President for Advancement at Skidmore College. At Connecticut College, she will be responsible for overall leadership and strategic direction of the College’s multi-faceted fundraising and alumni relations efforts. She will supervise the work of major gifts; gift planning; corporate, foundation, and government relations; alumni engagement and annual giving; strategic initiatives; donor relations; and advancement services.

“We are fortunate to have recruited to this critical role someone with Kim’s level of talent, passion, and commitment. She has tremendous energy and drive and will be an ideal partner as we seek to design our next ambitious campaign for Connecticut College,” said President Katherine Bergeron in an announcement to the College community.

“With her fundraising expertise, her collaborative nature, and her deep belief in the mission of the liberal arts, she brings exactly the right skills to the College at this dynamic moment in our history.”

Verstandig holds a bachelor of science in business administration and a master of science in education from Bucknell University. She spent seven years at Bucknell overseeing alumni, parent, and volunteer programs and serving as a major gift officer during the university’s early $150 million campaign. She went on to serve as a senior development officer for the Albany Medical Center and as the director of advancement at the Albany Academies before joining the advancement division of Skidmore College in 2012, where she has served as the associate vice president for advancement, campaign director, and, since March 2017, interim vice president.

As interim vice president at Skidmore, Verstandig has overseen all areas of fundraising and alumni engagement, including alumni relations and college events, donor relations, foundation and corporate relations, gift planning, and advancement services, and helped lead Skidmore’s current campaign, which has already realized 70 percent of its $200 million goal in anticipation of its public launch in November.

In her free time, Verstandig is an avid runner and recreational athlete. She is married with three sons, two of whom are currently attending liberal arts colleges.


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September 29, 2017