Following Vice President for University Advancement Kim Tobin’s departure earlier this month, Colorado State University has launched a national search for her replacement. Blake Naughton, vice president for Engagement and Extension, and CSU Athletics Director Joe Parker are co-chairing the search, with facilitation from AGB Executive Search and a goal of identifying a new vice president by the end of this summer.
Additional members of the search committee include:
- Shannon Archibeque-Engle, associate vice president, Office of Inclusive Excellence.
- Kristi Bohlender, executive director, CSU Alumni Association; associate vice president, University Advancement.
- Rickey Frierson, director of diversity and inclusion, Warner College of Natural Resources.
- Rudy Garcia, interim co-vice president and senior associate vice president, University Advancement.
- Cheri O’Neill, president, CSU Foundation
- Sarah Schmidt, executive director of development, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
- Emily Seems, associate vice president for Community Affairs and Engagement, University Marketing and Communications.
- Bryan Wilson, executive director, Energy Institute at CSU; Bryan Wilson Presidential Chair and professor, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering.
- Lise Youngblade, dean, College of Health and Human Sciences.
“I am so excited about the talent and energy of this search committee,” President Joyce McConnell said. “I am confident that they will help us identify an advancement leader who has a proven record of working with donors to bring transformational gifts to fruition and who will help us achieve the ambitious goals of our Courageous Strategic Transformation.”
During the interim period, McConnell has asked two long-time leaders in University Advancement to step in as co-interim vice presidents. Senior Associate Vice President Rudy Garcia graduated in 1981 from CSU with a B.S. in business administration and has worked for the university since 1984, first in the Warner College of Natural Resources and then as a member of the leadership team of University Advancement. Assistant Vice President of Gift Planning Karen Dunbar also has a CSU degree, a B.S. in accounting from 1983. She joined University Advancement in 2016 after serving for 23 years as the chief financial officer for the CSU Foundation.
“Rudy and Karen make the perfect team to lead University Advancement right now,” McConnell said. “They each bring tremendous experience and expertise to their roles and are prepared to lead with a spirit of collaboration that will help both their team and the whole university move forward.”
McConnell described Kim Tobin, who will be stepping into the role of vice president for University Advancement at Michigan State University in May, as a “wonderful, vibrant leader and fundraiser. Kim will always be a CSU Ram,” McConnell said. “We are so grateful to her for all that she helped the university achieve in her time here and excited for her to embark on the next steps of her own professional journey.”
