Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

I am writing to share the news that Vice President for Advancement Sarah Pearson is retiring from the College at the end of the calendar year.  

Sarah initially joined Swarthmore as the interim vice president for Advancement in 2024, bringing to the College more than four decades of fundraising experience in higher education, including leadership roles at institutions such as Bates College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Northwestern University, and The University of Chicago. Her leadership and seemingly boundless enthusiasm quickly bolstered our advancement efforts; later that year, she graciously accepted my offer to serve in the role on a more permanent basis. 

Since then, Sarah has led the office through a transformation by modernizing our advancement infrastructure and bringing our practices and organizational structure into alignment with our peer institutions. And in her short time here, her efforts have already begun to pay dividends: Alumni engagement — including among young alumni — is up, as is philanthropy to the College. Total fundraising increased by $9 million last year, reaching the $34 million mark in gifts and new commitments. Annual giving to the Swarthmore Fund, which is instrumental in supporting the College’s regular operations, surpassed $8 million last year for the first time in more than 15 years, with a goal of reaching $10 million by the end of fiscal year 2030. Marquee events managed by Advancement, including Garnet Weekend and Alumni Weekend, have seen record attendance during Sarah’s tenure as well. 

The relationship between the president and chief advancement officer is critical. With that in mind, and given the upcoming presidential transition, I will not begin a search for the College’s next vice president for Advancement, allowing my successor to lead that process. In the meantime, I am pleased to share that Associate Vice President for Capital Giving & Campaigns Josephine Burri has accepted my invitation to serve as interim vice president for Advancement, effective Jan. 1, 2027. 

Josephine is a highly experienced advancement leader in her own right. She joined Swarthmore in 2024 after serving as director of philanthropy at The Shipley School, vice president for advancement at The University of the Arts, and director of development at The Wistar Institute, among other positions. In her current role at Swarthmore, Josephine provides strategic direction and oversight for the Individual Giving, Leadership Annual Giving, Parent and Family Giving, and Donor Relations teams. I look forward to working with Josephine in the months ahead, and I thank her for agreeing to take on this extra responsibility.  

I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Sarah for the passion, vision, and optimism she has brought to the College. She has made a marked difference in her all-too-brief time here, both within and beyond the Advancement team. Please join me in thanking her for her contributions to the College and in wishing her all the best.

Sincerely,

Valerie Smith
President
Roy J. and Linda G. Shanker Presidential Chair