Christopher J. Menard was named Amherst College’s Chief Advancement Officer today by President Biddy Martin. Menard, who most recently served as dean of advancement at Deerfield Academy and has held key advancement positions at Harvard Law School and Boston University, will join the Amherst community beginning Sept. 14.
“I am delighted to welcome C.J. to Amherst College,” said Martin. “His experience and success as a fundraiser and his leadership skills and reputation will enhance our already strong development effort and our alumni and parent programs. He will play a critical role in preparing us for our campaign and will quickly form connections with our devoted alumni, whose ongoing generosity underscores their love of the College and dedication to its mission.”
In addition to leading the Amherst Advancement team and directing its efforts, Menard will advise the Board of Trustees and Martin on advancement matters and serve on the College’s senior leadership team. He will design and implement a robust plan for Advancement that will capitalize on the College’s existing philanthropic strengths as well as on new opportunities. Menard will also promote and cultivate alumni and parent engagement via creative programming and collaborate with various departments and colleagues across the College.
“To say that I am honored to be asked to take on this role at Amherst truly is an understatement,” said Menard. “I have a deep and genuine commitment both to my profession and to the ideals of the liberal arts, and there are few places where the two merge as successfully as at Amherst. I very much look forward to getting to know the College much better in the coming months and to working with President Martin, the Trustees, faculty and staff to launch and successfully conclude an ambitious campaign.”
During his tenure at Deerfield, Menard restructured the advancement office and was responsible for a fundraising campaign that reached its goal a year early and exceeded both its monetary and alumni participation levels. He managed and led a combined development, alumni relations and communications staff and participated in various strategic governance committees. Prior to joining Deerfield, he served in key advancement positions at Boston University, Harvard Law School and Trinity College. Earlier in his career, he owned and operated a Cape Town, South Africa-based film and photographic company specializing in international advertising campaigns.
Menard holds a B.A. degree in history from Colgate University and is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society.
The firm Isaacson, Miller assisted with the search process.