David Sears, who has been named Vice President for Advancement

Loyola College in Maryland has announced that David Sears, currently Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD, has been named Vice President for Advancement. Sears, who succeeds Vice President for Development and College Relations Michael Goff, who is assuming new responsibilities as Special Assistant to the President, will join Loyola on July 1, 2008.

Sears will be responsible for leading Loyola’s annual and capital fundraising and alumni relations efforts.

“This is a critical time for Loyola’s advancement efforts,” says College President Brian Linnane, S.J. “We are in the final phases of our Preparing Tomorrow capital campaign, the most ambitious and successful fundraising initiative in Loyola history, which has far surpassed its original $80 million goal and now stands at more than $91 million. We are still working to fully fund a number of major campaign priorities, most notably our Intercollegiate Athletic Complex and the renovation and expansion of the Loyola/Notre Dame Library, and we are in the midst of developing our next strategic plan, a document sure to inspire significant advancement goals for the future. I am delighted that someone with Mr. Sears’ experience and enthusiasm for Jesuit education will be able to build on the accomplishments of Dr. Goff’s tenure and continue to raise the bar for advancement activities at Loyola.”

Mr. Sears has been with Montgomery College since 2005. His accomplishments there include helping to guide the institution’s ongoing $25 million capital campaign past the $18.5 million mark, as well as closing the two largest gifts in the history of Maryland community colleges. Under his tenure, the net philanthropic assets of the Montgomery College Foundation increased from $19 million to $33 million, and the College raised more than $10.6 million in gifts and commitments in 2007, the largest amount in its history.

In addition to fundraising and alumni relations, Mr. Sears’ responsibilities at Montgomery included communications, marketing and special events.

Prior to joining Montgomery College, Mr. Sears spent more than 15 years in positions of increasing leadership responsibility at Georgetown University, his alma mater. As Director of Athletic Development, his most senior position at Georgetown, he led a $60 million campaign for athletics as part of the university’s $1 billion Third Century capital campaign, and increased major athletic gifts and commitments from $94,000 in 1995 to more than $5 million annually from 1999 – 2004.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an MBA from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD.

“I’ve been Jesuit-educated my entire life, so the opportunity to return to a Jesuit institution was very appealing to me. Loyola, which is already so highly regarded in this region, is poised to become just as well-respected nationally,” says Sears. “Philanthropy will play a major part in this process, and I am eager to lend my support to those efforts. Of course, the most appealing part of this opportunity is the chance to work with Fr. Linnane, a person of great integrity with a great vision for Loyola, and a deep understanding of the role philanthropy can play in pursuing that vision.”