Arcadia University is proud to announce that Brigette A. Bryant, a fundraising executive with nearly three decades of development experience in higher education, has been appointed vice president for Development and Alumni Relations. Bryant begins her tenure at Arcadia on June 3.

“Throughout her impressive career, Brigette has demonstrated a level of expertise that has increased fundraising and surpassed giving goals at the institutions at which she’s worked,” said Dr. Ajay Nair, president of Arcadia. “Perhaps most importantly, Brigette’s professional values, which align closely with Arcadia’s mission and values, have made her effective at building relationships and development teams that have exceeded expectations.”

Most recently, Bryant served as founding vice chancellor for University Advancement at the City University of New York. There, she was responsible for leading fundraising expansion for the 25-campus university system, providing oversight and consultative support for an enterprise-wide advancement team and managing a central office team. Among her highlights are integrating a faculty and staff giving program with a more successful Giving Tuesday effort, resulting in nearly $1 million in Fiscal Year 2019; drafting principal gift level agreements in support of campus fundraising; and helping to secure several major gifts, including $1 million transfer scholarship for CUNY’s most vulnerable students and a $20 million gift to name the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.  

Prior to her work at CUNY, Bryant was associate vice president for development at Seton Hall University, where she led a 25-member team that focused on six key gift generating areas: annual giving, parents’ program, principal and leadership gifts, major gifts, deferred giving, and corporate and foundation relations. She also oversaw the University’s record-breaking consecutive achievement of $21.4 million in Fiscal Year 2016 and $25.4 million in Fiscal Year 2017.

“From the moment I stepped onto campus, I could sense that Arcadia is a special place,” said Bryant. “I could see that what the future holds for Arcadia will be made possible by the community’s support of President Nair and his bold vision. I am so excited to join the team.”  

In addition to her work at CUNY and Seton Hall, Bryant has held chief development roles at Tufts University and Case Western Reserve University, and senior major gift roles at Columbia University, Stony Brook University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Bryant earned a bachelor’s degree in music production and engineering from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass.