Vice President for University Advancement

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am very pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search, Edgar Gonzalez has been named Seattle University’s next Vice President for University Advancement. Edgar currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Development at the Oregon Health and Science University Foundation in Portland. He will join us this spring.

Edgar is a proven leader with 20 years of experience in higher education advancement and program development. At OHSU he has led fundraising and alumni relations teams in support of OHSU’s academic programs and clinical areas, and in 2020 his team successfully completed the $2 billion “Onward” Campaign. Prior to OHSU, Edgar spent 15 years and two campaigns at the University of Washington in several roles of increasing responsibility. He previously served as Director of Development at the Alliance for Education in Seattle. Away from work, Edgar loves spending time with his wife and three daughters. He is also an avid soccer player and a former coach.

I am excited to welcome Edgar home to Seattle. His energy, experience and charisma will help lift Seattle University’s alumni engagement and development efforts to a new level as we emerge from the most successful campaign in university history.

I am grateful to all the staff, faculty, administrators and alumni who participated in this search process. (Members of the search committee are listed below.) This successful outcome is a testament to their sound instincts as well as their unmatched dedication to Seattle University. I also want to reiterate my thanks to Michael Podlin for continuing to serve as vice president and providing continuity during this time. We look forward to celebrating and thanking Michael sometime before he leaves SU. In the meantime, please join me in warmly welcoming Edgar to our Seattle University community.

Respectfully,

Eduardo M. Peñalver
President

VPUA Search Committee Members

• Tim Leary, Executive Vice President, Committee Chair
• Katie Chapman, ’98, ’17, Director of Development, College of Arts and Sciences and Fostering Scholars
• Shaney Fink, Director of Athletics
• Val Gorder, President of Gaard Development, Trustee
• Drew Herdener, ’01, VP of Worldwide Communications at Amazon, Trustee
• Keisha Jackson, ’14, Philanthropies Business Program Manager-Global Give Operations at Microsoft
• James Miller, Associate Provost and Dean of Admissions
• Madhu Rao, Associated Dean and Associated Professor of Managements, Albers School
• Maggie Ricketts, Ex Officio, HR Director, Talent Acquisition, Development & People Analytics
• Monica Scott, Sr. Executive Coordinator for the EVP, Staff Support
• Alvin Sturdivant, Vice Provost for Student Development
• Thad Teo, ’15, Director of Development for the Sullivan School of Law
• DJ Weidner, ’07, Group Director-Head of Experiential & Digital Strategy at AMP Agency, Alumni Board of Governors
• Mary Hermann Welch, ’69, ’76, Board of Regents