The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees today confirmed Rachel Carlton Stack’s appointment as vice chancellor for University Advancement on the Edwardsville campus. Stack comes to SIUE after serving as assistant dean of advancement within the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Business Administration since 2006. She assumes her SIUE duties on Jan. 6, 2014.
“Rachel’s professional background, including many years of development experience within higher education, made for an excellent choice,” said SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe. “We expect that she will make a significant impact on our mission to develop professionals, scholars and leaders who shape a changing world.”
At UIC, Stack conducted a “Brilliant Futures Campaign” that raised more than $25 million. She grew an annual fund raising program from $600,000 to more than $2 million. She recruited and managed a business advisory council of 50 corporate leaders. She also managed a staff of five advancement professionals and a marketing director.
“Thanks to Chancellor Furst-Bowe, search committee chair Keith Becherer and the committee for their belief in my abilities,” Stack said. “SIUE is a remarkable and growing university, and I am honored to serve it. We will create and execute an advancement strategy that will create a stronger culture of philanthropy.”
Prior to her UIC tenure, Stack served as senior director of development for the central region office of CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) USA from 2005-06. She raised $1.5 million for the major international humanitarian agency that delivers broad-spectrum emergency relief and international development projects.
Stack was associate director of development at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering from 2004-05. She raised $4 million while successfully managing two departmental mini-campaigns in chemical and biological engineering, and materials science.
Stack spent five years at the State University of New York at Buffalo in two different positions. She began as assistant director of development for the School of Pharmacy, where she raised $950,000 in less than two years. She was assistant dean of development in the School of Nursing until the close of her tenure. She created a campaign strategy that produced $2.8 million and achieved 100 percent faculty and staff participation.
“My expertise is growing public higher education advancement programs while attracting, retaining and mentoring high caliber professionals,” Stack said. “This is the next logical step in my professional career. It will be exciting to work with the chancellor, faculty and staff, our various constituencies and our alumni to keep SIUE moving forward.”
Stack began her development career in 1995 as director of fundraising for Cradle Beach Camp in Angola, N.Y. She followed that by serving as Canisius High School’s director of annual fund and special events in Buffalo from 1996-98.
Stack earned a bachelor’s in English Literature from Elmira College and a master’s in English from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She has been a certified fund raising executive (CFRE) since 1996 and has specific experience in fundraising for health-related educational entities as well as business and engineering.
“The quality of the search for our new vice chancellor was outstanding, and SIUE owes a great debt of gratitude to search committee chair Keith Becherer and the committee for their time and dedication to identifying an excellent pool,” said Furst-Bowe, who noted the five-month national search involved more than 50 candidates.
Stack succeeds Patrick Hundley, who is retiring during the 2014 spring semester.