Diffenderfer named VP of University Advancement

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jason Diffenderfer, a highly accomplished executive who has been instrumental in leading the University at Buffalo’s largest ever fundraising campaign, has been named vice president for university advancement.

His appointment, announced today by President Satish K. Tripathi, is effective immediately. Diffenderfer has served as interim vice president for university advancement since last September.

“Jason’s leadership of Advancement in an interim capacity has continued to elevate the importance of philanthropy and its impact on our university mission,” Tripathi said. “He has worked to strengthen our engagement with our alumni, friends and partners, which has been instrumental in advancing our mission-driven priorities — notably our ambition to situate UB among the top 25 public research universities in the nation.”

Diffenderfer leads a staff of 120 employes and directs the university’s philanthropy and alumni engagement objectives. This includes the Boldly Buffalo campaign, which has been so successful that UB surpassed its goal of $650 million a full year early, and now has raised $937 million toward an extended goal of $1 billion.

As vice president for university advancement, Diffenderfer works closely with the president, provost, deans, executive director of the UB Foundation and other university leaders and volunteers.

He also directs university-wide efforts to strengthen UB’s relationships with more than 293,000 alumni in roughly 150 countries, with the goal of increasing participation in all university alumni-engagement programs and engaging alumni as lifelong and involved partners.

“As New York’s flagship university, UB plays such a critical role in advancing our region, state and the world. I’m excited to continue working with President Tripathi to grow our philanthropic and engagement outcomes to support the success of our students and faculty, and position the university to achieve its Top 25 Ambition,” said Diffenderfer. “We’ve gained tremendous momentum during the Boldly Buffalo campaign, and I look forward to working with our alumni, friends and colleagues across the university to advance UB.”

He arrived at UB in 2018 as senior associate vice president for advancement and the campaign’s co-director.

In this role, he led the fundraising team during the public phase of the Boldly Buffalo campaign, helping the university achieve its three largest consecutive fundraising years: $94 million in 2020, $116 million in 2021 and $107 million in 2022. This bested a record from the previous three years.

Before coming to UB, Diffenderfer served in various advancement roles at the University of Louisville from 2011-18, including executive director of development, where he collaborated with university leadership and advancement colleagues to develop and execute a comprehensive advancement strategy.

He started his advancement career leading the annual giving program at his alma mater, Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.

He holds bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Gardner-Webb.