Published January 30, 2025
Dear University Community:
It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Kathleen Heckman as vice president for University Advancement, effective February 3, 2025.
Kathleen has been serving in this position in an interim capacity since February of 2024, leading our Advancement team and directing the university’s philanthropy and alumni engagement objectives. This includes ushering the Boldly Buffalo campaign to its successful conclusion last year. Through this historic campaign—the largest of its kind in UB history—donors invested more than $1.1 billion in our university to fuel student success and faculty research, and to help us make a positive impact on the many communities we serve.
Prior to assuming the role of interim vice president for University Advancement, Kathleen was the associate vice president for advancement administration. Over her seven-plus years in this role, Kathleen’s responsibilities included leading the division’s operations, resource administration and core services in support of staff retention and professional development. Furthermore, she served as the co-director of Boldly Buffalo, helping lead preparations for the campaign, assisting in the execution of the campaign plan and overseeing all engagement and communication efforts. Additionally, she worked with alumni volunteers and staff to successfully align alumni engagement efforts across the university.
A longtime and dedicated university citizen, Kathleen is a proud alumna who has devoted her entire career to UB. After receiving her BA in geography in 1992, she worked in Conferences & Special Events—now known as University Events—planning and coordinating university-wide special events. She joined the Office of Alumni Relations in 1997, first as assistant director, then as associate director. She was named deputy to the vice president for development and alumni relations in 2003 and assistant vice president in the Office of the Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement in 2006.
During her career, Kathleen has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to UB and our university priorities. Through her depth of institutional knowledge, the trust and strong connections she has established with UB’s constituents near and far, and her impressive ability to communicate the primacy of philanthropy and engagement in achieving institutional goals, she has helped build and foster a culture of philanthropy that has measurably advanced our mission of excellence and impact.
I very much appreciate Kathleen’s meaningful contributions to our university over the years, including as a member of my senior leadership team over the past year. I greatly look forward to continuing to work with her in support of our institutional objectives.
For more details about this announcement, read the story in UBNow.
Please join me in congratulating Kathleen on her appointment.
Sincerely,
Satish K. Tripathi
President