The start of the academic year welcomed Kate Kaplan, Heller’s new director of development and alumni relations, and the latest addition to the school’s administrative leadership team. In this role, Kaplan will build relationships with alumni and funders, raise philanthropic resources to support Heller’s mission, and develop and build on existing engagement opportunities for alumni and friends of the school.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Kate has joined our leadership team,” says Dean David Weil. “Heller is fortunate to have many incredible alumni and friends, and Kate will help strengthen those relationships and build many new ones. I’m confident that her leadership will strengthen the Heller network and allow the school to provide additional needed resources to our students, academic programs and research institutes for years to come.”
Kaplan brings over 20 years of experience in institutional advancement, philanthropy and fundraising strategy to this important role. Prior to joining Heller, she held chief advancement officer posts at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and at the Two Ten Footwear Foundation in Waltham. Her career has spanned the nonprofit, consulting and higher-education sectors, including positions at Tufts University, where she was president of the 100,000-member alumni association and where she continues to serve on the board of trustees.
“It’s such a privilege to join the Heller and Brandeis communities, particularly at a point in time where there is incredible momentum through new leadership,” says Kaplan.
“The students, alumni and researchers at Heller are change agents, working to build a more equitable and just world, addressing an urgent need. I’ll be working to ensure that we have all sorts of resources that we need to support this mission. These resources include both networks of engaged and connected stakeholders as well as short-term and long-term financial support,” she adds.
In addition to getting to know the community on campus, Kaplan is eager to build relationships with as many of Heller’s 4,300 alumni as time allows. She hopes to expand opportunities for meaningful volunteerism, professional development, and events and programming for Heller alumni. She’s also looking ahead to the school’s next chapter and the approaching 60th anniversary, which will be celebrated in the 2019-20 academic year.