Pratt Institute has named Joan Barry McCormick, an experienced fundraising professional with an impressive track record in higher education, as the Institute’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement. She succeeds Nancy Walker, of Interim Solutions, who has served as Interim Vice President since April 2015.
McCormick, who began at Pratt on January 11, will lead the Institutional Advancement division staff in developing and implementing broad-based strategic advancement efforts to enhance financial support for the Institute. She will oversee the teams responsible for major gifts and special events; alumni relations and the annual fund; strategic partnerships and institutional support; development operations and database management; and communications and marketing.
“With Joan’s outstanding past success in fundraising, I am confident that she will effectively lead us in achieving our ambitious goals,” said Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte. “I look forward to working closely with her and our Board of Trustees so that Pratt can continue to provide the best possible educational experience for the next generation of creative professionals.”
McCormick worked most recently at New York University’s Stern School of Business, where she served as the Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations. Prior to that, she held various fundraising positions at Rutgers University, where she was responsible for securing transformational gifts of $5 million or more. In addition to her development background in higher education, McCormick has experience initiating and developing successful fundraising campaigns for other types of non-profit institutions. As an independent consultant, her clients included the National Kidney Foundation, where she created the organization’s first-ever major gifts program.
“I am proud to join Pratt in this role at such a critical time in the institution’s history,” said McCormick. “It is an exciting opportunity to build on the momentum of President Schutte and to work with the entire community at Pratt to support its talented students and prestigious faculty.”
McCormick holds a Master of Public Administration from Kean University. She earned a Mini-MBA™ in Strategic Healthcare Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Mass Media, both from Rutgers.