Jolley named vice president for advancement.

Kassandra Jolley, an innovative leader who has led development and communications enterprises at Spelman College in Atlanta for the past eight years, has been named Mount Holyoke College’s next vice president for advancement, President Lynn Pasquerella announced Friday.

Jolley, who currently serves as vice president for institutional advancement at Spelman—the nation’s most selective historically black college for women—will join Mount Holyoke on March 1. She was selected after a national search led by a committee including alumnae, faculty, trustees, and administrators. Shannon Gurek, vice president for finance and administration, chaired the committee.

 "We are extremely excited that Kassandra Jolley will be joining the Mount Holyoke community,” Pasquerella said. “As we increase our momentum around the Lynk program and take on new initiatives in support of academic excellence, the College will benefit enormously from Kassandra's strong, innovative leadership in the advancement field. The entire leadership team and I are eager to welcome Kassandra and to thank Julie Tyson for her unyielding dedication as an interim vice president for advancement during the search process."       

 Tyson, who has served as acting vice president since June after the departure of MaryAnne Young ’81, will return to her role as director of advancement.

 As a senior officer and member of the president’s cabinet, Jolley will provide strategic leadership and administrative oversight of the College’s advancement programs and will be responsible for designing and implementing all fundraising efforts for the College.

 A graduate of Simmons College in Boston, Jolley received a bachelor’s degree in communications and women’s studies. She also attended the all-girls Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island, and remains an advocate of women’s education.

 At Spelman, Jolley leads fundraising, communications, and marketing efforts, overseeing a team of 37 professional staff with responsibility for more than $20 million in fundraising revenue annually. She served as the chief architect for The Campaign for Spelman College, the college’s largest-ever campaign, which ended in June 2014 at $158.7 million—five percent above its goal. During her tenure, total annual philanthropy nearly tripled, and alumnae participation in giving reached an all-time high of 41 percent.

Previously, Jolley served as vice president for institutional advancement at Roger Williams College in Bristol, Rhode Island, and as assistant vice president for advancement at Simmons. She also held positions in the development offices of Deaconess Hospital and at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

 “I am thrilled to be joining Mount Holyoke College at this pivotal moment,” Jolley said. “In the time since my own graduation from two women’s institutions, I have focused my professional endeavors and personal commitments to advancing women through philanthropy. Mount Holyoke clearly is a place where intellectual inquiry and ubiquitous leadership development result in graduates who are fearless in their endeavors and who go on to lead meaningful lives, not only for their own benefit but also in the service of others, and always with unwavering commitment to change.”