Announcement of Vice President for College Advancement

Dear Pitzer Community,

I hope this message finds you all well in the new year. I write to share with you all the good news that, following a competitive national search, I have appointed Robert "Bob" Fass as Vice President for College Advancement, beginning February 1, 2025. I am thrilled to welcome Bob to the Pitzer community and look forward to introducing him to you all.

Bob brings a wealth of experience in advancement, development, and leadership roles, most recently serving as Chief Advancement Officer at The Webb Schools in Claremont. Over his eighteen-year tenure at Webb, he successfully led two comprehensive campaigns totaling over $250 million, including the $200 million Centennial Campaign that just concluded in December 2024. Bob’s career has been marked by transformative accomplishments in fundraising, endowment growth, engagement, and strategic planning.

Bob oversaw all aspects of advancement at Webb, including annual, major, and planned giving, as well as alumni, donor, and parent relations, in addition to team and budget management. Under his leadership, the school’s endowment grew fourfold, and its annual fund rose by 250 percent. His efforts helped secure a historic $100 million bequest, one of the largest ever made to an independent school in the United States.

In addition to his success at Webb, Bob has held senior roles in nonprofit management, higher education, and professional theatre. Notably, he was the founding program director and associate professor for the Master of Fine Arts program in Arts Administration at Southern Utah University, where he created a curriculum that continues to serve students today. A proud Claremont native, Bob grew up immersed in the Claremont Colleges community and has a lifelong connection to the Colleges and area.

Bob holds a Master of Fine Arts in Nonprofit Management from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from California State University, Fullerton. He has also been deeply involved in local and professional communities, having served as President of the Claremont Educational Foundation, an elected member of the Claremont Unified School District governing board, and on the board of the Southern California Council of Charitable Gift Planners.

Reflecting on his new role, Bob notes that "the opportunity to serve Pitzer College feels like a homecoming to me, having grown up in the Claremont Colleges community. It is a great honor, and I am humbled to have been chosen. I have known and loved Pitzer since its earliest days and admire its dedication to producing educational experiences rooted in social impact and innovation through the lens of a world-class interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum. I am eager to advance Pitzer's impact.”

I am grateful to a number of people who engaged in this search and provided valuable input into it, including the advancement team, senior staff, trustees, the members of the advisory search committee (Jessica Carter, Susan Phillips, and Lance Neckar), and Will Barndt on behalf of FEC. Our HR team provided outstanding professional support throughout the process. Finally, I especially appreciate the strong leadership of interim VP Erika Quiñónez, as well as the good work of the advancement team during this period of transition.

Please join me in welcoming Bob Fass to the Pitzer community. His extensive experience, demonstrated success, deep roots in Claremont, and passion for education and social impact position him well to lead and elevate our advancement efforts.

Provida Futuri,

Strom C. Thacker
President