Baldwin Named Vice President for Advancement at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama President Judy Bonner has named Dr. Karen Baldwin as vice president for advancement, effective immediately.

Baldwin has served as interim vice president for advancement since March and served as associate vice president for advancement from 2008 until her appointment as interim vice president.

“Karen Baldwin is a consummate professional and has extremely high standards for herself and for those who report to her,” Bonner said. “The Office of Advancement set an annual giving record under her leadership in the last year.”

As vice president for advancement, Baldwin leads the Division of Advancement, which includes all University fundraising, Planned Giving, Alumni Affairs and University Relations.

In fiscal 2012, the Office of Advancement set an annual giving record with a 25 percent increase over fiscal 2011, realizing more than $93.8 million in total giving. New documented planned gift expectancies increased by 102 percent to $26 million. In the past two years, UA has had a record number of donors (58,000 each year) and donor transactions (94,000 each year).

Baldwin joined the University in 1998 and served for 10 years as director of external affairs and development for the UA College of Engineering. A three-time UA graduate, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in American studies and her doctorate in higher education administration.

Her previous experience includes 13 years with BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corp., where she was twice selected to the President’s Club – the top 3 percent of the corporation’s 3,000 employees.

Her positions with BellSouth included manager, BellSouth Advertising and Publishing group strategic planning; manager, process innovation; and several marketing positions. She began her career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she served as director of marketing for the Special Studies program.