Advancement office picks new assistant VP

Michelle E. Wamsley will become the assistant vice president of foundation, corporate and government relations for the University of Richmond Sept. 16.

Wamsley, the director of foundation and corporate relations for the University of Virginia Health System, will oversee the Richmond Advancement office, which has obtained more than $38 million in awards from private foundations, corporations and government agencies during the past five years.

Because the grant management position relies heavily on relationship building, Wamsley said she would work closely with faculty members to get grants for faculty and student research projects and community impact programs.

Coming to Richmond after almost 12 years at U.Va., with most of those years in the health system, Wamsley will bring invaluable experience to Richmond, said Tom Gutenberger, Richmond's vice president of advancement, to whom Wamsley will report in Maryland Hall.

"She's got a well-rounded background in development," Gutenberger said. "She's got strong experience in the sciences. She really knows the grant-making process."

Wamsley's knowledge of the sciences will be helpful, since the largest grant demand comes from the science department. Richmond's smaller size will also call for Wamsley to expand her expertise by handling government grants, an opportunity she said she welcomed.

After her mostly medical focus at U.Va., the other main difference for Wamsley at Richmond will be the chance to work with faculty and students from all undergraduate programs.

"That's really exciting for me to be able to work on the undergraduate aspect," Wamsley said.

From finding the grants to helping write the grant proposals, Wamsley and her staff will work with faculty members on their ideas - mainly regarding research and outreach programs — and match their ideas with available foundation, corporation and government funds, Gutenberger said. The great thing about Richmond, he said, is that close faculty-student ties welcomed students into this process.

Wamsley noted this cohesion, citing the kindness and generous spirit of the faculty, staff and students as her first impression of Richmond.

"There's this great sense of energy here, and it's really positive," she said. "People are practically leaping with excitement about their projects."

Gutenberger said Wamsley was joining Richmond at a positive time for giving and overall support, with recently set school records for donations to the annual fund and attendance at reunions, regional club functions and homecoming.

Wamsley's background in individual giving adds to the breadth of her experience, Gutenberger said. At U.Va., she held major gift and annual giving positions for U.Va.'s College of Arts and Sciences, then served as the director of development for individual giving for the health system before assuming her current position.

Multiple references noting Wamsley's talent for working with faculty, coupled with strong writing, communication and organizational skills, add to why Wamsley was selected from the more than 100 qualified candidates identified by the recruiting firm hired to fill the position, Gutenberger said. Wamsley had not been looking for a new job at the time. She will replace Betsy Curtler, who retired in fall 2008.

Wamsley, who is originally from Schenectady, N.Y., said her interest in development began during her work-study job in the development office while an undergraduate at the University of New Hampshire, where she received her bachelor's degree in English. She is currently pursuing a master's of public administration from Virginia Tech. She also serves on the board of trustees of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Blue Ridge Chapter and chairs its donor development committee.

Contact staff writer Maura Bogue at maura.bogue@richmond.edu