UA welcomes Carolyn Whitehead as VP of Development and Alumni Engagement

In a move that will continue to strengthen Wake Forest’s fundraising and alumni relations efforts, Carolyn Whitehead has been named Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement. 

She begins this month.

Whitehead is a fundraising leader who has worked in large universities and small colleges, domestically and internationally. She began her career at her alma mater, St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where she spent five years providing strategic leadership to expand and strengthen major fundraising teams in law, education, music, arts and sciences, journalism, and business.

During her 15-year tenure at the University of Colorado Boulder, Whitehead oversaw all advancement and development functions, including the Alumni Association and the Parent Fund.

At Conquer Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology, an organization uniting over 45,000 oncology professionals worldwide, Whitehead provided strategic direction to all fundraising areas of the Foundation, overseeing and managing individual philanthropy, planned giving, corporate and non-profit relations and events.

Most recently, she has been a consultant, with clients ranging from health care organizations to international universities to nonprofit organizations. 

“The common thread in Carolyn’s career is a passion to help institutions grow philanthropic revenues to advance their mission and vision,” said University Advancement Senior Vice President Mark Petersen. “She brings a wide breadth of experiences to help build support for Wake Forest’s vision, values and goals for the future. I am grateful to have her on our team.”

Whitehead, who is relocating from Denver to Winston-Salem, said she considers joining Wake Forest an opportunity to “come home” and become a part of a community that she has dreamed of being a part of for most of her life.