Past Experience In Fund-Raising, Alumni Relations Will Come In Handy

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University told ANN this week the company has selected fund-raising and alumni relations professional Daniel Montplaisir as vice president for institutional advancement. Montplaisir's first day on the job will be March 7.

Montplaisir comes to Embry-Riddle from Rollins College, where he was director of alumni relations and development for the nationally ranked Crummer Graduate School of Business. During his five-year tenure at Rollins, he increased financial donations to the business school by 500 percent -- largely from alumni, individuals, and corporations.

"I'm pleased that Dan has agreed to join our team. He brings a wealth of development experience from a college that has been very successful in this arena," said John P. Johnson, president of Embry-Riddle. "Dan will be a good fit for our university, and I expect great things from him."

At Embry-Riddle, Montplaisir will be responsible for developing internal and external relationships that are supportive of the university's goals and mission. He will report to the president. He will oversee a staff of 22 that is responsible for planned giving, major gifts, events, grants, alumni relations, donor relations, annual giving, and a capital campaign.

"Embry Riddle is an outstanding university built by dedicated, brilliant people. The faculty, staff, and alumni understand the unique educational needs of engineering and aerospace-related industries and how to prepare students for them," Montplaisir said. "One of the biggest priorities of the institution is to expand Embry-Riddle's endowment and increase the percentage of participation from its alumni and friends."

Previously, Montplaisir (shown above) was successful in fund-raising and alumni relations positions at the University of Central Florida's College of Arts and Sciences, where he solicited major gifts during that university's $180 million It's Central to Our Future campaign, and at the Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity, where he headed fund raising and alumni programs for 120,000 members.

Montplaisir earned a master of science in management at Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor's degree in liberal studies with a business and communication emphasis at the University of Central Florida.

FMI: www.erau.edu