Brian K. Lee
To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, President,
Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics
Date: September 24, 2018
Re: Brian K. Lee
Brian K. Lee, Caltech's Vice President for Development and Institute Relations, has announced his intention to step down on November 2, 2018. Brian has accepted the position of vice president for alumni affairs and development at Harvard University.
As the Institute's primary development officer since 2012, Brian has overseen Caltech's institutional advancement efforts, the Institute-relations efforts, and the alumni and Associates programs. A proven leader with a strong record of accomplishment, Brian's influence at Caltech has been profound. He has built a solid, professional advancement organization, skillfully steered Institute efforts to launch the BreakThrough Campaign, and partnered with the alumni association to deepen and enhance the relationship between the Institute and its 23,000 living alumni. Brian also serves as the campus liaison to three Board of Trustees' committees: Institute and Alumni Relations, Development, and the Campaign Executive Committee.
A national search will begin shortly to identify Brian's successor. A joint faculty-staff committee, representing broadly the different constituencies across the Institute, will work in coordination with a national search firm and with the trustees. The committee will aim to make recommendations to me by early Winter 2019.
Brian moved to Caltech from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served as senior vice president for university advancement. He brought to the Institute a sensibility for what makes an institution unique and a refined capacity to explain to potential donors how Caltech can change the world, a narrative that continues.
Brian's achievements have been recognized locally and nationally. In 2008, he was elected to the board of trustees of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the professional organization for advancement professionals in alumni relations, communications, fund-raising, marketing, and public relations. He served on the executive committee of the CASE board and ultimately as chair of the CASE board. In 2012, Brian received the CASE Quarter Century Circle Award, recognizing 25 years of service for nonprofit organizations.
Please join me in thanking Brian for his dedicated service to Caltech and wishing him well in the next chapter of his career.