obert Whittaker鈥檚 first day as vice president of institutional advancement in August also happened to be the day of the solar eclipse. Taking advantage of the unique opportunity, he came to work prepared with a case of eclipse glasses. After all, fostering collaboration is an important goal for him鈥攁nd viewing the eclipse with his new co-workers was a great way to begin building new relationships. 鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly excited about joining 91香蕉视频成人在线! A big part of my role is to facilitate relationship development internally and externally with a focus on mission fulfillment and collaboration,鈥� says Whittaker, who is a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership at Northeastern University. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to introducing the vision and mission of the College to new audiences who have a shared interest in reshaping the field of mental health care and addressing issues at a community and societal level.鈥� His commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities began early in his career when he became a childcare director at the YMCA in Jemez Springs, NM. In that position, he learned about grant writing and fundraising, and transformed a neglected summer camp into a self- sustaining, year-round community program for the mostly Hispanic and Pueblo Indian population. After five years, he decided to remedy a case of burn out by hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Completing the 2,000+ mile journey in four months鈥攁nd finding renewed energy鈥攈e moved to Salt Lake City, where he became associate director of foundation and corporate relations at Westminster College. Leading project and grant development activities with foundation, corporate, and government funding sources, Whittaker also established Utah鈥檚 only Ronald E. McNair Program for first-generation and low-income, or underrepresented students. Seeking more responsibility, he joined the Utah Symphony & Opera as director of foundations and planned giving, where he grew planned gifts and created programs that led the organization to exceed its fundraising goal. However, after nearly a decade out West, the native New Englander decided to relocate back to the East Coast. In 2005, Whittaker and his family moved to Vermont, where he was named dean of institutional advancement at Lyndon State College. In that role, he planned and completed the largest fundraising campaign in Vermont State Colleges鈥� history, surpassing the $10-million-dollar goal and raising 20 times more than the college鈥檚 prior fundraising efforts. He also helped the school achieve its goal of becoming a college of choice for first-generation college students. More recently, he served as an advancement officer at the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a global library cooperative. Most people may be familiar with the organization, notes Whittaker, for its leadership role in converting the card catalog system into an online resource shared by librarians around the world. At OCLC, Whittaker focused on helping public libraries become centers of community development. When the opportunity to join William James came up, Whittaker says it was a 鈥渟lam dunk.鈥� He explains, 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about education鈥檚 role in building communities to better serve underrepresented R 22 RAPPORT | Notes & News Robert Whittaker New Vice President of Institutional Advancement WILLIAM JAMES COLLEGE WELCOMES