George Washington University President Steven Knapp Friday named Aristide Collins Jr., as vice president for development and alumni relations for the George Washington University.
Since October, Vice President Collins has provided interim leadership for the Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), including overseeing Making History, the university’s comprehensive philanthropic campaign, while also serving as vice president and secretary of the university. Vice President Collins will assume his new role immediately, and a replacement will be sought to fill his former role.
“Four years ago, Dr. Collins brought exceptional leadership to the Board of Trustees office, which he significantly restructured and dramatically improved," said Dr. Knapp. "Last fall, he stepped in to manage a dedicated team of development professionals and to maintain the momentum of our campaign, which he did very effectively. Now is the right time for him to assume that job permanently."
In October 2010, Vice President Collins returned to GW, where he had served earlier in his career, as senior executive director for board relations and secretary of the university. In 2011, he was promoted to vice president and secretary of the university. In those roles, he established the university’s comprehensive Board of Trustees office and university secretary function, managing business affairs, governance, recruitment, communication and special board events. He served as the liaison between the board, senior staff and other university constituencies and provided stewardship for official records of the board and the seal of the George Washington University. He also has a faculty appointment as a lecturer in higher education administration.
“I have been honored to work behind the scenes with President Knapp, our Board of Trustees, the university’s deans and major supporters of the university. I value the strong working relationships we have built and look forward to continuing to serve the university as we work together to achieve great aspirations through philanthropy,” said Vice President Collins.
Vice President Collins brings to his new role more than 20 years of experience in higher education. He previously served as vice president for institutional advancement and university relations at Clark Atlanta University; vice president for advancement at Pacific Oaks College and Children's School in Pasadena, Calif.; and director of development for university projects at GW. He also held leadership positions over 10 years at California State University at Long Beach.