Colm Renehan Brings More than 20 Years of Achievement in Domestic and International Higher Education
BOSTON—Suffolk University has appointed Colm Renehan, who has an extensive career in higher education philanthropy, as senior vice president for advancement at Suffolk University. He will join Suffolk in January 2016.
"Colm Renehan has an established record of advancement success, and I am confident that he will help Suffolk achieve its fund-raising goals for the benefit of our students and the institution,” said Suffolk President Margaret McKenna.
Renehan will directly report to McKenna and oversee all development and alumni relations activity as the University builds an advancement function commensurate with its ambition.
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Colm Renehan[/caption]
“I look forward to joining the team at this exciting time of growth and transformation as President McKenna assumes leadership of Suffolk University,” said Renehan.
Renehan brings with him more than 20 years of achievement in higher education management, fund-raising, and major and principal gifts in domestic and international settings.
He is interim vice president for advancement at the University of Alberta, having served in that role since September 2014 following more than three years as associate vice president for advancement at that institution, one of Canada's largest research-intensive universities. During his tenure at the University of Alberta, Renehan has been instrumental in the growth and ongoing increased success of the Office of Advancement, raising more than $115 million dollars in FY 15 alone.
Before joining the University of Alberta, Renehan served for three years as vice president for advancement at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., where he oversaw fund-raising, alumni relations, and commencement. He previously spent five years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Office of Leadership Giving, where he directed the development of major gifts programs in New York, the Midwest, and Southern regions, including Florida. Prior to joining MIT, Renehan managed a major gifts program at Babson College, which included domestic and international fund-raising spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, India, and the Caribbean.
Renehan holds a PhD in higher education administration from Boston College, a master's degree in management from Lesley University, a master's in social work from Temple University, and a bachelor's in social science from University College in Dublin.
