University of Maryland Welcomes Jacqueline Lewis as Vice President of University Relations

The University of Maryland has named Jacqueline (Jackie) Lewis as Vice President of University Relations, effective August 28, 2017. In this role, Lewis will collaborate with the president and key academic and administrative leaders across campus to build upon existing momentum of the university’s fundraising and philanthropic efforts.

“Ms. Lewis has demonstrated great success in leading major development programs,” said University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh. “She'll play a key role in the advancement of UMD, building upon the record fundraising of recent years.”

Lewis will be responsible for leading the development, alumni association, communications and marketing teams, and will play a key role in increasing engagement across the university and country with alumni, prospective and existing donors, trustees and volunteers.

“I’m pleased to be joining a university with such a strong alumni base and fundraising program, and a top-tier academic and research reputation,” said Lewis. “I look forward to working with the University Relations team to build upon their incredible work and to ensure that the university is positioned for success in its future efforts.”

Lewis joins the University of Maryland from The University of Iowa Foundation, where she currently serves as Senior Vice President for Development. In this role, she leads a team of 160 fundraising, donor relations, marketing and communications professionals. As Senior VP, Lewis led the design and implementation of a five-year strategic plan and helped oversee the completion of a nearly $2 billion comprehensive campaign.

Previously, she served as Vice President for Development for the University of Iowa’s health sciences colleges and medical center, where she led a team of 40 development professionals through the successful completion of a $525 million campaign to support research, education, facilities and patient care.

Prior to that, Lewis was at The Ohio State University, where she rose from Assistant Vice President to Interim Associate Vice President for development and alumni affairs at the OSU Medical Center. A member of Ohio State's senior management team, she helped oversee all fundraising units on campus, and set goals and metrics for raising $300 million to $400 million annually in private support.

Lewis has also held senior development positions at Arizona State University and medical centers in Illinois and Iowa. She began her career in the political arena, serving as press secretary, deputy campaign director and finance director in presidential, congressional and gubernatorial campaigns in Iowa.

Lewis received a B.S. in journalism and mass communications from Iowa State University.