Armin Afsahi Appointed Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development

From: Paul Alivisatos, President 
Subject: Armin Afsahi Appointed Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development
Date: February 7, 2023

Today, I am pleased to share that Armin Afsahi will be the next vice president for Alumni Relations and Development (ARD), starting April 1. Armin joins us from Harvard University, where he currently holds joint appointments as associate vice president of alumni affairs and development and dean of development for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 

As vice president, Armin will have responsibility for all aspects of fundraising strategy and activity, alumni engagement, and management of ARD. With the aim of advancing the University’s mission, Armin will collaborate with colleagues to encourage the intellectual, social, professional, and philanthropic engagement of all members of the campus community. He also will serve as a partner to me, the deans, the provost, faculty, and other senior leaders to help us realize important philanthropic opportunities, including cross-divisional strategic initiatives, so that the University can leverage its strengths to make an impact on societal and global matters. 

With a career spanning more than 30 years working in higher education and leading institutional advancement, Armin is distinguished by his deep respect for the academy. In his role at Harvard, he is responsible for a global development team of nearly 200 professionals who consistently generate more than $500 million annually. As a direct report of the dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, he is a principal member of the university-wide development team, and coordinates fundraising for the university’s largest division. Prior to his time at Harvard, Armin held senior roles in advancement at the University of California, San Diego; Georgetown University; and the University of Denver, where he established a robust track record of inspiring fundraising teams to realize transformational gifts and ambitious campaigns. 

Armin attained a BA in communications from the University of California, San Diego, and an MBA from the University of San Diego. He is currently pursuing a master of liberal arts from Harvard Extension School. I am confident that Armin’s leadership will help to ensure the University’s continued success.

I want to thank Laila Rashid, who has directed the expansive development, alumni relations, and planning work of ARD in an interim capacity with a remarkable level of skill and care since July 2022. She will continue to be an invaluable member of the ARD team as vice president and associate dean for Medicine and Biological Sciences Development as well as senior associate vice president for University Sciences. 

Please join me in welcoming Armin to the University of Chicago.