McDaniel College names new Vice President for Institutional Advancement

McDaniel College has named David Sears as vice president for Institutional Advancement following a national search. Sears begins his new role at McDaniel on Jan. 24, 2022.

Sears, who brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education fundraising and development to McDaniel, will oversee development, annual giving, alumni engagement, advancement engagement, and advancement services.

“I am pleased to welcome Dave to McDaniel and look forward to having him as a member of the senior leadership team,” said McDaniel President Julia Jasken.

He most recently served as senior vice president of advancement and community engagement at Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., where he was also responsible for the Montgomery College Foundation and had co-leadership responsibilities for the Pinkney Innovation Complex at Montgomery College (PICMC) Foundation.

At Montgomery College, he planned and implemented two comprehensive fundraising campaigns, including the college’s largest campaign ever of $30 million, and helped to secure several of the largest gifts to the college.

He was previously director of athletic development at Georgetown University and vice president of advancement at Loyola University Maryland.

Sears earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, an MBA from Mount St. Mary’s University, and a master’s degree in Public Policy in Higher Education from UMBC, where he is currently a Ph.D. student.

Sears said, “I am very excited to become a part of the McDaniel College community. The college has a unique and special commitment to providing an exceptional education to its students in the classroom and through experiential learning and mentoring. I look forward to how I can work together with faculty, staff, administrators, donors and volunteers through alumni engagement and philanthropy to further support the mission of the College.”