Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to inform you about several upcoming changes within the leadership of the University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) organization.

First, Vice Chancellor John Ford has informed me that he will retire at the end of 2017, as was his plan when he joined UCSF in September of 2012. John brought forty years of development experience to UCSF, including twenty years as vice president at Stanford. With that background, John has made significant contributions to our university, both as the leader of UDAR and as a member of my leadership team. I am grateful for John’s service to UCSF. He has helped my team and many members of the faculty understand how development can be integrated into the fabric of the university and support the overarching goals of the university while helping individual faculty members advance their programs. John has encouraged many of us to think boldly about the future and has helped shape the ideas that have inspired some very big gifts to UCSF.

Second, I am pleased to announce that Associate Vice Chancellor Jennifer Arnett will be John’s successor. Jennifer is well positioned to lead the UDAR organization, having served as second-in-command since November 2012.

Together John and Jennifer have built a strong team at UDAR while growing private gifts and grants dramatically. Cash receipts totaled $595 million this past fiscal year, placing UCSF among the top five universities in gifts received for the second consecutive year. UCSF was the only public university among the top ten institutions in fundraising results.

In partnership with Bill Oberndorf, chair of the UCSF Board of Overseers, they have helped reorganize...