Patricia Watson, Cornell's senior associate vice president for alumni affairs and development, will serve as the University's senior vice president for advancement beginning Dec. 1, President Christina Paxson announced in an email yesterday morning.
Watson will replace Steven King '91, who resigned from the position in July. Since then, Richard Spies, who served as executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president under Ruth Simmons, has been temporarily filling the post.
Watson's primary role will be to oversee the fundraising efforts that will ultimately bring the goals set by Paxson's administration to life, Spies said.
"It's a big loss for Cornell, but she's ready to be the top person," said Charles Phlegar, vice president for alumni affairs and development at Cornell. "She is very thoughtful and decisive as a leader. She understands and sees the big picture. She understands all aspects of higher education," he said.
Watson said the chance to join Paxson's administration at the beginning of her tenure attracted her to the position.
"This is a really exciting time for all of us at Brown in terms of the president's work on developing a strategic plan for us that builds on the Plan for Academic Enrichment and identifies new directions and new goals," Spies said.
Watson, who graduated from Cornell in 1983, joined its administration in 2004 as the director for college and unit alumni affairs and development. Prior to her time working at Cornell, she served as Syracuse University's director of development and as assistant dean for advancement in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, according to a Brown press release.
At Cornell, Watson hired and mentored many key staff members, Phlegar said.
Beginning in 2008, Watson led a complete reorganization of the college and unit fundraising division to increase the number of people managing donors and to spread them around Cornell's multiple colleges. The job required "courage to take some bold actions in order to allow our organization to grow," Watson said.
During four out of the five years that she held the position, Cornell had its best fundraising levels in history, Phlegar said, citing her leadership as being a major contributor to this success.
Since 2010, Watson has held the number two position in Cornell's advancement office. Phlegar called her "one of the best professionals in our business."
Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration and the University's chief financial officer, said she is "thrilled" about Watson's appointment because of the insight and experience she will bring to the job. Cornell is "one of the better fundraising operations," she said.
"She seems to have enormous energy and enthusiasm for Brown," Huidekoper said.
Huidekoper said she anticipates Watson's transition into her new role will be smooth. After Simmons' departure, the University established interim funding goals that the development staff has been pursuing. These goals will prevent a fundraising lag between the two administrations, Huidekoper said.
At Brown, Watson said she hopes to drive the private support the University needs to meet its goals. Her first priorities will be getting to know the current administration and ensuring that the right people are hired to fill vacancies. One of her strengths as a leader is her ability to bring out the best in people by identifying their natural skills and matching them with the right responsibilities, Watson said.
Watson added that she wants to meet students and faculty and understand what programs are important to Brown. The University's emphasis on the intersection of the arts and other disciplines, like science and business, resonates with her, she said.
Having spent a portion of her adult life as a dancer and choreographer, Watson said studying the arts formed the basis for who she is today. "I don't think you can have a contemporary society without the arts, and I don't think you can have a forward-thinking society without science and business," she said.
She said Brown's smaller size, urban setting and emphasis on holistic study make it distinct from Cornell, adding that she is looking forward to applying her skills to a new environment.
"I like to try things and do things and experience things," Watson said. "I bought a kayak this summer because I wanted to have a kayak. ... I had to learn to use it in a way that didn't send me flailing down the lake."
Calling Watson "a lot of fun and a good-natured person," Phlegar added that she is a professional fly fisher and is involved with the organization Casting for Recovery, which helps women recover from breast cancer surgery through fly fishing.
