News releases

April 13, 2022

UW names Tamara Michel Josserand VP for Development

Tamara Michel Josserand has been named Vice President for Development at the University of Washington, Senior Vice President for University Advancement Mary Gresch announced today. Josserand’s appointment begins May 31.

The vice president for development leads the university’s fundraising efforts, partnering with the development team and University, philanthropic and civic leaders to galvanize support for the UW’s vision, mission and values. Josserand succeeds Dan Peterson, who is retiring.

“I’m so pleased to welcome Tamara to the University of Washington. She is an incredible leader in the field with deep experience having worked at a number of higher education institutions, public and private,” Gresch said. “She brings a strong passion and energy to her work, based on her belief in the power of higher education to transform lives. As I look at the opportunities ahead to further the University’s impact and grow the work of our incredible Advancement team, I am confident Tamara will be a vanguard in this effort and lead with imagination, strategic acumen and thoughtful collaboration.”

Josserand has more than three decades of experience working in institutional advancement, strategic leadership and stakeholder management roles. Most recently, she led advancement at the University of Redlands in California, where the highly successful “Forever Yours” campaign resulted in more than $207 million from nearly 16,000 donors. Prior to that, she served as assistant dean of advancement for University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health. In that role, Josserand successfully directed the school’s alumni and community engagement activities, as well as led its $80 million comprehensive campaign.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with, developing and motivating teams of professionals, and implementing strategies not only for the growth of fundraising programs, but also for the success of fundraising professionals,” Josserand said. “Working closely with colleagues to shape, form and improve upon the policies and practices that impact the universities that I have served has been a privilege, and I believe this evolution is also an imperative in our increasingly complex society. I can’t wait to work with the UW team to continue the incredible work and success already underway.”

Josserand has held both comprehensive and key unit roles and leadership positions at University Libraries at University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Chicago, Booth School of Business; Northwestern University; and Yale University. She also served as a senior consultant for the national fundraising consulting firm, Campbell and Company, and over the years has served as a consultant and has assisted numerous not for profits, colleges and universities across the country.

“We’re so thrilled to have Tamara join the UW and bring her wealth of experience working within a number of communities to meet their strategic needs,” said Patrick Crumb, chair of the UW Foundation Board and a member of the search committee that selected Josserand. “She’ll arrive in the Pacific Northwest with a strong track record of service and dedication to higher education and a commitment to fostering and growing philanthropy not just for the UW, but for the reach of our universities around the region and the world.”

Josserand has deep interest in supporting the work of charitable and humanitarian organizations and causes, including her leadership service to the Daughters of Charity Ministries of Chicago and her ongoing work for the DuSable Heritage Association, which provides support and resources to the people and country of Haiti. She holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Chicago, Booth School of Business; a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education; and a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College.

For more information, contact Victor Balta at balta@uw.edu.