The ߺ Advancement team is thrilled to welcome Robin Claremont to its staff as the new Director of Advancement. Claremont comes to ߺ aftermost recently servingas Senior Major Gift Officer at Amherst College. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Claremont has spentnearly25years working in the Pioneer Valley for nonprofits and Amherst. To welcome her to campus and introduce her to the school community, we sat down to ask Claremont a few questions.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself
A: I grew up in Connecticut and went to Mount Holyoke College. After Mount Holyoke I stayed in the Valley, soI’vebeen a Valley dweller for more than 25 years now. I love thisarea, andhave family ties to it.I’velived in Easthampton for more than 15 years.
Q: What is your background in advancement work? Is this somethingyou’vebeen doing for a long time?
A:I’vebeen doing development and nonprofit work for most of my career. When I graduated college, I thought I was going to be a field scientist, on the ground, doing either advocacy work or being in nature every day. Turns out, I got an office jobworking for an environmental nonprofit in the area, a small one, where everybody did many different jobs. Because I liked telling stories and listening to stories, I fell into some of the development aspects like grant writing, appeals, things like that. And that led me to more development work, both at local nonprofits, then at Amherst College working on major gifts.
Q: Whatdo you enjoy mostabout advancement work?
A:Definitely relationships. There’s something really special about connecting with people who have a passion and want to be supportive with a cause that’s important to them. The role of Advancement isbasically bringingthose two things together. Whetherit’sin a nonprofit environment or in education, the idea isabout building relationships with people who care about the mission and the place.That’sinspiring to me.
Q: What did you know about ߺ before you were hired?
A: I certainly knew a fair amount about ߺ just from being in thecommunity, butalso knew about the school from a professional perspective, sincethere’sa lot of connectivity between higher education and independent schools in this area. What stood out to me when I came here during the search process was that everyone was incredibly welcoming and kind. Thatreally stuck with me, and I love the real feeling of connection to students on campus andwhat’shappening on a day-to-day basis.
Q: What do you hope to be able to bring to ߺ and your position?
A: First off, this is a very strong team, with a lot of great people andgreat workalready being done. I hope to continue building on the incredibly effective foundation that’shere, anduse my breadth of perspective and experience from a variety of settings to sparknew ideasand move us forward. I’mexcited to get to know the Advancement team and the rest of the alumni and campus community.
Q: Finally, give us a quick fact about yourself
A: I like somewhat “non-traditional” athletic challenges. There are a few thingsI’vedone over the years that have really challenged me in a fun way.I’vecompleted two century (100 mile) bike rides;I’vedone obstacle-course racing;I’vedabbled in rock climbing.I’vealso been doing CrossFit for15 years. But: I will never run a marathon!