Shelley Semmler Named Associate Vice President

Ithaca College has announced the appointment of Shelley Semmler as associate vice president for college relations and resource development. Semmler has 18 years of experience in fund-raising, alumni relations, and public relations in higher education, most recently as a senior associate with the consulting firm Carol O'Brien Associates.

"This is a critical position in our plans to continue to advance Ithaca's work in fund-raising and related areas, and I am absolutely delighted that Shelley Semmler has agreed to take it," said vice president for college relations and resource development Bonnie Gordon. "She brings tremendous experience in a broad variety of fund-raising environments, a genuine love for higher education, and a great degree of energy and enthusiasm. I look forward with pleasure to our work together."

Semmler will be responsible for planning and directing Ithaca College's overall fund-raising effort, supervising the directors of annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, academic funding, and planned and leadership giving. She will also coordinate an emerging program of liaison work with the College's five schools and will oversee the recruitment and management of a growing network of volunteers.

At Carol O'Brien Associates, Semmler provided fund-raising and alumni relations counsel and evaluated development operations for universities and nonprofit organizations throughout the country. From 1978 to 1994 she had served in a number of development positions at Cornell University, including director of special projects in Asia, director of leadership gifts, campaign manager and director of development for the School of Hotel Administration, and business manager for the Office of University Development.

Semmler holds a bachelor's degree in education from Queens College and a master's in curriculum from the State University College at Cortland, and has done graduate work at Cornell. A Freeville resident, she has served locally on the board of the YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County and as an associate board member of Challenge Industries. She was also a member of the steering committee for the 1990-91 New York State Special Olympics.