HAMBURG, N.Y. – After a national search, Michelle Held has been named Director of Philanthropy Research and Strategy at Hilbert College. Held began her new role last month.
“Michelle brings significant expertise in development research, prospect management, fundraising, and campaign management to Hilbert,” stated Kelly Smith, Hilbert’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “Her broad knowledge of fundraising campaigns, donor prospecting and research, and strategic planning will provide an invaluable and vital contribution to the advancement initiatives at Hilbert.”
Held most recently served as the Director of Campaign at Genesee Community College, where she spearheaded a successful $5 million comprehensive capital campaign. The campaign surpassed its goal for new buildings and endowed scholarship funds. At Genesee Community College, Held oversaw the department’s strategic planning, budgeting for revenue growth and sustainability, and market development for fundraising, which included donor prospecting and research, cultivation, and stewardship. She also coordinated the development department’s daily operations, supervised all staff, and facilitated the college’s scholarship and endowment program.
Held earned both her Master of Science in Communication and Leadership and her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Canisius College.
Held and her husband, Phil, reside in Williamsville, NY.
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Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs and evening degree programs geared to adult learners.