Annual Fund News
Theresa Joyce Lee Heads MIT Annual Fund
Theresa Joyce Lee. Photo: Liv Gold
Theresa Joyce Lee is the newly appointed director of the MIT Annual Fund. She has assumed the position immediately after approval by the Alumni Association’s Presidents Committee and the Association Board of Directors with the concurrence of the president and the executive committee of the institute.
Since July 2008, Lee has served as interim co-director of the MIT Annual Fund. She spearheaded a year-end campaign that produced strong FY09 results despite the difficult economic climate.
"In a difficult year Theresa led with energy and enthusiasm and nothing shows it more than the surprisingly strong performance in the last six weeks[of FY09] given the state of the global economy," said Don Shobrys ’75, chairman of the MIT Annual Fund.
Lee first came to MIT in 1992 to work in the Alumni Association with the students and parents programs. She left the Institute to become a capital gifts officer at College of the Holy Cross in 2000 and later became the annual fund director at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 2002-2005. When she returned to MIT in 2005, she assumed a new position in the annual fund, director of leadership gifts. In this position, Lee successfully inaugurated the William Barton Rogers Society, which recognizes annual giving to MIT at the $1000+ level.
Lee, who has studied psychology and human development views fundraising as a relationship business. "Fundraising is taking one person’s financial resources and passion and matching it to another’s need. I view myself as the broker," she says.
As the interim fund co-director, she saw that most alumni have multiple interests in MIT. One important facet of her new role is continuing to build strong relationships across the Institute so she can connect alumni to diverse areas of interest.
Judy Cole, executive vice president and CEO of the Alumni Association said, "I am confident that the fund is in good hands with Theresa’s experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and volunteer management."
By Maggy Bruzelius
Published October 16, 2009
