Sterling College has announced the appointment of Christopher W Bordeau as the new director of advancement & alumni relations. With eight years in higher education development, Bordeau will lead the recently announced $9 million comprehensive campaign “Nourish the Roots: The Campaign for Sterling,” the largest campaign in the College’s history.
“We look forward to the leadership that Topher will bring to our fundraising effort. He comes to Sterling College with a successful background in fundraising that will help him secure strategic philanthropic support,” said Sterling College President Matthew Derr. “He will provide new insight on acquiring transformational support for the critical work of Sterling faculty and graduates, as well as for the education of the next generation of environmental stewards.”
Nourish the Roots is the most ambitious fundraising effort in Sterling College’s 57-year history. As of March 2015, the College has already raised $4.5 million in gifts and commitments toward its $9 million goal. The heart of the campaign is strengthening the College’s abiding commitment to environmental stewardship, through scholarship support for students, endowed support for faculty, and the creation of an energy-efficient campus that relies on renewable sources of energy. The silent phase of the campaign included the largest single donation in Sterling College’s history, a $1 million challenge gift from an anonymous donor, to be matched over the next two years by trustees, alumni, and friends of the College.
As a leader for the College advancement effort, Bordeau will design and implement comprehensive advancement programs including annual fund, corporate and foundation relations, major gifts, planned gifts, endowment, and alumni and parent relations endeavors.
“I am very impressed by Sterling College’s approach to environmental stewardship education and the ways the College prepares students to safeguard the natural world and build a healthier food system,” Bordeau says. “The College is at a seminal moment in its history right now and I look forward to joining the Sterling community during this pivotal time of growth and renewal.”
Prior to joining Sterling College, Bordeau was the Head Coach of Heavyweight Rowing at Dartmouth College, where he oversaw a 500% increase in annual alumni support. He has written for the magazinesMen’s Health, Best Life, and Rowing, and has also served as the Associate Editor for Experience magazine. Bordeau graduated from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in English and completed a post-graduate diploma in Social Studies at Oxford.