Chapel Hill, N.C. — UNC School of Law is pleased to announce Deirdre Gordon as its new associate dean for advancement. Gordon will be responsible for meeting the school’s annual and campaign goals and managing a team of 10. She will work with the school’s 11,000 alumni, along with the school’s staff, faculty, and students to ensure that Carolina Law secures the funding needed to support the people and programs necessary to train the next generation of lawyers. Gordon will also manage the boards of the Law Alumni Association and the UNC Law Foundation. She joins Carolina Law on April 1.
“We are delighted to have Deirdre join our experienced advancement team,” says Martin H. Brinkley, dean of UNC School of Law. “Our alumni are an important part of the success of Carolina Law and she has the relationship-building skills that will continue to solidify the bonds we have cultivated with them.”
Gordon has extensive experience in higher education fundraising, with a track record of setting and exceeding ambitious goals in graduate and professional schools. She exercises an entrepreneurial approach to fundraising that is grounded in strong development practices with a focus on opening new avenues of support, discovering new prospects, and moving current donors to higher giving levels.
“I’m thrilled to join Dean Brinkley and the Carolina Law community to help build on the strong tradition of legal education at UNC, and I am honored to serve the people of North Carolina at the state’s great public law school,” says Gordon. “Philanthropic support is increasingly important to fulfilling the mission of Carolina Law, so I am eager to partner with the law school alumni, friends of the school, and a talented advancement team to help the school reach its full potential.”
Gordon has spent her career in philanthropy at Duke University. She worked in a variety of development positions at the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Nicholas School of the Environment and at the Divinity School. Most recently, Gordon worked at Duke Athletics serving as the director of Iron Dukes Development Analytics and Strategy where she was responsible for driving the strategy for principal gift prospects and for soliciting major gifts.
“The search committee found Deirdre’s vision for energizing the culture of philanthropy at Carolina Law compelling,” says Charles Plambeck ’86, co-chair of the search committee. “She demonstrated a clear mastery of both the art and the science of fundraising. Deirdre has the capacity to be a transformative leader, and we are very excited about this next step for the advancement office and for the law school.”
About UNC School of Law
UNC School of Law was founded in 1845, and is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first state-supported university. Carolina Law prepares outstanding lawyers and leaders to serve the people and institutions of North Carolina, the nation and the world. Home to numerous centers and initiatives, the school offers strong expertise in civil rights, banking, environmental law, intellectual property, entrepreneurial and securities law, critical studies, bankruptcy and constitutional inquiry. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1928. For more information, visit www.law.unc.edu. Follow UNC School of Law on Twitter and Facebook.
-March 8, 2017