Dear Pitt community,
I am writing today with important news that impacts our philanthropy and alumni relations enterprise, including our over 366,000 supporters and alumni around the world. After more than seven years of service to Pitt, Kris Davitt, our senior vice chancellor for philanthropic and alumni engagement, has informed me of her decision to depart the University of Pittsburgh next month to accept the position of senior vice president for development at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Since 2017, Kris has had an outsized impact on fundraising not only at Pitt but also in her dual role as UPMC’s chief development officer. Among her many accomplishments, she led her team in securing transformational gifts that enabled the naming of the David C. Frederick Honors College, the Bickell ’97 Head Football Coach and the Orland Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center, along with critical support for the Pitt BioForge biomanufacturing facility, which is an important outcome in our strategic plan, the Plan for Pitt 2028. Kris also led a divisional reorganization that saw an increase in new gifts and the number of individual donors, as well as more robust alumni engagement.
I’ve appreciated Kris’ professionalism and partnership, and I, like many across our Pitt community, will miss her dedication, boundless energy, and wonderful sense of humor. We will partner with her to ensure a smooth transition for the Division of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement. Details about the division’s leadership going forward will be forthcoming. As Kris sets to depart on April 18, please join me in extending a grateful university’s appreciation for her service and wishing her all the best in her next adventure.
With warm regards,
Joan Gabel
Chancellor