LEWISTON — Sarah R. Pearson, a nationally recognized leader in higher education fundraising, has been appointed as Bates College vice president for college advancement. She will oversee Bates fundraising, as well as alumni and parent engagement.

Bates College President A. Clayton Spencer announced the appointment Thursday. Pearson is currently chief development officer of the Broad Institute of Harvard University and MIT, a leading biomedical research institution. She will begin Aug. 27.

Considered among the top U.S. higher education advancement professionals, Pearson is one of 10 leaders featured in “Making the Case for Leadership: Profiles of Chief Advancement Officers in Higher Education,” with a chapter devoted to her as a model “creative strategist.”

Pearson earned a cum laude degree in theater from Bates in 1975, and later worked for a number of leading U.S. universities, including Harvard, Cornell, the University of Chicago and Northwestern, where she served as vice president for alumni relations and development from 2003 through 2010.

“It is a great privilege to be asked to serve the institution I have loved since the day I arrived on campus as a freshman,” Pearson said in a news release. “Bates has shaped my life in fundamental ways, and I now look forward to working with Clayton and the entire college community to help shape its future.”

While at Northwestern University, she managed a team of 175 people. During that seven-year period, total university giving increased from $138 million to $235 million annually, according to information provided by Bates College.

Pearson has served on the Bates Board of Trustees since 2008, resigning her position July 18. As a trustee, Pearson co-chaired the college’s advancement committee and was co-chair of the Bates Fund, charged with overseeing strategic and tactical objectives for the college’s annual giving program.

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