Lauren Villanueva

Lauren Villanueva

Vice President, Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving
Syracuse University
Speaker

Bio

As Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at Syracuse University, Lauren directs a comprehensive programming, volunteer, annual giving, and communications strategy designed to deepen meaningful engagement among Syracuse University’s 300,000+ alumni worldwide. She collaborates with the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board of Directors, campus stakeholders, and volunteer leaders to support philanthropic and engagement priorities associated with the Forever Orange campaign. 

Prior to joining the Syracuse University team in July 2022, Lauren was Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of the Alumni Board of Governors at Drexel University in Philadelphia. In this role, she developed the strategy to guide programs, volunteer engagement, and data management in the context of the university’s recently concluded $750 million campaign, The Future Is a Place We Make. 

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications, a Master of Science in higher education administration and organizational management, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership and management, from Drexel University. Her research interests center on talent management and gender in higher education institutional advancement. She has also served as an adjunct instructor for Drexel’s School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences and has presented on numerous topics for CASE and Academic Impressions.