Paul Rucker headshot

Paul Rucker

Vice President for Alumni and Stakeholder Engagement at the University of Washington and Executive Director of the UW Alumni Association
University of Washington
Speaker

Bio

Since 2009, Paul has served as senior alumni relations administrator at the University of Washington (UW), one of the world’s leading public research universities with 60,000 students on three campuses, 25,000 faculty and staff and more than 525,000 alumni worldwide.  As vice president for alumni and stakeholder engagement, Paul also serves as executive director of the UW Alumni Association, an independent 130-year non-profit organization committed to advancing higher education in the State of Washington and supporting the UW. Paul is a member of the UW President’s Cabinet and the Executive Team for University Advancement, which administers the institution’s philanthropic, marketing and communications, and engagement programs and services. In 2020, the UW successfully completed Be Boundless — For Washington, for the World, its ambitious $6.3 billion campaign to transform the student experience, drive public good, expand impact and empower innovation.

From 1992 to 2004, Paul served in student affairs and workforce development leadership roles at Washington community and technical colleges, specializing in international education and development programs and services. Paul is the founding director the Washington State Community College Consortium for Study Abroad (WCCCSA), one of the nation’s leading community college study/teach abroad programs. 

Paul is a long-time volunteer for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), having served as a Trustee and member of the Council for US and Canada. Paul has also served on the Board of Directors of the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE).  He is a recipient of the CASE VIII 2020 Distinguished Service Award and is a frequent speaker on the strategic integration of alumni relations in higher education and alumni legislative advocacy program administration.  Paul earned his Master of Public Administration at the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and his undergraduate degree at the UW’s School of Communications.