Dean Kay Appoints New Advancement Leader
USC Dornsife Dean Steve Kay has announced the appointment of Neil Macready as senior associate dean for advancement. Macready will begin his new leadership role on Dec. 10.
USC is in the midst of the most ambitious fundraising effort in the university’s history — a multi-year effort to secure $6 billion as part of The Campaign for the University of Southern California — and Macready will play a key role in helping to launch USC Dornsife’s $750 million initiative this spring.
Macready will develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive fundraising program for USC Dornsife that will generate support for faculty and research endowments, student scholarships, academic priorities and capital projects.
“With more than 30 departments and programs, and dozens of research centers and institutes, USC Dornsife requires a broad range of fundraising skills and experience,” Kay said. “As a USC Dornsife alumnus and a 27-year advancement professional, I believe Neil is perfectly suited to lead our Office of Advancement toward exciting new heights.”
Macready will lead the senior management team of USC Dornsife advancement, overseeing all directors of development and major gifts, corporate, foundation and federal relations, and constituent relations. He will have a primary responsibility for maintaining and continuously working to enhance the individual major gift prospect pool, and will also actively cultivate and solicit these prospects for significant gifts to the university. In addition, he will serve as a senior member of University Advancement in advising the president, provost and senior vice president for university advancement regarding the effectiveness and appropriateness of individual and aggregate college fundraising planning, goal setting and progress.
“Neil is a very talented and experienced advancement professional,” said Al Checcio, senior vice president for University Advancement. “We look forward to his leadership of the USC Dornsife advancement program and to his contributions to USC’s overall fundraising efforts.”
Macready is currently vice president for university relations at the University of Redlands, where he oversees development, alumni relations, data management and the KUOR public radio station. He was promoted to this position after assembling and leading the university’s development team through the successful completion of Redlands’ $100 million Centennial Campaign as associate vice president for development.
He joined Redlands after serving in similar positions at USC for a total of nine years, including director of development in USC Dornsife from 1995–99, where he assisted in the establishment of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and USC Dornsife Board of Councilors.
“It is such an honor to be asked to return to USC and work with Dean Kay and a talented advancement team to move forward USC Dornsife’s mission,” Macready said. “The energy and excitement within USC Dornsife, and throughout the entire university, has never been higher.”
Macready holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and geography from USC Dornsife and a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. As a walk-on athlete at USC, he was elected captain of the men’s swim team his senior year and was a world-ranked swimmer in 1980.
An active member of his community, Macready has coached youth baseball, served as president for Redlands Swim Team and the Boys & Girls Club of Redlands, been a Sunday school teacher at the First Congregational Church, and currently serves as a parent leader in a local troop of Boy Scouts of America.
Beyond the local community, he currently serves on the executive board of the Swim With Mike Physically Challenged Athletes Fund and has previously served on the board of directors for CASE District VII, and Southern California Swimming.
Macready and his wife, Anita West, have two children: a daughter Margo, currently a sophomore at the University of Redlands, and a son Shea who is a sophomore in high school.