March 3, 2006
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Dear President’s Circle Member,  On Tuesday, February 28, I announced to the Knox community
that Brian Williams, vice president for advancement, would be leaving
Knox to become vice president for development for The Children’s Museum
of Indianapolis, effective April 21.
Although all of us will be sorry to see Brian leave Knox, his new
position represents a well deserved endorsement of his ability and
reputation.During his time at Knox, Brian has brought a more systematic and intentional approach to fundraising and to programs for alumni and other constituents. He has built an able, dedicated, and highly motivated staff. He has ushered in a new era in fundraising at Knox. Please join me in thanking Brian for his service to Knox and in wishing Brian and his family well in their new adventure. On Thursday, I announced that Beverly Holmes, associate vice president for advancement, would succeed Brian on April 22. I made this decision after consulting with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees. Brian let me know several months ago that he was seeking another position, as a family motivated move. That gave me time to plan. My experience has been that, in looking outside to fill a position, one learns a candidate’s strengths but rarely learns the candidate’s weaknesses until after they are hired and on board. Trustee Duke Petrovich ’74, whose responsibilities include world-wide human resources for the William Wrigley, Jr. Company, suggests that the best outside search has a 50-50 chance of finding someone who works out. Beverly and I have worked together on fundraising since she joined the College in 2001. She has excellent organization and leadership skills. She has gained the confidence of prospects and donors with whom she worked. The Knox Advancement Staff respects her. Beverly currently manages special gifts, planned giving, and alumni relations. She serves on the Fitness Center & Athletics Initiative Task Force and led the fundraising for the E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center. Before joining Knox, Beverly was director of communications for Lands’ End, where she oversaw media and customer communications and had responsibility for developing relationships with customers and media. Prior to that, she worked in public relations and consumer affairs for Corning Glass and Frito-Lay. She was graduated from Cornell University. Promoting Beverly has the added advantage of allowing fundraising to move forward without missing a beat. She has already started to make plans for her replacement and enhancements to the fundraising program. Please join me in congratulating Beverly, wishing her well, and offering her your support. In other news, Knox has entered into a new partnership with the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. Highly qualified Knox juniors and seniors will now be eligible for the Direct Admission program at the Simon School’s prestigious M.B.A. program. Simon came looking for Knox—and other liberal arts colleges nation-wide. It’s a testament to the quality of a Knox education that our students can gain early access to one of the country’s most prestigious business programs. Veritas!  Roger Taylor '63 President
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