Marin Amundson-Graham Named Knox College Vice President for Advancement

Knox College announced today that Marin Amundson-Graham will join the Knox community as vice president for Advancement on November 17, 2025. Amundson-Graham comes to Knox from Northfield Mount Hermon, a private boarding and day school in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, where she has served as senior director of advancement since 2022.

Amundson-Graham is a seasoned advancement leader with nearly two decades of experience at distinguished liberal arts institutions, including leadership roles at Amherst, Macalester, and Carleton Colleges, where she helped advance transformative campaigns that strengthened academic programs, expanded scholarship support, and deepened constituent connection and pride. She brings a strong record of success in fundraising, alumni engagement, campaign leadership, and team development. During her time at Northfield Mount Hermon, she helped to lead This Place, This Moment, a bold and community-centered campaign focused on access, inclusion, and educational opportunity.  

A native of Minnesota, Amundson-Graham earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in English and Religious studies from St. Olaf College, during which time she also studied at the University of Oxford and the University of Oslo. She later completed her teacher licensure in secondary English education at the University of St. Thomas.

“Throughout Marin’s 18-year career in advancement, she has been a strategic and results-driven fundraiser, leading teams to align advancement strategies with mission and priorities. Her extensive expertise in the infrastructure and systems that drive successful fundraising, engagement, and communication efforts impressed both me and the search committee, as did her experience of some of the strongest fundraising shops among liberal arts colleges,” said President C. Andrew McGadney. “Add her passion for a liberal arts education and true love of the Midwest, and Marin was a natural fit to lead the Office of Advancement in their work to build an even stronger Advancement operation.”

In her role at Knox, Amundson-Graham will oversee and manage the College’s advancement operation, including annual and campaign fundraising; major and planned gifts; gift stewardship; alumni, parent, and donor relations, and special events. She will work in close partnership with Senior Staff colleagues to meet Knox's strategic priorities and secure a successful close to the $175 million Venture Boldly comprehensive campaign.

“Education has the power to change the course of a life,” she shared. “I’m honored to join Knox at such an exciting moment and to help advance its vision of access, equity, and excellence.”

She will be joined by her husband, Dana Graham, and their dog, Hadley, in Galesburg. They have three grown sons, Luke, Collin, and Scott. 

C.V. O’Boyle search partnered with an internal search committee made up of trustees, faculty, student, and staff members to hire this vital member of the College’s senior leadership team.