Louise Sausele Furrow from Azusa Pacific University has been named SPU’s new vice president for university advancement. In a message to SPU faculty and staff, President Dan Martin wrote the following:
I am very pleased to announce that, following an extensive national search, Louise Sausele Furrow has been selected as Seattle Pacific University's vice president for university advancement. She will begin her new role at SPU on October 6, and she will oversee the offices of Alumni, Advancement Services, Annual Giving, and Major Gifts, while partnering with the efforts of the Seattle Pacific Foundation.
Louise joins us from Azusa Pacific University, where she has served in various fundraising capacities since 1999. She is currently the vice president for university advancement at APU and has successfully led the university's fundraising efforts for nearly eight years, always with the goal of achieving industry best practices and results. During her tenure, APU raised an average of more than $10 million annually with a one-year best of nearly $16 million. Beyond success with major gifts, her leadership helped achieve an increase of 42 percent in annual giving in eight years through doubling both the number of donors and the number of gifts.
Prior to her work at APU, Louise held positions in fundraising, community relations, and human relations for various nonprofits, and served as a program manager at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute.
When the profile was written for this position, I knew it would be challenging to find someone who could fill the role in its totality. I am pleased to say that Louise does just that. Not only does she have the requisite experience -- substantiated by significant results -- she also brings a strategic and data-driven approach to her work. She has a great passion for Christian higher education and a strong motivation to utilize the efforts of the university advancement office to fulfill SPU's mission and advance our vision.
"I am convinced that Christian higher education is one of the most strategic investments for impacting the world for Christ," says Louise. "I am thrilled to be joining Seattle Pacific University, where the vision of 'engaging the culture, changing the world' guides the purpose for graduating alumni of competence and character who will lead in many sectors of our society."
I am looking forward to working alongside Louise as we seek to significantly raise the level of our success in fundraising. Her energy, drive, personable nature, and direct experience will be a tremendous asset to SPU.
Beyond fundraising, Louise will bring valuable insights gained through her institution-wide roles, including membership on APU's President's Council, the Administrative Cabinet, Space & Construction Committee, and the Information Technology Executive Group. She also chaired the Task Force on Graduate and Non-traditional Alumni Relations, and served on several other task forces, including the Strategic Planning Task Force. Louise's leadership has been recognized by her peers as she served on the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities' Commission for Chief Institutional Advancement Officers from 2010 to 2014, and chaired the commission for one year.
Louise is a graduate of the University of Tulsa, and her husband, Dr. James Furrow, is the Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary. They have three children, Colin (26), Alexander (22), and Elizabeth (21).
I want to extend my thanks to the firm of Carter Baldwin, which conducted the national search, and to those who engaged in the interview process, including alumnus and consultant Norm Edwards, fundraising consultant Mary Hackett, Board member Kathleen Cummins, members of the Senior Leadership Team, and the directors in university advancement.
Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2014