Chief Advancement Officer and Senior Vice President Matt Ter Molen announced today the appointment of Rachel Vassel ’91 as the new assistant vice president of program development in the Division of Advancement and External Affairs (AEA). Vassel begins in her new role on Oct. 24.
Rachel Vassel
Vassel, who currently serves as nationwide director of multicultural marketing for the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta, will oversee the alumni advancement team that engages with African American and Latino alumni, donors, parents and current students. She will play a critical role in the next stage of growth for the Office of Program Development as the University plans for its upcoming fundraising efforts and the implementation of the Academic Strategic Plan.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Rachel back to the University in this leadership role,” Ter Molen says. “Her outstanding experience and achievements in fundraising, marketing, management and engagement make her an ideal fit for this position. She understands the need to connect with our diverse alumni and will provide strategic direction in this challenging time for all of higher education.”
Vassel will lead the Office of Program Development and be a member of Ter Molen’s senior team in AEA. She will work closely with colleagues in advancement and in partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement and the Syracuse University Alumni Association Board for collective outreach efforts to help grow alumni participation and create programming that builds on the successes of such programs as Our Time Has Come scholarships and the Coming Back Together reunion events. She will also be engaged with offices across campus, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which works together with the Office of Program Development on joint alumni events.
Vassel says she looks forward to returning to campus to support the University’s outreach efforts with alumni. “This is an amazing time to be at the University as it implements the Academic Strategic Plan, along with the Campus Framework, to strengthen the University and its standing as a great institution of academic and research excellence,” Vassel says. “I am honored to help lead efforts to engage with our African American and Latino alumni and connect them back to the University, as together we create opportunities to support students of color.”
In her position at the ACS, Vassel leads the marketing strategy and execution of advertising programs designed to engage multicultural communities and targeted consumer segments; develops business strategies that leverage multicultural outreach to grow brand loyalty; and directly supports strategic priorities of the ACS. She had also served in the roles of nationwide director of omni-channel planning and senior director of partner relationships at ACS.
Prior to her time at the ACS, Vassel was director of 360 Consumer Marketing for the Cartoon Network within the Turner Broadcasting Systems, responsible for leading a brand team that created and executed the strategic marketing plans for six network series.
Vassel graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in marketing and public relations from the Whitman School of Management and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is currently an adjunct professor with the Communications@Syracuse online master’s degree program through the Newhouse School and is president of the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Atlanta.
