After a national search, Wellesley selected Crystal Daugherty to join the College as vice president for development. She took up her new role on April 24. Daugherty will serve as lead fundraiser, with responsibility for all development efforts. “As a senior officer of the College, Crystal will be a strategic partner and contributor to developing and achieving institutional priorities,” said President Paula Johnson.

In announcing the appointment to the community, Johnson said, “I’d also like to express my deep appreciation to Marisa Jaffe [’95] for her strong leadership and to the entire development team for their outstanding efforts during the interim period.”

Daugherty, who holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.B.A. from Simmons University, has more than 25 years of fundraising experience in both higher education and nonprofits. She began her development career leading fundraising in small social-advocacy organizations before moving into foundation relations at MIT, and then she went on to Year Up in Boston, where she led major gifts, the annual fund, foundation relations, events, communications, volunteer management, and database management. Most recently, Daugherty worked at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the assistant vice chancellor for principal gifts and the director of its upcoming capital campaign, now in its quiet phase.

In her free time, Daugherty enjoys skiing and hiking. She lives on a small hobby farm in Amesbury, Mass., with her wife, their two college-aged sons, three dogs, 10 chickens, and over 30,000 honey bees.