Fordham University has appointed Michael Griffin to the position of assistant vice president for alumni relations, effective April 16. Griffin replaces Daniel Gatti, S.J. (FCRH ’65, GSE ’66), who has served as interim director for alumni relations since July. Father Gatti will resume his role as alumni chaplain.
“Michael was chosen from a field of extraordinary candidates,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “I am delighted to say that he understands the Jesuit mission inside and out, and comes to Fordham with a strong desire to further that mission. Given his proven ability to connect with alumni and colleagues, and his track record of conspicuous achievement in the field, I have the utmost confidence that he will do much to advance the University’s interests, and to further tighten the bonds between Fordham and its extended family.”
Griffin comes to Fordham after working for more than 15 years at Columbia University, most recently as executive director for alumni relations. In this role, he led a number of university-wide initiatives which served all 16 schools and 300,000 alumni around the world.
A seasoned alumni relations professional and strategist, Griffin directed a large percentage of the overall alumni relations effort at Columbia including outreach to a network of 81 clubs worldwide, arts programming in New York City, the alumni center, and alumni affinity products. He also was instrumental in the development and launch of Columbia’s first university-wide on-line alumni community.
“In Michael I believe we have found the perfect fit for taking our program to the next level,” said Roger A. Milici Jr., vice president for development and University relations. “He is widely respected in the field and within the Columbia University community, and he brings extraordinary leadership abilities and organizational skills to an upgraded position. Previously, the staff leader of the alumni relations program was at the director level. We expect Michael to play a major role in elevating Fordham’s alumni services and activities in New York City and around the globe, and in transforming our program into a model one.”
Griffin began his term at Columbia as assistant director of athletics, a role in which he spent eight years before transitioning to alumni relations. His zeal for athletics began well before he arrived at Columbia, though. The son of a football coach, Griffin was an accomplished scholar-athlete at the University of Rhode Island and won multiple awards while a starter on the football team.
Prior to his employment at Columbia, Griffin worked in marketing at Burlington Industries in New York City and Dallas.
He earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in business management from the University of Rhode Island and a graduate certificate in sports marketing from New York University.
