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Matthew M. Winston Jr. joined ��ñ�� in May as executive director for alumni engagement and serves as the University’s chief alumni engagement officer, providing leadership to the alumni office team.

Winston is founder and principal of The Winston Advisory Pack consulting firm, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion strategies for institutional advancement organizations. He previously served as the senior associate vice president for alumni relations at Virginia Tech. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as assistant to the president at the University of Georgia, where he also was acting director of the Office of Institutional Diversity.

Q: What attracted you to ���

A: I’ve lived my entire career in small college towns — impactful universities nestled in the heart of small communities in beautiful parts of the country. ��ñ�� fits that description.

More importantly, it hasn’t taken me long to see that ��ñ��’s alumni are strong, successful and committed to the successes of the institution and to each other. I want to be a part of building onto that type of community where people are increasingly engaged with this place, and this place is engaged in their lives. ��ñ�� gives me an opportunity to do just that.

Q: What is your vision for alumni engagement at ���

A: Connecting with former students at a university like this one requires a holistic understanding and appreciation for how alumni want to engage. It’s not just about writing a check or attending a reunion event. I want to see alumni give their time, talent, treasure and/or testimony in ways that are beneficial to both the alum and the University. I want everyone with a ��ñ�� degree to feel connected in their own way to their beloved alma mater.

Q: How does ��ñ�� create a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming alumni community?

A: The main thing to consider is that ��ñ��’s alumni population gets younger and more diverse with every graduating class, because the incoming students increasingly hail from a plethora of backgrounds, races, experiences and differences. Many students form affinity bonds around those similarities and differences as part of their student experience. It will take us being very intentional about building programs and activities that recognize and celebrate those experiences, all while emphasizing that we are all one ��ñ��.

That may mean having new and different types of events and celebrating a new crop and generation of alumni who heretofore may have felt invisible or marginalized. Whatever we do as an institution, we will be very deliberate and will do it all together.

Q: Why should alumni be engaged with ���

A: The true measure of success of any college or university is the success and ongoing engagement of its alumni. When people think about schools they admire, most likely they are thinking about the people who have degrees from there.

��ñ�� is no different. Countless alumni are doing amazing things in every field of endeavor, making an impact in their workplaces and their communities. Some are famous, while others don’t need to be. The collective reputation of the school rests not just on their shoulders as they represent their alma mater, but also in their contributions back.

Advice to alumni

“If you have pride in your school, then continue to play a role in ��ñ��’s upward trajectory. ... Every effort, large or small, counts. Your connection to this University will be as fulfilling as anything in your life if you let it. I am honored and excited that I get to play a part in it all.”