Office of Heather McCaw, Vice-President Development and Alumni Engagement

Heather McCaw (see bio) is the Vice-President, Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE), a portfolio that came into being in 2008, aligning the development (fundraising) and alumni engagement functions under one umbrella.

DAE champions UBC’s vision and values, and engages alumni and donors in support of the mission of the institution. In September 2022, DAE launched the most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in UBC history. FORWARD, the campaign for UBC, will raise $3 billion and activate the power of our global alumni by doubling alumni engagement with 5 million alumni interactions. The campaign is already benefitting research, teaching, and learning across both campuses in three key areas—advancing healthy lives, creating solutions for the planet, and shaping thriving societies. Donors and alumni are the catalyst making it happen. Together we are shaping a better world.

Our loyal donors and alumni are passionate, articulate ambassadors, ever alert and responsive to humanity’s greatest challenges. With their support, UBC has become one of the world’s 40 top universities, enabling students, faculty, and staff to challenge convention, lead discovery, and explore new ways of learning toward ideas that can change the world.

A model of diversity and unparalleled international engagement, UBC embodies the university of the future. Our thriving partnerships with donors and alumni ignite the imagination with bold possibilities, transforming knowledge into action and innovation into impact.

The benefits alumni bring to UBC are profound as they are amplifying UBC’s impact through their presence in the world.