Megan Riebe appointed Acting University of Alaska Foundation President

The Executive Committee of the UA Foundation Board of Directors has appointed Megan Riebe as the acting UA Foundation President effective August 22, 2020, following the retirement of current UA Foundation President Susan Foley.

“We are fortunate to have such a strong and knowledgeable leader already on our team,” Foley said. “I’ve worked closely with Megan and have the highest respect for her vision and passion for higher education in Alaska. I am completely confident in her ability to lead the UA Foundation while an active recruitment of a permanent UA Foundation president continues.”

Riebe has served as UA Foundation Executive Director and Associate Vice President of Development for the University of Alaska System for the past eight years. She has played a key leadership role in foundation operations and system-wide fund development efforts.

Riebe has 27 years of experience in non-profit and higher education management and fund development. Before moving to Alaska, she held leadership roles in development at Gonzaga University and Washington State University, her alma mater, as well, as Director of the Washington State 4-H Foundation. Prior to her higher education experience, she led development efforts for two non-profit organizations engaged in natural resource conservation and economic development work on the Washington State coast, and was a private fundraising consultant to a number of community non-profits.

She earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing from Washington State and has maintained the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation since 2012. She is a long-standing member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and is active in the national philanthropy sector, including as a certified facilitator with the Center for Leadership Philanthropy. She is an active member and has served on the board of the Alaska Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was recognized by this group of peers as Alaska’s Outstanding Professional in Philanthropy in 2017.

“The Foundation is here to help the university create joyful giving opportunities for donors and to prudently steward those gifts,” Riebe said. “We have a highly skilled and dedicated team and I am honored to serve alongside them in this important role.”

The Foundation has retained Association of Governing Boards Search (AGB Search) to conduct a national search for a permanent Foundation president.