Selection of Maher Salah as Vice President for Advancement - Aug. 31, 2023

Dear EMU colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the hiring of Maher Salah as the University's Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the EMU Foundation. Maher will begin work on Monday, October 2, but will be on campus to meet employees and students periodically over the coming weeks.

Maher comes to EMU after a progressively expanding and successful career in fundraising at the University of Michigan. He is currently UM’s Senior Executive Director of Development for University Initiatives and Campaign Strategy, in the Office of University Development. Maher’s prior work has included leading fundraising and alumni initiatives for UM’s Cancer Center and Law School, as well as overseeing student-athlete development programs in Michigan Athletics.

Maher earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from UM and he lives in Washtenaw County.

In this role, Maher will oversee EMU’s fundraising efforts, alumni engagement, and the compliance work related to the EMU Foundation. He will serve on the President’s Executive Council. Maher joins EMU at an exciting time as we seek to build on our successful completion of the GiveRise Campaign.

Maher succeeds Bill Shepard, who held the role from 2017 until earlier this year, when he returned to Ohio to lead advancement efforts at his alma mater, Wright State University.

I want to acknowledge the fine work of Vice President for Communications Walter Kraft who stepped in after Bill's departure from EMU. Walter’s leadership of the advancement team over the past several months was highlighted by the successful close of the fundraising year (our second highest total in University history), as well as the highly successful celebration marking the close of the Give Rise campaign.

I wish to offer my special thanks to the search committee that coordinated this process: Leigh Greden, Chief of Staff, who chaired the search committee; Trudy Adler, immediate past President of the EMU Alumni Association Board of Directors; Molly Motherwell, General Manager of WEMU; Dara Munson, immediate past Chair of the EMU Foundation Board of Trustees; Linda Pritchard, Professor Emerita of History and Women’s and Gender Studies and a member of EMU Women in Philanthropy; Mohamad Qatu, Dean of the GameAbove College of Engineering & Technology; Vicki Reaume, Vice President & Secretary to the Board of Regents; Scott Wetherbee, Vice President & Director of Intercollegiate Athletics; and Laura Wilbanks, Chief Financial Officer of the EMU Foundation. The Search Committee was assisted by Boyden, a search firm that facilitated a nationwide search, and William Pollard in the President’s Office.

Please join me in welcoming Maher to EMU in the coming weeks.