Nguyen is a seasoned development and advancement professional with 22 years of experience in higher education.
June 11, 2024
Press Release
PORTLAND, OR — Reed College is pleased to announce the appointment of Hieu T. Nguyen as its Vice President for Advancement and College Relations beginning July 1, 2024.
Nguyen is a seasoned development and advancement professional whose 22-year career in higher education has included service to renowned institutions, including Bates College, Bowdoin College, Middlebury College and the University of California, Riverside. Nguyen is currently the Vice President for Advancement at Harvey Mudd College.
“Hieu Nguyen will bring years of experience to Reed to build on the college’s strong position. He will engage in new ways to ensure Reed continues to grow as one of the most multiracial, multicultural, intellectually serious colleges in the world that is accessible to students regardless of their financial background,” Reed College President Audrey Bilger said. “I am delighted to welcome Hieu to campus and look forward to working with him.”
Nguyen will report to Bilger as one of Reed’s five vice presidents. Nguyen will lead teams overseeing advancement, alumni relations, the Center for Life Beyond Reed, college relations information systems and communications.
“Hieu brings with him the ability to lead teams, to work collaboratively, and to build lasting relationships with alumni and friends of Reed,” Reed College Board of Trustees incoming Chair Deborah Kamali said. “I know he will continue the great work already happening at Reed and will assist the college in making an even bigger impact on the world.”
Nguyen is excited to take on this new role and support the strategic initiatives of Reed College.
“I am honored to join President Bilger and her leadership team during this momentous period at Reed College,” Nguyen said. “The value of what a true liberal arts education means and the transformative power that it can have on humanity is at the core of the Reed undergraduate experience. I am excited to join the college during an exciting time to further engage, activate and extend Reed’s impact on society with its talented students, dedicated alumni, impressive faculty, skilled staff and supportive families.”
Versed in different aspects of institutional advancement, Nguyen has achieved success in many areas of fundraising and engagement over the span of his professional career in higher education. He has a proven track record as a strategic leader and is adept at building innovative, productive and high-functioning teams for the organizations that he has served.
Nguyen’s campaign experience includes strategic planning and funding for targeted initiatives such as capital and academic projects (from $5 million to $50 million), as well as the launching of comprehensive campus-wide endeavors (at the $300 million to $500 million levels).
During his time at UC Riverside, Nguyen led a staff of 53 and a goal-breaking $313 million comprehensive campaign, the first and largest in the university's history that increased funding for student success and faculty research and more than doubled the value of the endowment and the number of endowed chairs. At Harvey Mudd, he oversaw a growing team of 40 professionals and played a leadership role in the strategy and fundraising for the Hixon Center for Climate and the Environment, an interdisciplinary and impact-based curricular initiative that has raised, to date, more than $20 million toward multidisciplinary support for the academic ecosystem at Harvey Mudd.
Prior to joining academia in 2002, Nguyen worked in industry for startup ventures with Qualcomm, Inc. in San Diego, Calif., and Burlee.com in Burlington, Vt.
Hieu and his wife of 25 years, Shannon, have two college-age children, Sydney and Holden, and currently reside in Solana Beach, Calif., with their beloved 13-year-old pitbull-labrador mix, Star.
Nguyen will take on the role held by Hugh Porter for the past 26 years. Porter will depart Reed College on June 30. Porter's leadership has led to significant advancements in the breadth and depth of the academic program, substantial increases in financial aid for students and important funding for changes to the built environment.
For more information, contact:
Sheena McFarland, Executive Director of Public Affairs & Communications
Reed College
smcfarland@reed.edu; cell 801-510-5567
About Reed College
Founded in 1908 in southeast Portland, Oregon, Reed College is a coeducational, independent liberal arts and sciences college. Referred to as one of the most intellectual colleges in the country, Reed is known for its high standards of scholarly practice, creative thinking, and engaged citizenship.
Reed College is devoted to the intrinsic value of intellectual pursuit and is governed by the highest standards of scholarly practice, critical thought, and creativity. Its undergraduate program of study, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, is demanding and intense and balances breadth of knowledge across the curriculum with depth of knowledge in a particular field of study. The goal of a Reed education is that students learn and demonstrate rigor and independence in their habits of thought, inquiry, and expression.