Cynthia Oliver became the director of campus development and alumni relations at Penn State Greater Allegheny effective Nov. 25. Oliver comes to Penn State with approximately 20 years of fund raising and nonprofit administration experience. Most recently she served as director of advancement for Catholic Charities and Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center in Pittsburgh. Last year, under her direction, the Catholic Charities development team raised $3.5 million in annual gift revenues.
Oliver previously served as a development and management consultant, and held several leadership positions in local nonprofits, including executive director of the Westmoreland Girl Scout Council and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Oliver holds a bachelor of arts and a master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and is currently a doctoral candidate in higher education administration at the University of Phoenix. She is a certified fund raising executive (CFRE) and serves on the board of the SWPA Association of Fund Raising Professionals (AFP), the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Eberly College of Business Advisory Board, the Penn State Parent's Council, and has served as a member and former president of Serra Catholic High School Board of Directors.Oliver grew up in White Oak, Pennsylvania, and is a graduate of McKeesport High School. She and her husband John have seven children and reside in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.“We are excited to have Cynthia joining our team at Greater Allegheny,” said Interim Chancellor Nancy L. Herron. “Her experience cultivating and soliciting major donors and her established relationships with the Pittsburgh foundations will help to advance the level of scholarship funds that are made available to our students at the campus.”