College welcomes new director of Development and Alumni Relations

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After a national search, Steve Wilson has been named the new director of Development and Alumni Relations for the College of Education. Wilson comes to the College of Education from the College of Arts and Architecture, where he served as director of major gifts since 2017. In that role, he worked on collaborative gifts, including gifts that benefited the College of Education.

“Education is the most powerful tool by which to positively affect people’s lives and society at large. The chance to serve and support the students, faculty and staff devoted to training the next generation of educators is an opportunity I wholeheartedly embrace,” said Wilson, who begins his new role on Dec. 9.

“We are very excited to bring Steve’s diverse and progressively successful development experience and strong track record of proven fundraising success to the college,” said Dean Kimberly Lawless. “Steve is eager to lead a high-performing team and to sustain their impressive performance in the future.”

As director, Wilson will guide and oversee all Development and Alumni Relations activities for the College of Education, collaborating with the college’s leadership and volunteers to define fundraising priorities that are consistent with the college and University priorities.

Wilson earned his master of fine arts degree in acting from Penn State. A former professional actor, he appeared in numerous Broadway, national tour, regional and stock productions around the United States before retiring from show business in 2010.

Wilson came to Penn State from his undergraduate alma mater, Miami University (Ohio).