St John’s College has named Glen Whitehead, Director of Development and Alumni Engagement at Durham University, as its next Development Director.
Glen will take up the post in November, bringing with him more than two decades of experience leading high-performing development offices across the higher education and charity sectors.
Glen is currently Director of Development and Alumni Engagement at Durham University. His work has included designing and delivering the University’s bicentenary campaign strategy, and managing a global network of alumni associations with significant international engagement across the US, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Heather Hancock, Master of St John’s, said: “I’m delighted that Glen Whitehead will be joining St John’s as our new Development Director at the end of the year. He brings with him a distinguished track record in fundraising across Cambridge and the wider Russell Group.
“We look forward to Glen building on our strong tradition of philanthropic generosity and working closely with our exceptional alumni community to ensure that financial barriers never stand in the way of the brightest minds studying and flourishing here at St John’s.”
Prior to his time at Durham, Glen spent nine years working in Development and Alumni Relations across the University of Cambridge. As Director of Development for University Strategic Initiatives, he was part of the leadership team behind Cambridge’s £2 billion fundraising campaign. Earlier in his Cambridge career, Glen served as Senior Associate Director for Physical Sciences, where he helped secure major gifts and co-led the landmark £85 million Dolby family donation to the Department of Physics. He previously held fundraising roles at Shelter and the National Foundation for Youth Music.
Glen has an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from Bayes Business School, City University of London, and a BA (Hons) from the University of Surrey, where he studied French with English Language and Linguistics, including a period of study at The Sorbonne University in Paris.
Glen said: “I am thrilled, and honoured, to have been appointed Development Director at St John’s. Its community of students, scholars, academics and alumni achieve globally leading impact across diverse domains. I greatly look forward to joining this community and taking forward the College’s aspirations for the future.”
Glen will succeed Stephen Teal, who is retiring at the end of the year after nearly two decades in the role.
During his tenure, Stephen has delivered exceptional results in philanthropic fundraising. Thanks to the generosity of Johnians and other supporters, more than £100 million has been added to the College endowment under his leadership. These gifts have funded scholarships and bursaries, endowed academic posts, and enabled the restoration and construction of College buildings.
