Kaye Rowan

Kaye Rowan is the Senior Director of Development at the University of Arizona, Wyant College of Optical Sciences. Arriving to UArizona in 2011, she holds a pivotal role in determining and implementing fundraising strategies to generate revenue that will further strengthen the growth at Wyant College. Working closely with the University and College’s leadership, Kaye heads a successful program that secures both private and corporate financial gifts supporting priorities like student scholarships, faculty endowments and the advancement of academic programs such as instructional lab upgrades. A highlight to her career at the College was a $20 million gift announced in 2019 to support endowed chairs in optical sciences. This gift, combined with the donor’s previous gifts totaling $32 million, supported the University’s decision to rename the college to honor this donor, Dr. James C. Wyant. Prior to UArizona, Kaye served in a similar university development role at the University of Akron, College of Engineering. Her resume also includes a rather lengthy career in media and public relations, working as a key spokesperson for U.S. companies like Sea World and HomFed Bank, Corp., both headquartered (at that time) in San Diego, CA. Her professional experiences in writing, public speaking and fundraising - combined with exceptional networking skills - are areas that Kaye hopes will be of value to students who wish to determine experiences and skills that will be necessary for their own careers.

Top Mentoring Goals:

• Help mentees develop professional and life skills
• Help mentees grow their professional networks by making connections to others in my field
• Help mentees improve their networking skills for the future