Allison Dolan-Wilson, NECC’s new VP of Institutional Advancement

A Lowell native with two decades of experience in higher education marketing, fundraising, and alumni relations has been selected as the new vice president of institutional advancement at Northern Essex Community College with campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA.

Allison Dolan-Wilson was most recently executive director of alumni relations for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she managed a team of 31 and an operating budget of $1.36 million.

At Northern Essex, she will oversee fundraising, marketing and communications, and workforce development and corporate relations, beginning July 1 of this year.

“Allison has a phenomenal skill set, and will be a great addition to our leadership team,” said Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex. “Most importantly, through her work with public colleges in California and the experiences of her family, many of whom attended Northern Essex and other local community colleges, Allison understands the community college mission and is passionate about what we do.”

Since 2014, Dolan-Wilson has overseen MIT’s alumni relations programs, including reunions and other events, alumni travel and education, and the parents association.  While at MIT, she created an alumni career services program that increased alumni engagement in key demographics and a graduate alumni council.

For two years, from 2016 to 2018, she served as interim executive director of the MIT annual fund, in addition to her alumni relations responsibilities.  During that time, she oversaw the first giving day program at MIT, the MIT 24-hour Challenge, which raised $3.14 million from 8,673 donors.

From 2008 to 2014, Dolan-Wilson was working in advancement at the University of California Irvine.  She was hired as associate executive director, development and alumni relations, and when she left, she was interim assistant vice chancellor, alumni relations, with responsibility for leading fundraising campaigns, raising sponsorship money, and alumni and student relationship programs.

She began her higher education career at San Diego State University (SDSU), and was there for six years, most recently as director of external relations, overseeing special projects and programs, marketing, communications, special events, advocacy and campus and community relations.

“I’m beyond excited to be joining the Northern Essex team and to get to work with our Merrimack Valley partners to help give our students the best possible experience they can have. Northern Essex is so important to the lives of not only the students, but the community it serves – and I am proud to be a part of something that has such a deep and direct impact,” said Dolan-Wilson.

Dolan-Wilson is a graduate of Emerson College, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Speech—Public Relations and Advertising, and SDSU, where she earned a Master’s of Business Administration with a marketing specialization.

She is replacing Jean Poth, the college’s longtime vice president of institutional advancement, who retired from the college, effective July 1 of this year.  Dolan-Wilson will also assume responsibility for corporate and community education, an area that was previously managed by George Moriarty, the college’s executive director of workforce development and corporate relations, who also recently retired.

Dolan-Wilson can be reached at adolanwilson@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3624.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, close to 8,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.