Van Natta leaves UW Tacoma with fundraising legacy

Carol Van Natta, who led UW Tacoma's fundraising and external relations operations for six years and managed a campaign that raised more than $40 million, is leaving the university in June to head the Oregon State University Foundation's Portland Center. The university will conduct a national search for her replacement.

Mike Wark, currently the director of Public Relations and Communications, will serve as interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement while a replacement is sought. Van Natta's last day is June 13.

Van Natta led development efforts at UW Tacoma for six years, building a small staff into a 13-person Advancement office that handles the university's fundraising, communications and alumni and community relations functions. She successfully led UW Tacoma's first capital campaign, part of the university-wide, eight-year Campaign UW: Creating Futures, to raise more than $40 million, nearly doubling the original goal of $20.85 million. As part of the campaign, Van Natta guided volunteer fundraising efforts that led to a $15 million contribution from Gary E. Milgard, James A. Milgard and the Milgard Family Foundation to name the university's business program. During her tenure, UW Tacoma raised nearly $2 million for freshman scholarships to help the campus transition into a four-year university and acquired a $3 million endowment to establish the Port of Tacoma Chair.

Chancellor Patricia Spakes praised Van Natta's ability to build community support, which serves as a cornerstone for continued growth at UW Tacoma.

"During Carol's tenure, the community has helped UW Tacoma take tremendous strides in its development," Spakes said. "Carol would be the first to credit her advancement team and community leadership for her successes at UW Tacoma, but I know that without her talents for engaging volunteers, motivating staff and inspiring donors, without her invaluable ability to 'think big' about the future of UW Tacoma, we would not be where we are today on this campus."

Van Natta established UW Tacoma's Alumni Relations office and strengthened the department's Community Relations function. She also led efforts to raise funds for William W. Philip Hall, which is now under construction, the Haley Professorship for the Humanities, the Paulsen Visiting Chair and Lecture Series and more. Under her leadership, UW Tacoma's communications staff earned many awards for their work, including national honors for an integrated marketing and fundraising project for the first freshman class.

Van Natta earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Portland State University and began her career in 1976 as a temporary worker in the UW Seattle stenographer service (now UW Temps) and steadily progressed to positions of increasing responsibility at the UW and other major universities before returning to UW Tacoma in 2002 as Director of Development. She was promoted to Vice Chancellor for Advancement in 2006.