Announcement by Laura Lawson, executive dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
Dear SEBS and NJAES community,
I am delighted to share the news that Gabrielle Peterson has been appointed our new SEBS/NJAES Senior Director of Development, effective October 17.
As the chief development officer for SEBS and NJAES, Gabrielle will take the lead in harnessing the school’s and experiment station’s fundraising momentum and lifting it to new levels of success through meaningful engagement and partnership opportunities with both existing and new supporters. As Senior Director, she will also be charged with advancing the translational research and extension activities of NJAES, which hosts a robust program of applied research and outreach at laboratories, farms, business incubators, and marine stations throughout the state.
Gabrielle joined Rutgers as Director of Development, School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) in 2019. In that role, she has helped the unit raise near record highs year-after-year, helped secure the school’s largest endowed scholarship, secured funding for the school’s first endowed Book Prize, and collaboratively secured a $1.3M bequest to support SMLR students through Scarlet Promise Grants.
Prior to her time at SMLR, Gabrielle was the Director of Major Gifts for Make-A-Wish New Jersey, one of the top performing chapters in the country. In this role, she was involved in every aspect of fundraising, which included managing national and local corporate accounts and campaigns, overseeing prospect research for the entire development team, and leading the direct mail program for the NJ chapter. Before her tenure at Make-A-Wish, she was a member of the Major Gifts team at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Gabrielle holds a Certified Fundraising Executive Certificate as well as the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy Certificate in Fund Raising Management. She received a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in Art History and Design from Pratt Institute.
We are very excited to have Gabrielle join our community. Please join us in congratulating Gabrielle on her new role!
