🔒Long-term UMass Chan chief advancement officer leaves for Holy Cross

Following an 18-year tenure with Worcester’s UMass Chan Medical School, John Hayes has left his position as vice chancellor for advancement to move on to a similar position at the city’s College of the Holy Cross. Hayes will begin his tenure with Holy Cross as its vice president for advancement on Nov. 1, according to a Sept. 22 internal memo sent by UMass Chan Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins. “John, an alumnus of Holy Cross, came to UMass Chan in 2007 from UMass Boston as director of individual giving and earned numerous promotions, culminating in the role of chief advancement officer in 2015. He is a seasoned advancement leader with more than 25 years of experience in higher education fundraising who served UMass Chan with distinction, overseeing record fundraising growth,” Collins wrote. Throughout his past decade as vice chancellor, Hayes managed the medical school’s $279-million Pathways of Promise campaign and its $500-million Advancing Together campaign, aimed at amplifying healthcare education, research, and community-based initiatives, according to a Sept. 22 press release from Holy Cross and UMass Chan’s website. “John Hayes’ wealth of experience, forward-thinking leadership, and deep ties to the Holy Cross community make him the perfect person to lead our advancement office during a time of great change in fundraising and higher education,” Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau said in the release. “I’m confident that John will help build on the progress we’ve made as part of our Aspire strategic plan, as we look towards our next campaign and continue to build a culture of philanthropy with a modern approach to fundraising.” At UMass Chan, Hayes has been replaced on an interim basis by Prescott Stewart, the medical school’s executive director of advancement. “Please join me in thanking both colleagues for their service and wishing John success in this next phase of his career,” Collins wrote. Before joining UMass Chan in his executive capacities in 2015, Stewart worked at Harvard Business School, ending his eight-year tenure at the Boston school as senior director of principal gifts, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he held leading roles at educational institutions, including the University of Hawaii and Salisbury School and Trinity College, both in Connecticut. Both UMass Chan and Holy Cross are among the largest colleges and universities in Central Massachusetts. With 3,126 full-time or full-time equivalent students enrolled in fall 2024, Holy Cross is the fourth largest institution while UMass Chan is the 11th largest with 1,359, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department. Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.