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Wolford chosen to lead School of Engineering development team

February 16, 2024 - by Kim Delker

photo: Mary Wolford
Mary Wolford

Experienced fundraising professional Mary Wolford has been chosen by The University of New Mexico Foundation to lead the School of Engineering fundraising efforts as senior director of development. Her appointment is effective March 4.

Wolford is assuming the position after the departure of Leslie Currie, who joined the School as director of development in 2017 and senior director of development in 2018.

This is the second time that Wolford has been in this role at the School of Engineering. She served as the senior director of development from 2012-2014. In 2014, she joined the College of Education and Human Sciences as senior director of development, where she has been since.

“As I settle into my first full year as dean, I am excited to be working with Mary, who has a wealth of experience in academic fundraising at UNM, including prior experience here in the School of Engineering,” said Donna Riley, Jim and Ellen King Dean of Engineering and Computing. “I look forward to strategizing with Mary and the rest of the UNM Engineering development team to hit the ground running to sustain our incredible momentum of the last several years.”

During her nearly 24 years with the UNM Foundation, Wolford has also been a development associate for major gifts, the manager of fundraising for the Presidential Scholarship Program, and a major gifts officer for the Honors College and other areas. Before joining UNM Foundation, she was stewardship manager at Saint Louis University from 1994 to 2000.

"I am excited to work with Dean Riley, the School’s faculty and staff and UNM Engineering supporters to create meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships,” Wolford said. “The engineering and computer science fields continue to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues, and it will be an honor to support those groundbreaking efforts.”

Wolford, a native of Ohio, earned a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and an MBA from UNM’s Anderson School of Management.

Wolford joins the School of Engineering as it is in the ending phase of the $50 million Our Time fundraising campaign, publicly launched in 2021.

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