Trinity College Announces New Senior Hires in Advancement

Ben Anderson, vice president for advancement, said that both Williams and Brown quickly emerged as leading candidates in highly competitive national searches for their roles.  

“Emily and Natasha bring to Trinity a wealth of skills and experience, coupled with a deep appreciation for the liberal arts, that will help expand upon the depth and breadth of alumni engagement opportunities and contribute to elevating a culture of philanthropy in support of the College’s mission and aspirations,” Anderson said. 

Williams comes to Trinity from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she serves as the director of career and alumni engagement. “Emily brings a remarkable track record of building teams and developing innovative programs, complemented by her extensive experience working with volunteers,” said Anderson. “Her data-driven approach paired with understanding what makes the Trinity community special made her the ideal choice to lead our engagement efforts.”   

Williams will join the Trinity community in early January 2026. 

Prior to Harvard, Williams served at several other Boston-area institutions, including Bentley University, where she led the university’s alumni and family engagement program, establishing ways to connect with the university that led to record alumni giving participation levels, and MIT Sloan School of Management, where she helped advance the school’s alumni and student engagement programs while working closely with the Alumni Board.  

A graduate of Union College, with an M.A. from Lesley University, Williams is actively involved in professional organizations, including Women in Development of Greater Boston and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She also serves as the president of the Alumni Council for St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and is a longtime annual fund volunteer for Union College.   

Brown joined the Trinity community in December as senior philanthropic advisor and will focus her efforts on building relationships with alumni and parents to elevate their sights as the College builds a culture of transformational giving. 

Throughout her career, Brown has successfully developed strategies to secure transformative gifts and has built principal gift programs. Brown comes to Trinity from Colgate University, where she served as the associate vice president and director of principal gifts, playing a key leadership role in the development and execution of its $1 billion campaign and working closely with the vice president of advancement and the president to advance key relationships with the university. 

“We are truly fortunate to welcome Natasha Brown to Trinity. The depth of experience she brings, particularly in securing transformative gifts and collaborating with college leadership, will be instrumental as we prepare for our next campaign. Her diversity of experience will bring a fresh perspective to Trinity’s Advancement efforts broadly,” said Anderson. 

Prior to Colgate, Brown served in progressive roles at several other prestigious New York institutions, including The Chapin School, Vassar College, The Culinary Institute of America, and Bard College.  

Brown earned a B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke College and an M.A. in history from Binghamton University and is an active member of the Globetrotters and Principal Gifts Fundraising groups.