Aliya Bailey named director of development for WCU College of Health, Human Sciences
Health and Human Sciences Building
By Bill Studenc
Aliya D. Bailey, former assistant director of annual giving at the Fordham University School of Law, has been named director of development for Western Carolina University’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
The appointment of Bailey, who currently serves as an assistant development coordinator in WCU’s Division of Advancement, is effective Jan. 1, said Ben Pendry, vice chancellor for advancement.
“This search process brought forward multiple candidates, and I feel so fortunate that WCU's College of Health and Human Sciences will have someone of Aliya's caliber leading development efforts,” Pendry said. “I am confident that Aliya will be an incredible leader for the college and its dean, Lori Anderson, in cultivating the philanthropic support and external partnerships necessary to prepare the growing number of health care professionals needed to serve our region.”
Aliya Bailey
Bailey, who has nearly eight years of experience as a fundraising specialist, succeeds former College of Health and Human Sciences development director Kathleen de la Torre, promoted earlier this month to the role of assistant vice chancellor for development.
“Kathleen was instrumental in networking with existing donors and cultivating new relationships, shepherding multiple philanthropic gifts for the college and working with me as dean to finalize and launch the college’s advisory board,” Anderson said. “I am delighted that Aliya has been named the director of development for the college, and I look forward to working with her. Her experience and enthusiasm as she begins will continue the momentum and trajectory the college is on.”
Reporting to Ben Kees, WCU’s senior director of development, Bailey will serve as the principal development office contact for the College of Health and Human Sciences and will be responsible for the qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies for an assigned group of prospects – including individuals, corporations and foundations – with a focus on major gift activity for donations at $25,000 and above. She also will be responsible for the identification and qualification of new prospects, and the management and implementation of assigned fundraising projects and achieving the goals of WCU’s comprehensive “Fill the Western Sky” fundraising campaign.
As assistant development coordinator for WCU’s Division of Advancement, Bailey manages a portfolio of annual giving donors and conducts outreach to lapsed donors, with a focus on athletics programs and facilities and other goals of the “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign.
In her former role as assistant director of annual giving at the Fordham law school, she managed a portfolio of midlevel and major donors and alumni, and she cultivated individual donations and collaborated with the entire fundraising team to retain and increase giving.
Bailey also has served as development manager and executive assistant to the executive director of the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, New York, with responsibility for managing the organization’s annual fund and coordinating its grants program. She previously was a development associate for De LaSalle Academy in New York City and development and marketing consultant for West End Residences, also in New York.
She earned her bachelor's degree in American studies from Smith College in 2019.
“I am excited about the opportunity to serve as director of development for the College of Health and Human Sciences,” Bailey said. “This role will allow me to reengage and channel the best of my fundraising skills in support of the college’s students, faculty and academic programs toward fulfilling its critical mission of providing Western North Carolina’s future health care professionals.”
Bailey’s appointment comes as WCU nears the public launch of its “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise support for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs. For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit WesternSky.wcu.edu, call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.
