Bowden
Trishana Bowden will join George Mason University on March 4 as vice president for university advancement and alumni relations and president of the George Mason University Foundation Inc.
She comes to Mason from Goucher College, where she has been vice president of advancement since 2015. Her accomplishments there include diversifying and strengthening Goucher’s donor base and pipeline to build a culture of philanthropy, which led to a doubling of overall giving to the institution in less than three years.
Bowden takes over for Janet Bingham, who will retire later this month. In the interim, Frank Neville, chief of staff and vice president of communications and marketing, will oversee Mason’s Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations.
“Trishana Bowden is an accomplished chief development officer who brings with her an impressive track record of success in improving alumni relations and helping institutions meet their fundraising goals,” George Mason President Ángel Cabrera said. “We are excited to have her join the Mason community.”
Prior to her work at Goucher, Trishana was the associate dean for external relations at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law, where she was instrumental in helping steward a $30 million gift to rename the law school. She also served as associate dean for institutional advancement at American University Washington College of Law and has held development positions at the American Lung Association of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center.
“Trishana has the right combination of vision and experience to lead the foundation and spearhead our fundraising efforts,” said Jay O’Brien, chair of the George Mason University Foundation Inc. Board of Trustees. “We know she will build on our current success and help take us to the next level in strengthening our donor relationships and developing new partnerships.”
Bowden joins Mason just after the successful conclusion of the Faster Farther campaign, which began in 2008, raised a university record of more than $690 million and more than tripled the university’s endowment to $142 million.
“I consider it a privilege and honor to join the George Mason University community, which shares in the values and principles that I hold dear,” Bowden said. “More importantly, we share a common mission of educating the next generation of global leaders and citizens. I look forward to contributing in a meaningful way to that continued success.”