USC Rossier is delighted to announce the appointment of Rachel Beal as associate dean for advancement. Beal has been with the school’s advancement department since 2014, serving as the school’s director of major gifts, executive director of advancement and interim associate dean prior to her new role.
Before her decade at USC, Beal worked at a variety of non-profits and higher education institutions in fundraising and leadership positions including The Whole Child; California State University, Fullerton; Whittier College; and the American Red Cross. She holds a BA in behavioral science from California State Polytechnic University – Pomona and also obtained a certificate in fundraising management from The Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Beal has been involved with several landmark gifts to universities. During her time at CSU Fullerton, she played a pivotal role to secure the university’s largest donation to date, a $2 million donation to the university’s nursing program in 2009. The gift from UnitedHealth Group allowed the school to offer admission to an additional 120 students, expanding its enrollment by 150 percent.
While she was executive director of advancement at USC Rossier, Beal collaborated with colleagues from Keck School of Medicine and the Caruso Catholic Center to secure a $20 million legacy gift for USC in 2023. At USC Rossier, the gift will be used to establish the Amy K. Dundon-Berchtold Education Leadership Chair, the Amy K. Dundon-Berchtold Early Education Chair and the Amy K. Dundon-Berchold and Jim Berchtold Endowed Scholarship Fund. The remaining funds will go to other scholarships previously set up by the Dundon-Berchold family.
In 2019, Beal also spearheaded the effort to create a new endowed chair at USC Rossier, the Veronica and David Hagen Chair in Women’s Leadership. The chair, currently held by Tracy Poon Tambascia, was created to support research on the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. The Hagens, both USC Rossier alumni, fully funded the position with a gift of $3 million.
As associate dean for advancement, Beal will continue to manage a team of seven that includes advancement communications, alumni engagement, and corporate and foundation relations. “I am deeply honored and appreciate the opportunity to lead the talented advancement team as we work toward our shared goal of garnering support to aid USC Rossier in its wide-reaching and indispensable work in the field of education,” said Beal. “Together, we will continue to build a robust, comprehensive development program that will take our fundraising efforts to the next level.”
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to officially announce Rachel’s new position. She leads our advancement team with compassion and integrity, and she is fully committed to helping USC Rossier achieve its mission of advancing educational equity by continuing to foster relationships with like-minded organizations and individuals who wish to support our goals,” said USC Rossier Dean Pedro A. Noguera.
Beal began the new appointment on Feb. 16.
