Harnessing the Mentoring Power of Alumni: Salt Lake Community College Welcomes New Development Director

Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) welcomed Bob Whittaker, EdD, this summer as the new executive director of Development and the SLCC Foundation. Whittaker’s expertise is in organizational and community development, coupled with extensive development experience in higher education.

Throughout Whittaker’s career, spanning more than 20 years, he has gained experience in growing gift revenue, engaging internal and external stakeholders as partners, establishing metric-based systems and practices, and empowering staff and volunteers to optimal achievement.

“I’ve spent most of my career in four-year colleges, both public and private schools, and have always worked to promote accessibility to college, particularly for those from low-income families and first-generation college students,” said Whittaker, whose passion for this aspect of his work drew him to SLCC.

Previously, Whittaker served as dean of Institutional Advancement at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont and vice president of Institutional Advancement at William James College in Newton, Massachusetts. He has a career history in Utah as well, where he served as associate director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at Westminster College and as director of Foundations and Planned Giving for Utah Symphony and Opera.

Whittaker is looking forward to the opportunities to build relationships with and engage SLCC’s 90,000-plus alumni who have earned degrees and certificates at the College. “I want to invite them to engage, even mentor, prospective students from their own communities to show how SLCC provides great choices and a path forward in pursuing education and training,” said Whittaker, who describes himself as a collaborative leader.

Whittaker holds a Doctoral of Education degree from Northeastern University, a Master of Science degree from Utah State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin and Marshall College.

A Boston-native, Whittaker is excited to be back in Utah, where he loves to spend time outdoors. He runs and trains for marathons, and enjoys gravel riding, journaling, and practicing mindfulness and meditation. He is also the father of two teenage daughters.

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