Proctor named director of Alumni Relations

Kara Van Dam, vice provost for Graduate and Lifetime Learning, announced that Susan Proctor will assume duties as Grand Valley's director of Alumni Relations.

The Alumni House and Visitor Center, on the Allendale Campus, will be a familiar locale to Proctor, who served as assistant alumni director for nearly four years before moving to Grand Valley's Career Center in 2011 as, initially, assistant director then employment development manager. 

Van Dam said Proctor is a highly valued member of the GVSU community. 

"Susan is uniquely poised to lead this office into its next era because of her extensive experience in higher education, and how she has cultivated strong relationships in the alumni, business and nonprofit communities," Van Dam said.

As alumni director, Proctor will be responsible for developing and leading a comprehensive alumni engagement portfolio, developing strategies for serving underrepresented alumni and focusing on services for future alumni.

Proctor said her work in the Career Center has afforded her the opportunity to stay connected to graduates as they find jobs and grow into their careers.  

"It is a rare opportunity to be able to help a student identify, develop and turn their skills and values into meaningful life’s work," Proctor said. "As the Alumni Relations director, I look forward to partnering across the Graduate and Lifetime Learning unit and campus to build upon and expand these relationships with our alumni, create more opportunities for them to succeed, and share their successes with the broader Grand Valley community."

Prior to working at Grand Valley, Proctor worked in alumni relations at Davenport University. She earned two degrees from Grand Valley: a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in adult and higher education.