Retchless named vice president for Advancement at St. Bonaventure

ST. BONAVENTURE — Lindsay Retchless, currently serving as chief of staff to the president and interim vice president for Advancement, has been named vice president for Advancement at St. Bonaventure University.

Retchless will retain her role as the president’s chief of staff. The structure is designed to more closely connect the work of the President’s Office with the university’s fundraising, alumni engagement and long-term priorities.

“After witnessing Lindsay’s ability to work with our Advancement team to achieve our stretch goals this spring, it was clear that Lindsay is the leader who will take us to the next level in fundraising and alumni engagement,” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, university president. “The search process made clear that Lindsay’s experience, leadership style and deep understanding of St. Bonaventure’s mission position her well to lead us into a stronger future.”

Since her appointment as interim vice president, Retchless has worked closely with Advancement colleagues on successful Giving Day efforts and year-end fundraising strategies that helped the division exceed key annual goals — approximately $3.1 million for The Bonaventure Fund and $1.3 million for the Bonnies Athletic Fund. 

She also helped launch and lead the St. Bonaventure Golf Invitational at Pinehurst with Board leadership and Advancement colleagues. Now in its second year, the event has generated more than $1.4 million for the university’s endowment. 

“Lindsay has a unique ability to connect institutional priorities with philanthropic opportunity. We are confident that her leadership will strengthen the alignment between our strategic vision for Bonaventure and the philanthropic plans, partnerships and resources needed to advance it,” said Luke H. Brown, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees.

Gingerich said the structure reflects the importance of connecting the work of the President’s Office and University Advancement around the priorities that matter most for the university

“Lindsay brings the judgment, institutional knowledge and collaborative approach needed to help move important work forward,” Gingerich said.

Retchless has been with St. Bonaventure since 2020, first as assistant director of Alumni Engagement, and then as director of Alumni Engagement after the retirement of Joe Flanagan in 2022. She has been Gingerich’s chief of staff since August 2024.

As chief of staff, Retchless has worked closely with the president, Cabinet and Board of Trustees on university priorities, presidential communications, governance support, donor strategy, government relations and cross-campus initiatives.

Retchless has spent more than 25 years in advancement in higher education, building relationships with alumni, donors, volunteers and university partners through roles in alumni engagement, communications and fundraising.

Prior to joining St. Bonaventure, Retchless was director of Alumni Relations at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, where she led alumni engagement strategy, worked closely with donor prospects and volunteers, launched a Student Alumni Association, and partnered with Advancement colleagues on fundraising and campaign priorities.

 “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving St. Bonaventure in this expanded role and to work alongside the Advancement and Alumni Engagement team every day,” Retchless said. “Bona’s is a university I love deeply, and I’m honored to help lead this work at such an important time.”

Retchless holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in International Management from Pitt-Bradford and a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a former member of two boards of directors: Leadership McKean and Interfaith Caregivers.