The Williston Advancement team is thrilled to welcome Robin Claremont to its staff as the new Director of Advancement. Claremont comes to Williston after most recently serving as Senior Major Gift Officer at Amherst College. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Claremont has spent nearly 25 years working in the Pioneer Valley for nonprofits and Amherst. To welcome her to campus and introduce her to the school community, we sat down to ask Claremont a few questions.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself
A: I grew up in Connecticut and went to Mount Holyoke College. After Mount Holyoke I stayed in the Valley, so I’ve been a Valley dweller for more than 25 years now. I love this area, and have family ties to it. I’ve lived in Easthampton for more than 15 years .
Q: What is your background in advancement work? Is this something you’ve been doing for a long time?
A: I’ve been doing development and nonprofit work for most of my career. When I graduated college, I thought I was going to be a field scientist, on the ground, doing either advocacy work or being in nature every day. Turns out, I got an office job working for an environmental nonprofit in the area, a small one, where everybody did many different jobs. Because I liked telling stories and listening to stories, I fell into some of the development aspects like grant writing, appeals, things like that. And that led me to more development work, both at local nonprofits, then at Amherst College working on major gifts.
Q: What do you enjoy most about advancement work?
A: Definitely relationships. There’s something really special about connecting with people who have a passion and want to be supportive with a cause that’s important to them. The role of Advancement is basically bringing those two things together. Whether it’s in a nonprofit environment or in education, the idea is about building relationships with people who care about the mission and the place. That’s inspiring to me.
Q: What did you know about Williston before you were hired?
A: I certainly knew a fair amount about Williston just from being in the community, but also knew about the school from a professional perspective, since there’s a lot of connectivity between higher education and independent schools in this area. What stood out to me when I came here during the search process was that everyone was incredibly welcoming and kind. That really stuck with me, and I love the real feeling of connection to students on campus and what’s happening on a day-to-day basis.
Q: What do you hope to be able to bring to Williston and your position?
A: First off, this is a very strong team, with a lot of great people and great work already being done. I hope to continue building on the incredibly effective foundation that’s here, and use my breadth of perspective and experience from a variety of settings to spark new ideas and move us forward. I’m excited to get to know the Advancement team and the rest of the alumni and campus community.
Q: Finally, give us a quick fact about yourself
A: I like somewhat “non-traditional” athletic challenges. There are a few things I’ve done over the years that have really challenged me in a fun way. I’ve completed two century (100 mile) bike rides; I’ve done obstacle-course racing; I’ve dabbled in rock climbing. I’ve also been doing CrossFit for 15 years. But: I will never run a marathon!