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Sterly L. Wilder to Head Alumni Affairs at Duke University

Wilder succeeds Laney Funderburk and will be the first woman to lead Duke's alumni programs.

Sterly L. Wilder, a 1983 Duke University graduate and the director of annual giving for the university since 1992, will become Duke's new executive director of alumni affairs, Robert S. Shepard, Duke's vice president for alumni affairs and development, announced Thursday.

Wilder, who assumes her new responsibilities on Jan. 1, is the first woman to lead Duke's alumni programs. She will succeed Laney Funderburk, who announced in April that he would retire after leading Duke's alumni operations for the past 22 years. She will work with an alumni body of 120,000, overseeing a staff of 26 and a budget that exceeds $4.2 million.

Shepard called Wilder "a natural leader who bleeds 'Duke Blue.'

"Sterly's infectious enthusiasm for Duke is matched by excellent organizational skills and a knack for pulling together people from across the university community," Shepard said. "Through her work with our alumni classes over the years, Sterly knows the issues that interest and matter to our alumni. She has a remarkable talent for making them excited about what the university is doing and always has been an honest broker, giving feedback to the university about issues of concern to our alumni."

After graduating from Duke with a political science degree in 1983, Wilder joined the university development office, where she earned a series of promotions. In her current position, she manages 10 professional staff members and works closely with the alumni leaders of annual reunion classes as well as with major donors to the university. Wilder led the development of a strategic plan for Duke's annual fund, restructured reunion giving and established successful programs for parents and students. "Duke's Parents Program is widely recognized as a national leader," Shepard said.

Wilder, 42, grew up in a Duke family. Her father, Pelham Wilder Jr., was a chemistry professor at the university for more than 50 years and also served for many years as University Marshal until his retirement in 2000. Her brother, Pelham III, is a 1973 Duke graduate, and her nephew, Pelham IV, is a senior at Duke.

"Sterly is smart, capable and funny, but most extraordinary is her passion for Duke," said Duke President Richard H. Brodhead. "I've been impressed since I arrived here that everyone seems to know Sterly and love working with her. One thing that stands out here is the passionate loyalty of our alumni, who do so much to support Duke, whether it's working with students or assisting administrators. Sterly will be a superb leader for our alumni."

In addition to her administrative work in the development office, Wilder is a pre-major advisor to Duke undergraduates and serves as assistant university marshal, helping to plan presidential inaugurations and commencement ceremonies. She helped organize her class reunions, is a board member of the Duke Club of the Triangle and volunteers as an alumni admissions committee member and interviewer.

Within the Durham community, Wilder is a member of the alumni council of Durham Academy, whose alumni board she previously led, and of Ronald McDonald House, where she previously served as board president. She also serves on the board of Visions of Tomorrow CDC of the St. James Family Life Center in Walltown.

Nationally, Wilder is active in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), through which she has advised other universities on a variety of alumni and development programs.

"We had an outstanding group of more than 30 applicants for this position," said Harold "Spike" Yoh Jr., a 1958 Duke graduate and former chair of the university's trustees who led the search committee that recommended Wilder's appointment. "The alumni director is the university's main point of contact with a large and diverse group of people around the globe who care deeply about Duke. We have every confidence that Sterly will inspire and lead them in new directions. She'll make people proud to be associated with Duke."