Joan Petersen Named

Development Director At CSH

GREENWICH — Convent of the Sacred Heart has appointed Newtowner Joan M. Petersen as its new director of development, effective March 1. In this position, Ms Petersen will direct the school’s overall development and alumnae efforts, with a special focus on the management of major fundraising campaigns.

Ms Petersen, who has 25 years of university, independent school, and nonprofit fundraising experience, has held similar positions at Brown, Columbia, Stanford, and Yale Universities, in addition to The Calhoun School in New York City.

“We are excited that Joan Petersen will lead Sacred Heart’s development efforts during this time of opportunity in the life of the school,” said Paula Tennyson, chair of the Board of Trustees.  “She brings an outstanding depth of experience in development. With Joan’s help, I am confident that we can increase the strong momentum of support already under way for Sacred Heart.”

Ms Petersen’s first experience with development was at Stanford University, which she also attended as a student and from where she received an AB in history. After overseeing a major gift program at Stanford as associate director of development for the Eastern Regional Office, where she also served as advisor to local alumni chapters, she moved on to Columbia University as director of development and alumni affairs. 

At Brown University, she served as deputy director of the New York Office (1993–1998), before returning to Stanford to become associate director of development (1998–2001) soliciting principal and major gifts in five markets in support of the university’s $1 billion campaign.

After serving in development at Yale and the New York University School of Law, Ms Petersen joined the field of independent schools in 2004, when she became director of development and alumni affairs at The Calhoun School, a position she held until recently.

Convent of the Sacred Heart is an independent, Catholic day school for 777 girls from preschool through grade 12. The school was founded in Manhattan in 1848 and moved to its Greenwich location in 1945, where it has expanded to include modern facilities and playing fields on a 110-acre campus. 

It is a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, which includes 22 schools in the United States with sister schools around the world.