Indiana University East has a new director of Gift Development.

Rae Marie Buchholz will lead IU East’s overall fundraising initiatives, foster relationships with alumni and friends of the campus, and develop philanthropic support for campus initiatives, programs, and scholarships.

Previously, Buchholz was the director of Academic Advising at IU East. She began her new role in Gift Development on January 23.

Interim Chancellor Michelle Malott said, “Rae’s diverse background in higher education and close connection to students lends itself well to this role.”

Buchholz said she is honored to have been selected as the new director of Gift Development.

“This is an opportunity to give back to my hometown and Indiana University. It also provides a chance to connect with people from the campus and the surrounding communities in a way that breaks down barriers and creates common goals for the greater good,” Buchholz said. “I look forward to facilitating and growing the existing initiatives of educational access expansion while remaining true to a foundation of collaboration, responsibility, and integrity.”

A native of Richmond, Indiana, Buchholz moved to Michigan in 2006.

In 2008, Buchholz began working for Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and continued there in various positions within the university until 2019. The first three years at CMU, Buchholz worked in the English Language Institute (ELI), where she served as a part-time office professional, and a part-time faculty member, and helped with international recruitment. From 2011 to 2014, she served as the international recruitment and special events coordinator for the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences (CHSBS) at CMU helping to increase the international presence and outreach of the college and university and facilitate the donor/endowed events of the college.

Buchholz was then named the global engagement coordinator from 2015-2019 where she worked on international exchanges for students, faculty, and research and facilitated the establishment of international alumni groups. In 2016, she was named interim director of the ELI and served as the director from 2017 to 2019.

Buchholz left CMU to become the director of Transfer Recruitment at Alma College in Alma, Michigan.

In June 2022, Buchholz returned to Richmond after being offered the director of Academic Advising position at the IU East campus.

While living in Richmond, Buchholz was heavily involved in the community. She was a member of the Young Area Professionals (YAP) Committee, the FUN Action Team, the Main Street Committee, and Business in Education. She was also a mentor for Dennis and Test Middle Schools and was a board member for Achieva Resources Corporation.

Buchholz earned a Master of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction, a Bilingual/Bicultural Endorsement, and a Secondary English Teaching Certification from Indiana University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from DePauw University. Buchholz has earned additional licensure in Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language, and Secondary English.

She is a 1988 graduate of Richmond High School.https://google.com

Currently, Buchholz splits her time between Richmond, where she is joined by her two daughters, Sophia and Olivia, and Mt. Pleasant where her husband, Andy, and two stepdaughters, Ruby and Ivy, live.

“While different than my previous positions, Gift Development feels like a natural progression of my time and experience in higher education. It’s truly rewarding to continue my student-needs work in this capacity here at IU East,” Buchholz said.