Dr. Anna Ponder will join Lawrence University’s executive team as Vice President for Alumni, Development, and Communications, the university announced in a press release Thursday. Dr. Ponder, who served most recently as Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB), begins her new role February 6.
From 2018 to 2023, Dr. Ponder led USBC’s advancement team,which included development, marketing, communications and media, alumni affairs, public affairs, and government affairs. Prior to her time in South Carolina, Dr. Ponder worked in New York City, serving as executive director of the Tribeca Film Institute from 2015 to 2017; Director of Marketing and Investor Relations for hedge fund strategies at High Rise Capital Management, Raptor Capital Management, and Tudor Investment Corporation from 2006 to 2015; and Director of Leadership Gifts for the Robin Hood Foundation from 2000 to 2006.
Dr. Ponder earned a B.A. in French Language and European History from Spelman College, a M.A. in International Economics and African Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University, where she focused on African Politics, African American Politics, and Contemporary Political Theory. She is a frequent speaker and contributor to community programs, events and initiatives, including most recently serving on the Town of Hilton Head Island Board of Zoning Appeals, the Board of the Mitchelville Preservation Project/Freedom Park, the Board of the Beaufort Higher Education Trust, and the Catalyst Grants Committee for the Coastal Community Foundation.
