College names new vice president of advancement

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Middlebury College has named James R. Keyes vice president for college advancement. A 1971 Middlebury graduate, Keyes is a former board member of the Middlebury College Alumni Association and current trustee of the college. He will be responsible for managing fundraising and alumni operations of all of Middlebury’s entities: the undergraduate college, the Language Schools, the Schools Abroad, the Bread Loaf programs, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He assumed his new responsibilities June 1.

Michael D. Schoenfeld, who previously held this position, has been named senior vice president and chief philanthropic adviser. Schoenfeld, a member of the Middlebury class of 1973, will work closely with Middlebury College President Ron Liebowitz and many of the college’s most generous supporters on fundraising and special projects directly related to Middlebury’s major strategic objectives.

Keyes is the former president of Citizens Bank of Vermont and First Vermont Bank. He also served in senior leadership roles at Berkshire Bank and the First National Bank of Boston. Along with his Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury, he holds an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

“Jim brings leadership skills and extensive management experience to the job as well as a deep knowledge of Middlebury College and its people, programs and history,” said Liebowitz.

Keyes will step down from the Middlebury board of trustees, on which he has served since 2000, to take on his new responsibilities. He is currently chair of the audit and nominating committees, and a member of the prudential, buildings and grounds, and educational affairs committees. According to Liebowitz, “Jim’s work as a trustee has been invaluable and I am confident he will be a key member of the college’s senior leadership team.”

As part of his responsibilities, Keyes will head up the Middlebury Initiative, a fundraising campaign with a goal of $500 million that began in 2007. To date the college has raised $365 million.

“I’m looking forward to serving as a colleague with many of those at Middlebury whom I know through my work there as a volunteer,” said Keyes. “This is a wonderful opportunity to make a contribution to an institution I care about deeply and know well.”