University Advancement

Scott Rabenold was appointed senior vice president for university advancement on Feb. 1, 2023. In this capacity, he leads the university’s comprehensive efforts to build relationships with its philanthropic communities, including alumni, friends, corporations and foundations, and to secure resources to ensure the university’s global leadership in higher education.

As the leader of the Advancement Division, Rabenold works closely with the deans and advancement professionals across every USC school and unit to advance the university’s strategic priorities and raise financial support for students, faculty and research, health care, the arts, athletics, community programs and many other initiatives. The USC Alumni Association, which builds programs to engage more than 463,000 USC alumni worldwide, is also a major focus of the Advancement Division.

An accomplished development leader with a history of building high-performing teams, Rabenold comes to USC from the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as vice president for development since 2016. During his tenure, the university launched the $6 billion “What Starts Here” campaign.

Previously, he served as vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs and in other leadership roles at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Earlier in his career, he worked at Wake Forest University and the University of Memphis.

A native of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Drake University. He and his wife, Sarah, reside in Pasadena with their four children, Spencer, Sam, Senait and Suri.