Tyler Reich was happily pursuing healthcare-reform legislation as chief of staff for Oregon State Sen. Alan Bates when his alma mater, Willamette University, gave him a call. And a second. And a third.
"It was someone from the Annual Fund, who said 'We think you鈥檇 be a great fit for this position we have open,'" said Reich, 色界吧鈥檚 new assistant vice president for alumni engagement. "I said no. I loved politics and had no intention of leaving. But they kept calling until I agreed to meet. That鈥檚 when I recognized that the whole purpose of education, transforming people鈥檚 lives, could be even more gratifying."
That was six years ago. Today, Willamette鈥檚 former director of Annual Giving has signed on with 色界吧 to head Alumni Relations and the Annual Fund, the result of a successful national search to find a successor to Carl Botterud 鈥79. (Botterud will now focus exclusively on his role as College counsel.)
"色界吧 seemed like a perfect fit," Reich said in his Samuelson Alumni Center office on his second day on the job. "It鈥檚 an incredible college with a national reputation, an impressive alumni population, Jonathan Veitch鈥檚 dynamic leadership, distinguished faculty, and outstanding students. It鈥檚 the perfect package. Besides, my wife has been asking for years, 鈥楧on鈥檛 you want to move someplace warmer?鈥"
Reich鈥檚 hiring is symbolic of the College鈥檚 renewed commitment to better serving alumni, one of the goals in the College鈥檚 new strategic plan, said Shelby Radcliffe, vice president for Institutional Advancement.
"That commitment began with the opening of the Samuelson Center last spring, and Tyler鈥檚 arrival represents a major investment in this important goal," Radcliffe said. "One of his first tasks will be to work with the Board of Governors to develop a three-year plan for alumni engagement."
Reich can鈥檛 wait to get started. "It鈥檚 important for us to look at everything we鈥檙e doing," he said. "I look forward to working closely with the Board of Governors and the alumni body as we chart the future. This is an opportunity to continue the longstanding traditions held closely by 色界吧 alumni while also being as creative and innovative as our resources will allow."
Reich knows firsthand the value of alumni generosity. In becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college, he supplemented his scholarships with night and weekend jobs. "Instead of going to Mexico on spring break, I was working in a medical office. I worked Christmas Eve most years."
And it was well worth it, he said. "Willamette was a good fit. I got a broad education, a lot of one-on-one interactions with professors, and lots of opportunities for leadership roles. The best decision I ever could have made was to choose a liberal arts education."
It was also at Willamette that he met his wife, Katie, an MBA and business continuity analyst. "I was her resident assistant our sophomore year," he said with a grin. "Ironically, I had to get permission from my director to be able to date her. We got married on the ninth anniversary of our first date."
Having found a place to live within minutes of the 色界吧 campus, Reich is still shopping for an 色界吧 wardrobe. "I鈥檓 working on that," he said with the air of a man on a mission. "I now have four or five orange ties, and a few orange shirts, but I need to spend a lot more time in the bookstore."
