William James College Hires Robert Whittaker as Vice President of Institutional Advancement

William James College (WJC), a leader in educating mental health professionals, announced Robert Whittaker has been hired as Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

In his new position, Whittaker will provide leadership for advancement to help William James College fulfill its mission to meet the evolving mental health needs of society by increasing revenue streams and other resources for the college by cultivating and stewarding long-lasting relationships with alumni, parents, friends, corporations, foundations, staff and others in service to the college’s mission.

“I am honored to welcome Robert Whittaker to our staff at William James College,” said Nicholas Covino, PsyD, president of William James College. “Bob impressed us all with his warmth, sincerity and energy for advancing our mission at William James and with the copious amount of experience he brings, we’re sure he’ll make a great addition to the college.”

Prior to joining William James College, Whittaker served as an Advancement Officer for Grants and Development Strategy at OCLC Online Computer Learning Center, Inc., where he led a project-oriented team on the creation of a national, institutional grants program capable of sustaining operations beyond initial grant funding. From 2005-2014, Whittaker was the Dean of Institutional Advancement at Lyndon State College, where he planned and completed the largest fundraising campaign in Vermont State Colleges’ history, surpassing the $1o million goal, raising 20 times more than Lyndon State College’s only other campaign effort.

“I am excited to help advance the pioneering work of William James College,” said Whittaker. “Whether it’s increasing the number of Hispanic and African American mental health professionals or training veterans to treat veterans – faculty and staff are engaging their students in bringing mental health issues out of the shadows.”

Whittaker is currently completing his doctoral degree in organizational leadership at Northeastern University. He holds a bachelor’s in government from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s in English from Utah State University.