Beth Thompson is Assistant Dean for Development in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) at Harvard University.  In this role, she oversees major, principal, and planned giving fundraising efforts for the FAS which includes Harvard College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the academic divisions of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Department of Athletics, and the Division of Continuing Education. Prior to this role, Beth served as the FAS’s Assistant Dean of Academic and Development Planning where she partnered with the FAS academic deans and administrative leaders to oversee the translation of academic priorities into fundraising plans and FAS Development’s fundraising platform.  Before joining the FAS in 2005, Beth held roles as Director of Development for the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University and in reunion class campaign management, principal gifts, stewardship, and campaign strategy and planning at Harvard Business School. 

Beth is a graduate of Smith College and earned a master’s in political science from Ball State University and an MBA from Simmons University.  She has served on the board of EV Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing academic tutoring and mentoring services and summer camp experiences for at-risk youth in the Boston area.  She has also served on the Board of First-Year Advisors at Harvard College and as a volunteer fundraiser for Smith College.