Laura Herr ’03 Comes Home to AUWCL as Associate Dean, Development, Alumni Relations

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Laura K. Herr ’03 returned to the American University Washington College of Law community in February as associate dean for Development and Alumni Relations.

“We are excited to welcome an alumna back to the law school to lead the Development and Alumni Relations team,” said Professor Michael Carroll, who led the search for the position. “I know Laura will thrive, and her efforts will bring out the best in our dedicated alumni community.”

Herr comes to AUWCL from Carnegie Mellon University, where as director of development for the College of Fine Arts, she led individual and planned giving strategy, including identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major, principal, and planned gifts from individual donors and prospects, and managing the fundraising team. Prior to her tenure at Carnegie Mellon, Herr was director of development and planned giving for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where she oversaw all aspects of philanthropy from individuals, individual and corporate membership, and the planned giving program. She was also director of planned giving for the Kent School after transitioning to fundraising from legal work as corporate counsel at Pfizer Inc.

Having joined the law school during the busy spring semester, Herr immediately began meeting with alumni at the law school’s alumni and admitted students events in New York and Miami, as well as meeting individually with dedicated alumni in the two cities.

“I was truly amazed at the number of alumni attending the events in Miami and New York City,” Herr said. “It was a nice reminder that the sense of community that sets AUWCL apart is still very much alive and as I remembered as a student. The relationships that are fostered between faculty and students are the backbone of the law school. I couldn’t be happier to see that sentiment reflected in the large number of attendees at these events.”

Herr joins AUWCL at a time of clear forward movement—a time when development and alumni relations can capitalize on American University’s momentum as an emerging global university.

“The education I received at AUWCL was outstanding. And the support from faculty even more so. Now is the best time to be here. It’s not only the right time for me personally, but it’s the right time because AUWCL is part of American University’s ascendance as a leader among the best universities in the world,” she said.

“Now that I have been lucky enough to greet alumni in a few fantastic cities I am eager to meet more alumni and get them excited about the law school’s vision for the future,” Herr said. “With alumni support and engagement, the possibilities for our future are endless.”