Chief Advancement Officer

In August 2010, the University of Alberta appointed O'Neil A.S. Outar to the position of Chief Advancement Officer with responsibility for leading the fund-raising and alumni relations enterprise.

Prior to joining the university, Outar served in a variety of senior leadership roles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and worked closely with the president and senior leaders to develop their messaging, volunteer leadership and fundraising model.

In his most recent role as Senior Director of Global Initiatives, he led the launch of institute-wide activities in China and India, and increased private philanthropic support from outside the United States by more than six-fold. As Senior Director of Institutional Initiatives, he managed the fundraising of more than $1.25B in support of energy and the environment, integrative sciences, and student life and learning. During the $2.2B Campaign for MIT, Outar served as a Senior Major Gifts Officer, and managed the fundraising of more than $250M.

In 2008, Outar was appointed to Leader to Leader, an MIT-wide best-practice leadership recognition and development program. In 2003, he was recognized with the MIT Capstone Award for Achievement. Outar has frequently spoken at Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) conferences and in non-profit management education programs.

Outar holds a Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts, both from Tufts University.