Holy Cross Vice President of Advancement Announces Departure

College of the Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau announced today that Vice President for Advancement Tracy Barlok will step down from her role after this fiscal year ends on June 30.

Barlok joined Holy Cross in 2012 with over 25 years of advancement leadership experience at Skidmore College and her alma mater, Colgate University. In her decade at Holy Cross, she built one of the most successful advancement teams among liberal arts colleges.

During her tenure, the College raised more than $510 million for a range of initiatives, including new and renovated building projects, faculty and student support, financial aid, athletics and more. Barlok led the design and execution of the largest and most successful fundraising campaign in Holy Cross history, the Become More Campaign, which raised more than $420 million for strategic priorities, including four transformational new building projects.

Over the past year, Barlok and her team launched the Hope+Access Campaign for Financial Aid, an effort that has already surpassed its original $40 million goal and is well on its way to cresting $50 million by fiscal year-end. In fewer than 18 months, the campaign has secured 78 new endowed scholarship funds.

Additionally during Barlok’s tenure, Holy Cross has continued to rank in the Top 10 across all U.S. colleges for highest percentage of alumni participation.

"Tracy has been a wonderful colleague and collaborator, and she has been a dynamic partner in our shared work on behalf of the College," Rougeau said. "I am deeply grateful that she agreed to work with me during my first year here, and as a new president, and I have benefited considerably from her experience and expertise. She has so many wonderful relationships on campus and with Holy Cross alumni and parents, and she will be greatly missed."

Current and former members of the College’s board of trustees concurred. Anne Fink ’85, president of global foodservice at PepsiCo, said, "I will always remember the day Tracy asked me if I would serve as a co-chair of the Become More Campaign with Rick Patterson ’80 and Bill Phelan ’73. It was truly inspiring to work with her and her team. She is a game-changer in every sense of the word and we are all in a better place because of her leadership, vision and care."

Board chair Rick Patterson ’80 added, "As anyone in our community who knows her can attest, Tracy loves Holy Cross and is passionate about its commitment to excellence, inclusion, intellectual rigor, creativity and, of course, serving others. She has led with compassion, grit and a profound dedication to the College’s mission. I know that Tracy has deeply valued the opportunities she has had to lead a very talented advancement team, to be a strategic leader as a member of the College’s executive team, and to work with a passionate group of alumni and volunteers to build the resources of the College. Members of the board of trustees greatly value her talent and commitment."

"I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve Holy Cross for the past decade and I am incredibly proud of my teammates and colleagues who have worked so hard to make Holy Cross one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country," Barlok said. "We have been successful because of a shared partnership. It has been a real privilege to work with so many wonderful volunteers, donors, staff and trustees and to see their tremendous commitment to the College and, most important, to our students."

Barlok is a national leader in the field of advancement, serving on the board of trustees of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and in active leadership within the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, and other professional organizations.

She has also been deeply involved in the greater Worcester community, serving on many local boards, including those of the Worcester County Food Bank, the Worcester Economic Club and the Hanover Theatre.