Adam Gerdts Appointed Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Third Day of Giving Announced

By: Samuel Gelman (Houston) | News | April 14, 2019

Adam Gerdts has been named the new Vice President of Institutional Advancement (IA), according to YU News. He replaces Julie Schreier, who has served as interim Vice President since Sept. 2018. Schreier will continue to serve in her role as Chief of Staff to President Ari Berman, a position she has held since Feb. 2018.

Gerdts will become the third VP of IA in three years following departures by Schreier and Alyssa Herman, who served in the position for one year. Over the last two years, IA has experienced large turnovers, losing 13 employees, including Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Paul S. Glasser.

Gerdts started his career in 2002, working on fund and capital campaigns for the Manhattan Theater Club and Broadway’s Biltmore Theater. In 2006, he moved to American Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before becoming the director of the Young Alumni Programs for Carolina Annual Fund at the University of North Carolina (UNC). At UNC, he worked his way up the chain of command until becoming the associate dean of advancement in 2014.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to join Yeshiva University,” said Gerdts. “I plan to work tirelessly alongside university leadership and the institutional advancement team to increase the private philanthropic support of YU.”

In an email with The Commentator, Gerdts announced that the next Day of Giving would be held on Sept. 18, 2019. While no financial target was given, Gerdts emphasized that student engagement and volunteering would be the key to success and that he hopes many students get as involved as possible. This will be the third Day of Giving, with the first two bringing in $6 million and $4.5 million, respectively.

“This is a moment of incredible opportunity for Yeshiva University as we expand our reach and chart a course toward transformative growth,” said President Berman in a statement for YU News.

The Office of Institutional Advancement is also responsible for major fundraising events such as the Hanukkah Dinner. This past year, the Hanukkah Dinner raised over $5 million, which marked a 16 percent increase over last year’s dinner and constituted the largest sum in at least six years.

Photo Caption: Adam Gerdtsa
Photo Credit: YU News