John S. Nader, president of Farmingdale State College, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Colson to the position of Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement.

Matt will lead the College's fund-raising activities through the Alumni Office and the College Foundation. In this role he will oversee outreach to the corporate community, private foundations, and private grant opportunities. He will serve as a member of the President's Cabinet.

"Matt Colson is the ideal person to lead Farmingdale's development initiatives," said President Nader. "He has a proven record of success, and he knows Long Island and the SUNY system. Matt has both the energy and experience to be a terrific leader for the Foundation."

"I'm humbled and excited to come home to Farmingdale, the college I grew up with in my backyard, as Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement," said Colson. "I look forward to working closely and strategically with the entire campus community as we mobilize and inspire our alumni, cherished donors, friends and business partners in pursuit of excellence and critical support for our students and faculty; and together move the mission of the College forward in service to Long Island and beyond."

Matt has over 15 years of progressively responsible experience in university development and administration, most recently at Stony Brook University where he served as Executive Director of Alumni Relations and the Stony Brook Alumni Association. He re-engineered the alumni engagement there to have a development focus that is aligned with institutional priorities, and methodically integrated in the efforts of the annual fund, major gifts, planned giving and corporate giving teams, respectively.

To continue his professional development, he serves on the Board of Directors for SUNYCUAD (State University of New York Council for University Advancement) and has presented at numerous CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) conferences.

He has a Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communications from St. Joseph's College and a Master's Degree in Education and School Counseling from Long Island University. Matt, his wife, and three children live in Setauket. He will start in his new position on July 9.