PHILADELPHIA — Peirce College has named Rita Dibble as the institution’s vice president for Institutional Advancement and Chief Advancement Officer to lead fundraising and development initiatives and serve as the primary liaison to the College’s alumni community.

Rita Dibble Dibble will provide executive stewardship, leadership and direction for the College's individual, corporate and foundation philanthropic initiatives aimed at accelerating the region’s recovery by helping people transform their lives through education and training.

“We are honored and excited to welcome Rita as a member of the College’s executive leadership team,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Caro, president and CEO of Peirce College. “As the chief fundraising officer at Peirce, Rita will play a pivotal role helping us re-envision of development and advancement strategy. We are fortunate to leverage her extensive expertise to lead the next phase of post-pandemic fundraising efforts to move our strategic goals forward.”

Dibble said that she is excited to join Peirce because of track record of being an innovator in higher education and to support the College’s critical work to expand access to adult learners who need it most.

“There are so many inspiring stories we need to tell about our students and graduates, and I look forward to working with potential funders to find strong connections between their interests and the important work taking place here at Peirce College,” she said. “For more than 150 years, Peirce has removed barriers for adults and our institution is needed today more than ever.”

Prior to joining Peirce College, Rita served as vice president for University Advancement and Foundation Executive Director at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN, where she increased the foundation's endowment from $2.8 million to $9 million in five just years and launched the university's first comprehensive campaign. She has held several leadership roles in advancement at higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, including Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Lincoln University, Wilson College, Misericordia University, and the American Cancer Society – PA Division.