Nancy Merritt joined the University of Pittsburgh in July 2019 as vice chancellor for alumni relations, a new leadership position created to develop and drive a comprehensive, thoughtful and goals-oriented engagement strategy that reflects the breadth and interests of the alumni population. Her work directly contributes to the University’s overarching external relations goals by fostering lifelong connections that elevate Pitt’s reputation and extend its influence across the commonwealth and around the world. Merritt is an experienced alumni relations professional who has progressively grown her responsibilities in alumni relations and advancement over two decades. Before joining Pitt, she served as assistant vice president for alumni relations at Carnegie Mellon University, leading that university’s alumni relations team and programming. Prior to CMU, Merritt spent 13 years in alumni relations at Lehigh University.
During her career, she has advised and partnered with various student and alumni organizations and boards. Merritt implemented enhancements to elevate traditions, creating a better experience for alumni and students that garnered increased participation. A proven collaborator and leader, she established cross-campus partnerships that generated more meaningful opportunities to engage alumni while advancing the university’s mission. Merritt’s experience also includes volunteer engagement, event planning and execution, program management, communications, and strategic planning.
She holds two degrees from Lehigh University: a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications and a master’s degree in political science.
