Tom Crawford serves the University of Pittsburgh as senior advisor, Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement. He joined the University in 1988 as one of the staff members of Pitt’s health sciences division of publications and development. Crawford served as director of corporate and foundation relations in the University’s Health Sciences Development office from 1990 until 1994, when he was named executive director of corporate and foundation relations for the UPMC/Health Sciences Development Office.
In 1997, he joined what was then called Institutional Advancement as executive director of foundation relations, and, in 2003, was elevated to associate vice chancellor for corporate and foundation relations and operations. In this role, Crawford oversaw programs in corporate and foundation relations, human resources and budget, systems and research, records management, and donor relations and stewardship. In 2018, he was named vice chancellor for corporate and foundation relations, serving as a liaison between individuals at Pitt — faculty, administration and other staff — and individuals from local, national and international corporations and foundations. Crawford was instrumental in securing a $100 million gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation in support of Pitt BioForge, marking the largest single-project gift in the foundation’s history and one of the largest that the University has ever received. He supported PAE during a period of transition for the division as interim lead from April 2025 to February 2026.
Crawford is a 1983 Pitt graduate and earned his master’s degree in English at the University in 1985. He has published fiction, poetry and other pieces in national and international journals and has taught writing and fiction writing at Pitt and other institutions.
