Associate Dean for External Relations

Kirsten Lavin has recently been appointed as the Associate Dean of External Relations for the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Lavin has a long tenure at Johns Hopkins and most recently served as the Senior Director for Stewardship and Donor Engagement where she led a team working on discreet projects for principal level donors as well as institutional policies and practices that champion stewardship activities for donors at all levels. In addition to her stewardship roles, Lavin led the solicitation and recognition strategies for trustees and advisory board members to build support for the high-profile capital projects, including the new Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.

Along with this broad development experience, Lavin has a strong background in communications having advanced the brand and position platform for the $6 Billion Rising to the Challenge campaign, which ended in 2013. Peabody also represents a kind of homecoming for Lavin as she began her JHU career in 2001 with the Peabody Office of Communications focusing on student recruitment and constituent communications programs. Prior to that time, she held communications positions at the Walters Art Museum and OPERA America. Lavin’s interest and love for the arts go deep having also majored in Oboe and Music Industry at James Madison University.

Lavin has presented and served as faculty for the Association of Donor Relations Professionals International Conference, the CASE District II conference, and served as co-chair for the 2019 CASE Annual Conference for Donor Relations Professionals.