Stonehill Names Its Next Vice President for Advancement

By David Pyrdol

Stonehill welcomed Steven A. King as the new Vice President of Advancement, effective October 1.

The former Vice President of Advancement, Douglas Smith, is retiring from the college in December after over 32 years at Stonehill.

Steven A. King, who has worked at Stonehill as Assistant Vice President for Advancement since 2023, will help lead future campaigns, projects, and alumni relations on campus going forward.

"I'm following the footsteps of two incredible representatives of this advancement division that have really made their impacts felt on this campus," said King.

Stonehill has had two VPs of Advancement prior to King, those being Smith in 2019, and Francis Dillon in 1974.

King said his role as VP of Advancement is to connect with alumni and donors.

"It's a connector role, connecting with campus partners, connecting with alumni, family and friends, and keeping people informed, engaged, and inspired to give back to the college," said King.

From 1994 until 2001, Smith has been the Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations, overseeing several funded projects on-campus, including the MacPháidin Library in 1998.

Afterwards, Smith became the Director of Development, when he helped manage the funding for the Shields Science Center, dedicated in 2010.

Smith was Assistant VP for Advancement and Director of Development in 2012, up until 2016 when he became Associate VP for Advancement and director of Comprehensive Campaign.

Following his new role as Vice President of Advancement in 2019, Smith worked on the 'TO BE BOLD' campaign at Stonehill, which helped fund the Meehan School of Business.

Smith said he was thankful that Stonehill has always been led by philanthropy to help fund scholarships and programs for academics.

"It's been a great opportunity for me to understand how grateful so many of our donors are to be able to have that opportunity just to give to Stonehill," said Smith.

Stonehill's mission statement has kept the same meaning since Smith joined the college in 1994, only making minor tweaks over time.

"The mission really hasn't changed. Although we've tweaked the mission statement a little bit over the years, it's really about an educated mind, but not at the expense of an educated heart," Smith said.

Prior to arriving at Stonehill, two of King's sons have already been attending the college, both who then graduated in 2025.

"I started as a parent here. And three years ago, (I) moved into the role of Assistant Vice President," said King.

King said he's confident that Stonehill will continue to build upon the work of Francis "Fran" Dillon, the VP of Advancement before Smith.

"I feel confident that we can build on what Fran Dillon built, and then Doug Smith. We'll continue to try to meet the aspirations of the college through our connections of alumni and our fundraising efforts," said King.

Smith said the coronavirus was the biggest obstacle while he was VP of Advancement.

"One of the most important things that we like to do is sit down and talk to people about their philanthropy and about making an investment in Stonehill. We were unable to do lots of events that we host for our alumni, parents and friends, so we had to really pivot," said Smith.

For years, King and Smith have worked at Stonehill together, often discussing Stonehill's future.

"I've had the opportunity to work closely with him to share my insights and to allow him to have his vision as to what the college will be," Smith said.

Smith said he is grateful to have worked with King, and he is confident that King will lead Stonehill well.

"It's been a great experience getting to know Steve, and I have all the confidence in the world that he's going to do great things for Stonehill College in the years ahead," Smith said.