Margaret Shiba Named Director of Development and Paula Thomas Director of Development for Athletics
(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) - The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation in partnership with University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has appointed Margaret Shiba director of development and Paula Thomas director of development for athletics for UH Hilo. Each will be responsible for raising private funding.
Margaret Shiba brings 33 years of non-profit experience in education to her new position. Most recently, she served for eight years as executive director of Metro International, a membership organization offering programs and services to 50,000 international students and scholars in the greater New York metropolitan area. In this capacity she was responsible for developing the organization’s diversified funding base, including federal, foundation and corporate grants; individual giving; earned revenue; and corporate sponsorships. She also managed Metro’s annual Fulbright Awards Dinner, a high-profile benefit event held at the United Nations.
Prior to that, Shiba was employed by the Council on International Educational Exchange, where she developed marketed, and managed international education/training programs for students, faculty, and business professionals; and the Institute for International Education, where she handled the evaluation, final selection and U.S. university placement of foreign Fulbright graduates. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College and a master’s degree in East Asian/Regional Studies at Harvard University.
Paula Thomas most recently served as interim director of development for UH Hilo where she successfully raised funds for the institution. In her new position, she will focus on development activities for UH Hilo’s athletic program.
Prior to joining the Foundation in September 2001 Paula served as director of development communications for Ohio University’s advancement team, where she helped to launch communications for a $200 million capital campaign. Before that she served as assistant director of the Center for International Studies, managing budgets as well as university-wide international programs and facilitating program development.
Thomas’ 16 years of experience in higher education advancement also includes private foundation and corporate fundraising, major gift support and development communications work with Gettysburg College and Saint Joseph’s University. She graduated with a BA in English and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s from Temple University’s Department of Dance.
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
