Convent of Sacred Heart Appoints Development Director

Convent of the Sacred Heart school has appointed Joan M. Petersen as its new director of development.   In this position, Ms. Petersen will direct the School’s overall development and alumnae efforts, with a special focus on the management of major fundraising campaigns.

Petersen is a Newtown resident who has 25 years of university, independent school, and nonprofit fundraising experience. She has held similar positions at Brown, Columbia, Stanford and Yale Universities, in addition to The Calhoun School, in New York City. Her appointment to CSH, that has nearly 800 students, was effective March 1.

“I am confident that Joan’s experience and qualifications will make her an effective leader in building on Convent of the Sacred Heart’s history of loyal parents, alumnae and friends who are committed to furthering the School’s mission of educating girls and young women,” Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes said in a prepared statement.

"We are excited that Joan Petersen will lead Sacred Heart’s development efforts during this time of opportunity in the life of the School,"  Paula Tennyson, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a prepared statement. "With Joan’s help, I am confident that we can increase the strong momentum of support already under way for Sacred Heart."

Petersen’s first experience with development was at Stanford University, which she also attended as a student and from where she received an A.B. in history. After overseeing a major gift program at Stanford as associate director of development for the Eastern Regional Office, where she also served as advisor to local alumni chapters, she moved on to Columbia University as director of development and alumni affairs. 

At Brown University, she served as deputy director of the New York Office (1993-1998), before returning to Stanford to become associate director of development (1998-2001) soliciting principal and major gifts in five markets in support of the university’s $1 billion campaign.

After serving in development at Yale and the New York University School of Law, Petersen joined the field of independent schools in 2004, when she became director of development and alumni affairs at The Calhoun School, a position she held until recently.