Meet Jeff Rhode, GGU’s New Vice President for Advancement

Golden Gate University is excited to welcome Jeff Rhode as our new Vice President for Advancement. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in fundraising and alumni engagement—most recently serving as an advisor to GGU’s leadership team—Jeff is already hitting the ground running to strengthen connections across our alumni and donor community.

Over the course of his career, Jeff Rhode (pronounced Road-ee) has raised more than $200 million and has led advancement efforts at top institutions across the Bay Area, including UC Berkeley, UCSF, University of San Francisco, and University of the Pacific. He’s also secured more than 25 gifts of $1 million or more, always with a focus on building meaningful relationships and championing the power of education.

As Vice President, Jeff will oversee efforts to grow GGU alumni engagement and philanthropy, financial sustainability, and long-term strategic goals in support of our mission. He’s particularly excited to hear directly from our alumni.

“I’m here to listen,” Jeff says. “I’d love to hear from alumni far and wide what GGU has meant in your life—and how you think it can continue to transform lives going forward.” Jeff holds degrees from UC Berkeley and USF, and his ties to GGU are personal: his wife, Daphne, earned her LLM in Taxation from GGU.

“This university has always stood out to me for its commitment to working adults and diverse learners,” Jeff adds. “That mission is more important now than ever. I’m honored to help carry it forward.”

Whether you graduated last year or decades ago, Jeff would love to get to know you. Drop him a note at jrhode@ggu.edu to introduce yourself, share your GGU story, or offer your ideas on how we can build a stronger alumni community.