Senior Leadership

Bob Lasher has built a career helping teams realize their full potential and purpose. He was elevated to the role of senior vice president for university in advancement in September 2023 to serve as a senior advisor to President Beilock on pan-institution initiatives, global Dartmouth, and transformational gifts. He serves as a member of Dartmouth’s senior leadership team.

Previously, Bob led Dartmouth’s global alumni relations and development organization, mobilizing Dartmouth’s external-facing teams of staff and volunteers to advance institutional strategy and promote inclusive constituent engagement. He served as the chief staff member for and architect of The Call to Lead, Dartmouth’s $3.8 billion comprehensive capital campaign (2018–2023). The campaign grew philanthropic revenue by 100% from prior levels and inspired an unprecedented 60% alumni participation among campaigns of this scale.

Bob has held leadership roles at a diverse array of scientific, higher education, and cultural institutions, including SFMOMA, the San Francisco Symphony, the National Geographic Society, and the University of Virginia. Working in close collaboration with administrative and trustee leaders, he strives to illuminate strategic paths to greater mission impact, distinction, and differentiation.

Bob holds an undergraduate degree in history from Dartmouth and pursues time in the back country at every opportunity. 

Ann Root Keith, who joined Dartmouth Advancement in 2002 and served as its chief operating officer for more than a dozen years, was named Dartmouth’s chief advancement officer in 2023. The chief advancement officer (CAO) is a new position, created when President Beilock appointed Bob Lasher to the role of senior vice president for university advancement to serve as an advisor on pan-institution initiatives, global Dartmouth, and transformational gifts.

Previously, as chief operating officer, Ann participated in the successful trajectory of the The Call to Lead campaign, which concluded in 2023 with $3.8 billion in gifts—including an unprecedented $500 million for endowed scholarships—and the participation of 60% of undergraduate alumni. 

As CAO, Ann leads a staff of more than 200 people—including staff in Alumni Relations, Development, and Advancement Administration—to engage alumni, parents, and friends in the Dartmouth community and make the case for how volunteer service and philanthropy contribute to research, teaching, and the institution’s impact on students and the world. 

A member of President Beilock’s senior leadership team, Ann works closely with the president, senior vice president, and advancement leaders in the graduate and professional schools to support Dartmouth’s central institutional functions and the priorities of the president, provost, dean of the College, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and other university leaders.

Cheryl Bascomb ’82 P’12 was appointed vice president for alumni relations in 2018 and leads Dartmouth’s worldwide efforts in alumni engagement.

Cheryl has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and business development, having most recently served as director of marketing and business development for Portland, Maine-based BerryDunn, northern New England’s largest independent public accounting and consulting firm. Prior to joining BerryDunn in 2001, Bascomb worked in marketing and leadership roles with Gofish.com, Unum Life Insurance, and L.L. Bean.

Outside of her professional career, Cheryl has a record of nonprofit board leadership and volunteer service both in her community and at Dartmouth. Among her many Dartmouth volunteer roles, she has served as vice president of the Association of Alumni, president of the Dartmouth Club of Maine, alumni councilor, alumni admissions interviewer, and Dartmouth College Fund volunteer.

Cheryl earned her psychology degree at Dartmouth and was an Agnes Kurtz Award winner in women’s rugby, captain of the track and cross country teams, and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

The vice president for alumni relations provides strategic vision and direction for alumni communications, engagement, programming, and volunteer leadership in service to the College and its global alumni network of more than 80,000 alumni.

Matt Rizzo joined the Advancement Division at Dartmouth in June of 2020. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a philanthropic advisor, institutional leader, and campaign director. Prior to his appointment at Dartmouth, Matt served as vice president of institutional advancement at Bennington College; associate vice president for development at Brown University; and vice president for external relations at Vermont Law School. In these roles, Matt was responsible for building and leading teams in the planning and execution phases of transformational capital campaigns, staffing presidents and development committee chairs, and working with donors to advance institutional strategic initiatives.

An early entrepreneur, Matt began his career in Chicago by founding a nonprofit that assisted inner-city student-athletes in the college admissions, financial aid, and recruiting processes, and went on to work as a development director for community arts and culture organizations in Vermont. Matt is a fourth generation jazz musician, classically trained in guitar, a passion he still pursues. He earned his bachelors degree in history from Denison University, where he was a member of their nationally ranked lacrosse team.