(Boston) May 15, 2024 – Friends of the Heights, the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collective serving Boston College student-athletes, is pleased to announce longtime college athletic administrator Jim Paquette as its Chief Development Officer. Paquette will advise the Board on overall development strategies while focusing primarily on leadership-level gifts. He will partner with General Manager Tom Devitt ’93 to continue to expand the Friends of the Heights fundraising efforts.
“We are excited to have a proven development executive with a long BC history joining the Friends of the Heights,” said Joe Popolo, President of Friends of the Heights. “Jim and our outstanding General Manager, Tom Devitt, will make a great team, doing this critical work on behalf of our student-athletes and our donors.”
Paquette, who spent 16 years as an administrator at Boston College, brings a deep understanding and appreciation of the Heights to the position. During his previous stint with the Eagles, Paquette led various fundraising initiatives resulting in significant milestones for the school.
- Boston College secured more than $211 million in athletic fundraising commitments during Paquette’s tenure.
- The Eagles secured $27 million for the Yawkey Athletics Center, making it the first building on campus to be 100 percent financed through philanthropy.
- Boston College raised the cash received by 750 percent from during his 16 years and set fundraising records every year.
Paquette then served as Assistant VP/Director of Athletics at Loyola Maryland University where Loyola Athletics increased athletic giving by 706 percent during his seven-year tenure. Gifts included commitments of $1 million to install video boards in Reitz Arena and $3.2m for the construction of the McClure
Tennis Center.
He played a key role in securing Loyola’s membership in the Patriot League, a move which allowed all of the University’s teams to compete in the same conference for the first time. Paquette held the position of Chair of the Patriot League Committee on Athletic Administration and was recognized by his peers as a NACDA 1AAA Athletic Director of the Year.
Most recently, Paquette worked as the CEO and President of JRP & Associates, a boutique higher education and non-profit consulting firm, and as the General Manager at The George Washington University for IMG College.