New Developments

He taught his kids to swim on Cape Cod and has enjoyed snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Now Stuart Krantz is leaving his riverfront Cambridge office to get his feet wet at a new locale along the California coastline – Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Scripps welcomed Krantz on Nov. 1, 2010, as the new executive director of development to lead the institution’s private fundraising programs. Krantz was previously the Senior Director of Individual Giving and Foundation Relations at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), overseeing private fundraising operations for the offices of leadership gifts, gift planning, and special constituencies.

In his new role at Scripps, Krantz leads the Scripps Development Office, overseeing all fundraising programs for the institution. A main focus will be on spearheading new initiatives to increase philanthropic support for key priorities at Scripps, such as graduate student and postdoctoral fellowships, new buildings, and seed funding for new programs and research.

Krantz says he looks forward to working with faculty and researchers as he develops plans to increase the Scripps donor base, a process he hopes will allow him to learn first-hand about Scripps scientists’ passion and goals for their work.

“As a development professional, one of the most exciting and personally satisfying aspects of my work is finding a deep and heartfelt connection between a donor’s personal philanthropic interest and an organizations goals and aspirations,” said Krantz. “I am committed to strengthening Scripps’ existing development program, and in doing so, ensure that philanthropic support continues to increase well into the future.”

Prior to joining MIT in 2008, Krantz worked as Senior Director for Strategic Initiative Advancement at the Harvard University School of Public Health, where he was responsible for major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, and the development of high profile, school-wide initiatives. Previously, Krantz worked at Boston Medical Center and St. Joseph's Regional Health System in Northern California, directing corporate and foundation relations programs.

Krantz’s development leadership experience at MIT, an institution similar to Scripps in its long tradition of academic and scientific excellence, made him a standout candidate for the executive director of development position at Scripps.

“Stuart brings a wealth of fundraising experience in research and higher education as well as new perspectives to our Development operations,” said Scripps Director Tony Haymet. “I’m confident Stuart’s talents and approach to fundraising will greatly complement those of our hardworking development team, and will help us increase private support for Scripps.”

This career move, of course, also entailed a move from Brookline, Mass., to San Diego for Krantz and his family – one they welcomed as a return to their California roots.

“I am an alumnus of the University of California, and began my development career on the West Coast,” said Krantz. “My wife, Heidi, our three daughters, and I are thrilled to be back in California.”

Krantz received his B.A. in social science from UC Berkeley and his M.A. in political science from UCLA.

--Shannon Casey