177: Michael Eicher and Alex Lawrence, the Advancement Leadership Lab

About Alex: Alex Lawrence is the Executive Director for the Advancement Leadership Lab (ALL). Alex is no stranger to the leadership lab as she developed the pilot curriculum in 2018 and is thrilled to be back in this capacity as the organization expands its impact across the Advancement industry.Alex’s professional passions have always been rooted in people-focused work, with her career start in human resources consulting. Alex focused on leadership development, mergers and acquisitions, and recruitment strategy in Fortune 500, start-up, and non-profit environments throughout North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Arizona, England, Germany, and Tanzania. This global experience led her to higher education Advancement, where she has led organizational and people operations in multiple chief of staff roles over the last decade. After being in an advisory role for the lab over the last few years, transitioning to this work full time as its own 501c3 has been an exciting opportunity to build the foundation for ALL’s long-term success and sustainability.Alex has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services and Counseling Psychology from Elon University and a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University. She lives in Columbus, OH with her husband, Danny, and puppy son, Larry.About Michael: A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, Mike Eicher began his career in higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he rose from associate director of development in the School of Medicine to deputy director and director, and from there to vice provost for medical science development, then assistant and associate vice chancellor. Under his leadership as vice chancellor, Campaign UCLA, a 10-year effort completed in 2005, raised $3.05 billion. Prior to joining Ohio State, Mike served for six years as senior vice president for external affairs and development at Johns Hopkins University, where he led the Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World Campaign. That effort focused on student aid and faculty support, construction of clinical buildings at the medical campus and important renovation projects. It closed in 2008 with commitments of more than $3.7 billion. Mike returned to a public university because he believes in its noble mission and great power. He joined Ohio State in fall 2012 as senior vice president for Advancement and president of The Ohio State University Foundation. Building on his goal to inspire people to choose Ohio State – for their education, medical care, research support, entertainment and more – he has set out to share the university’s most compelling stories, engage more than half a million alumni, and expand private philanthropy to support Ohio State’s core priorities. Under Mike’s direction, Ohio State streamlined and integrated its communications and marketing, alumni relations and fundraising teams. He led the But for Ohio State Campaign, which raised over $3 billion from more than 750,000 donors and became the university’s most successful fundraising effort ever. Mike built upon that momentum and, along with his team, planned and launched Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign in fall 2019. While its financial goal is the largest in Ohio State’s history — $4.5 billion focused on student success; discovery; and healthy, vibrant communities — what truly sets this campaign apart from all others is its goal to engage 1 million supporters, which is unprecedented in higher education. Mike is focused on organizational growth, health, and wellness, which led to Advancement’s establishment of a chief diversity officer position and the Advancement Inclusion Council. Both serve as resources by providing personal and professional development opportunities for staff. Mike’s commitment to putting people first has been instrumental in the transformation of Advancement during his tenure. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Inez, and travels frequently. They have two grown children: Brandon Eicher (Kate) and Christine Peterson (Shane). They also have three young granddaughters who they love to spend time with.