New associate vice president for Alumni Relations announced

Tulane Office of Alumni Relations announced that Lori Hurvitz will be joining the university on Aug. 14 as associate vice president for Alumni Relations.

The south Florida native has spent over two decades at the University of Chicago, first in the Office of Student Activities, rising to become associate dean for College Programming and Student Services, before moving into Advancement. She served as executive director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, where she successfully led the university’s alumni association.

“Lori brings such a range of talents and depth of experience to the role of associate vice president. I know she has an ambitious course charted for the Office of Alumni Relations, and I look forward to many exciting achievements as she takes on this role,” said Ginny Wise, senior vice president for Advancement.

Hurvitz has Tulane ties: Her brother Adam Coyne (A&S ’93) and future sister-in-law Alison Fendrick Coyne (SW ’92) are alumni, and she visited the campus when they were students.

“Tulane is a very special place, in that it is an unbelievable institution academically, but there is a flavor of fun and culture and tradition that is very unique,” Hurvitz said.

While at University of Chicago, she led a propulsive campaign, which met its lofty goal of engaging 125,000 alumni nearly a year ahead of schedule.

Asked about her proudest achievement, she points to a deep commitment to building strong relationships across perceived higher ed siloes. “When you spend nearly 20 years at an institution you form relationships, the fact that I was able to carry those over [from College Programming and Student Services to Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving] in order to improve the existing structural relationships really advanced the work that all of us were doing. That’s probably the thing I am actually most proud of,” she says.

Tulane Alumni Association President Chris Ralston (L ’99), said Hurvitz is a good match for Alumni Relations’ next phase.

“We are about to implement our new strategic plan that I hope will bring more collaboration among the university’s stakeholders to enhance and highlight the rich attributes of the institution. I look forward to working together with Lori to guide a transition that is smooth and stable for our fantastic staff, our amazing alumni and our students.”

Hurvitz credits retiring vice president for Alumni Relations James Stofan for the many ways he strengthened the alumni association during his time at Tulane.

“James really built a solid foundation for a modern alumni association. I’m excited to engage Tulane’s dynamic population, both intellectually and socially, and to uplift the fundraising efforts of the university. I’m excited to bring the alumni association to the next level and become a model of what an alumni association can be.”