President and CEO George Nichols III today named Stephen J. Grourke, CAP, CFRE, as senior vice present for advancement and alumni relations at The American College of Financial Services beginning April 1, 2019. Grourke comes to The American College from Villanova University where he served as executive director for the Office of Estate and Gift Planning.

Grourke will be responsible for leading the Advancement team, and the development and implementation of The American College's advancement efforts for sustainable long-term growth in unrestricted, restricted and endowment funds. He will also oversee The College's current $17.5 million fundraising campaign projected to successfully conclude in 2020.

"Steve has a proven record of building a culture of philanthropy and we look forward to him leading our advancement efforts and broadening the reach of our alumni relations program," Nichols said. "His entire career has been focused on advancing the mission of nonprofits and his fundraising expertise will better enable us to fulfill our mission to benefit society by creating and delivering financial education that promotes lifelong learning and ethical practices."

Grourke comes to The American College with two decades of experience working in advancement, most recently as part of the senior team that led Villanova to secure $760 million during its most recent and largest comprehensive campaign, while growing the alumni giving rate to 30 percent. Grourke personally assisted individuals and families who committed over $60 million in philanthropic revenue during the campaign.

"As a proud graduate of The College I am honored to be joining the team," said Grourke. "I look forward to working alongside faculty and staff, and our faithful leadership-volunteers, to engage alumni and partners in meaningful ways. Together we will build a sustainable advancement infrastructure that will ensure President Nichols' vision for the future of The College is realized."

Prior to Villanova, Grourke spent over a decade at The Nature Conservancy, the world's leading conservation organization, where he served in a variety of capacities around the country, including associate director of philanthropy in Idaho and director of philanthropy operations in Pennsylvania.

Grourke earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Gwynedd-Mercy University and a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Washington University. He holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation from The American College of Financial Services, and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.

He is the vice president of the board of directors of the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia, chairman of the board of advisors of the Upper Perkiomen Valley YMCA, and secretary and coach for the Upper Perkiomen Girls Softball League. Grourke and his wife, Erin, have four children and live in Red Hill, Pa.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES 3

The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nation's largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two master's degrees in management and financial services and prestigious financial planning designations such as the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), Wealth Management Certified Professional® (WMCP®) and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification. The College's faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders of the financial services profession. For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu.