Robotic touch sensors are not just skin deep
May 2, 2025
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Jon Derek Croteau has been named executive director of the New York regional office of alumni relations and development at Northwestern University.
Serving Northwestern’s alumni community of greater New York, Croteau, a Northwestern alumnus, will work to engage alumni, parents and friends to garner support for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, a $3.75 billion University-wide fundraising initiative. The New York area is the second-largest metropolitan Northwestern alumni community in the nation, following Chicago.
“I am confident that the New York Northwestern community will continue to make a significant impact on our campuses, our programs and our students through the ‘We Will’ Campaign. I look forward to working with our outstanding volunteers, alumni, parents and friends to achieve our ambitious goals for Northwestern,” Croteau said.
Before taking this role, Croteau was a senior partner with Witt/Kieffer, a leadership solutions firm with a focus on education, academic medicine and not-for-profit practices with a sub-specialty in advancement.
Croteau brings a strong resume of effective leadership and academic credentials to this role. He holds a doctorate of education degree from Boston University, a master of arts in counseling psychology from Northwestern and a bachelor of arts from Emerson College. He is the author of several academic books and articles and the Amazon.com best-selling memoir “My Thinning Years: Starving the Gay Within.”
The New York office hosts many events for the Northwestern community in the New York area, including the successful Salon series. Renowned speakers from the fields of science, art, sports and politics are featured at the Salon event every year. Comedian and alumnus Seth Meyers was featured at the 2015 Salon hosted in the historic Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Past speakers include actor Tom Hanks, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author Daniel Pink and journalist Maureen Dowd.
Northwestern has had an active New York alumni relations and development office for more than a decade. A staff of seven works closely with dedicated alumni, parents and friends who live in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Two additional staff in the Kellogg School of Management Office of Advancement share the space. More than 1,500 students from this region currently attend Northwestern, and that number is expected to grow.
“Jon is very familiar with Northwestern as an alumnus and professional. He conducted the first comprehensive talent management assessment and led several successful executive searches for our department while he was at Witt/Kieffer,” said Robert McQuinn, vice president for alumni relations and development. “Under his leadership, we hope to provide an even more vibrant presence for the nearly 20,000 Northwestern alumni and parents living in this region.”
Croteau was selected for this role by a search committee that included Northwestern trustees Ellen Philips Katz, David Kabiller, Jane Hoffman and Jim DeNaut as well as Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC) regional board co-chairs Christine Lavelle, Kevin Willens and Whitney Marriott.
“Jon is a dedicated alumnus with a strong background in volunteering and philanthropy,” said Katz, a Northwestern alumna and member of the Board of Trustees who lives in New York City. “We are confident in his ability to connect with the New York alumni community and further the mission of We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern.”
Croteau has volunteered for Camp Hope in Quito, Ecuador, and served as a Big Brother and a mentor for Point Foundation. He remains active with each of his alma maters and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Boston University School of Education, Northwestern Alumni Association and Emerson Alumni Board. Croteau also is an advocate for The Trevor Project’s Friends of Trevor.
