Brooklyn Law School Names Annie Nienaber Chief Advancement Officer

After a nationwide search, Brooklyn Law School has named Annie Nienaber, a highly successful fundraiser for higher education institutions, as its Chief Advancement Officer. Nienaber joins the Law School from Rutgers University School of Engineering, where she served as Assistant Dean of Development.

Nienaber will oversee the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Office of External Affairs, providing strategic and operational leadership, and she will work closely with the Law School’s leadership, faculty, and Board of Trustees to promote the Law School’s visibility and reputation and advance its philanthropic priorities and goals.

“We are delighted that Annie Nienaber has accepted our offer to join the Law School as our first Chief Advancement Officer,” said Frank Aquila ’83, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Annie’s talent and experience will strengthen the Law School’s development and advancement functions, which will permit us to better serve our students, faculty, and alumni, both now and in the decades to come.”

Nienaber brings more than a decade of broad and deep experience creating and leading new strategic fundraising initiatives that result in significant increased giving and alumni engagement. She also has a strong track record in building a culture of philanthropy and strengthening partnerships with internal and external constituents. In her six years at Rutgers University School of Engineering, where she served as Director of Development before being named Assistant Dean in 2018, she launched giving initiatives that led to $15 million in new gift commitments, the second-largest fundraising year in the school’s history. Under her leadership, the School received a $10 million endowed scholarship commitment, the largest single gift ever to Rutgers Engineering and, at the time, the largest scholarship gift ever to Rutgers University. Before joining Rutgers, she served for five years in various development roles at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where, among other accomplishments, she helped create a new office of development for Scholarships, Student Aid, and Access. That new office was charged with identifying opportunities for increased giving to these funding priorities, laying the groundwork for UNC’s $4.25 billion For All Kind campaign.

“I am very pleased to welcome Annie to the Law School at this pivotal time in our 120-year history,” said Michael T. Cahill, President and Joseph Crea Dean. “As we finally begin to emerge from the pandemic, and look ahead to the future of our Law School, I am excited to again have increasing opportunity to engage with our alumni and partners across the country and around the world. I feel fortunate to have Annie as a partner in that effort.”

“Among Brooklyn Law School’s strengths are its strong community of engaged students, faculty, alumni, and friends, built on a remarkable legacy of providing access to a legal education,” Nienaber said. “I am excited by the opportunity to join this community, and look forward to the great things we will accomplish together in the years ahead.”

Nienaber holds an M.A. and B.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She will join the Law School June 14.