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James Jacobs Named Director of Alumni Relations

Jacobs, a 16-year veteran of alumni relations at Claremont McKenna, The University of Chicago, and Princeton University, succeeds Doreen Siodmak ’56, who retired in June after 13 years as head of Occidental’s alumni office.

"We are delighted that we were able to find someone of Jim’s caliber and broad experience to take over the reins from Doreen, Oxy’s longest-serving alumni director," said Jon Keates, vice president for institutional advancement. "Jim is the ideal candidate to build on Doreen’s legacy and provide a new level of service and sense of connection to Oxy’s more than 18,000 living alumni."

As associate director of the Claremont McKenna Alumni Association for the past two years, Jacobs has been responsible for coordinating the activities of the college’s 19 alumni chapters, planning a wide variety of special events, including the annual reunion weekend, and serving as the association’s liaison with faculty.

During his four-year stint at the University of Chicago, Jacobs served as associate director of alumni clubs, planning and implementing programs for regional alumni groups, serving as campus host to distinguished alumni including Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and overseeing ChicaGO READ!, a community service initiative for alumni.

Prior to coming to Chicago, Jacobs spent 10 years at Princeton as assistant director and then director of regional affairs for the Alumni Council. In this role he served as liaison to a worldwide network of regional alumni associations, planned presidential travel arrangements, and represented the university on numerous alumni travel programs.

A native of Milwaukee, Jacobs earned a degree in English from Northwestern University, where he played varsity football, and a master’s degree in higher education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.