CHICAGO—The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a global leader in art and design education, has named Stephanie Oberhausen as its vice president for advancement. Oberhausen will lead SAIC’s fundraising and alumni relations programs, building upon the School’s mission, storied history, and national reputation to strengthen and engage the School’s diverse community of supporters.
In her new role, Oberhausen will provide strategic leadership and oversight of philanthropic activities, including major gifts, planned giving, stewardship, alum and parent engagement, and corporate and foundation relations for the world-renowned art and design college.
Oberhausen joins SAIC from the University of Chicago, where she worked for more than nine years. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president of development for the arts, humanities, and the library. In that role, she led a campaign which raised $287.6 million–more than $14 million over its goal–while overseeing fundraising for critical institutions and programs such as the Court Theatre, the Smart Museum of Art, and the Graduate Division of the Humanities. Oberhausen previously worked in fundraising at both DePaul University and the Lake Symphony Orchestra.
“With extensive experience fundraising for arts and education, as well as a background studying music, Stephanie knows that art and learning are essential components of the human experience,” said SAIC President Elissa Tenny. “I am confident that Stephanie will help make SAIC’s transformative, interdisciplinary art education accessible to emerging artists, designers, and scholars for years to come.”
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Oberhausen has lived in Chicago for the last 13 years. She has a Bachelor of Music from Vanderbilt University and Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Arts Administration degrees from the University of Cincinnati.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman.
