Lorri Grubaugh ’89, EdD ’19
Assistant Dean for Advancement
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Embrace change. It’s a deceptively simple phrase that’s everywhere, from bumper stickers to coffee mugs to the pages of hundreds of self-help books, but it’s not just pat advice. As Lorri Grubaugh ’89, EdD ’19 sees it, embracing change is vital to building a successful career in USC Advancement.
“Be open to different ways of doing things, especially when confronted with new or even existing challenges,” she explains. “Instead of saying, ‘no, this is how we do it,’ dig into the root causes and explore a variety of solutions. ”
USC Dornsife’s assistant dean for advancement, Lorri has seen much change at the university over the course of her fundraising career, which began in college.
“While studying English and journalism, I got a student worker job with USC Associates. That was my entry point into advancement.”
Although Lorri had originally planned to be a writer or a journalist, she quickly learned that she could put her writing skills to good use for the USC Associates.
“I was writing scripts, direct mail pieces and newsletters and really liked it.”
After graduating, Lorri briefly explored other career paths before returning to work for the USC Annual Fund. In this position, she ran the call center and oversaw direct mail.
The next several years were a time of change, both personally and professionally.
“I kind of came in and out of USC during that time for many reasons,” she says. “About 11 years ago, I joined Dornsife.”
Today, Lorri is a member of the Dornsife advancement leadership team and oversees major gifts. She also works closely with other USC Advancement professionals on several of the university’s “moonshot” initiatives, and has her own fundraising portfolio.
Aside from embracing change, Lorri has other career advice for current and newly hired advancement employees.
“Take advantage of all the professional development courses we offer, especially if you want to be in frontline fundraising. When I started out, there wasn’t this kind of formal training available, so I had to basically teach myself on the job. I’m also a big believer in peer mentoring and our colleagues are often the best teachers.”
Another tip?
“Talk frankly with your supervisor about how you want to stretch your career,” she says. “I feel like people in advancement are very open to helping each other. We all come from the same place of wanting USC to make things better in the world. Once you realize that, you can forge some great relationships.”
True to her word, Lorri strives to make sure that the Dornsife advancement team feels supported. It’s what inspired her to pursue an EdD in organizational change and leadership.
“It’s important to learn what motivates people and create organizational structures that enable them to thrive.”
A SoCal native, Lorri loves to travel all over the Golden State and is currently planning a wine-tasting trip to Napa and Sonoma. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children and a recent addition to her family: Winnie, a ten-month old Golden Retriever.