YAA Executive Director

Alison Cole ’99

Alison Cole ’99 is the executive director of the Yale Alumni Association, a position she assumed in 2024. In this capacity, she oversees the alumni association’s various groups, sets the direction and tone for the YAA’s office and operations, operates as the department’s emissary to the larger university, and serves as the organizational go-to for all things Yale alumni.

CASTLE Priorities

C – Campus Connections: Connecting Yalies to one another and also to the opportunities and priorities on campus.

A – Alumni Listening: Learning what alumni are looking for from the YAA post-pandemic.

S – Student Engagement: Developing an engagement curriculum for students while they are on campus so they know all the ways the YAA and alumni can support them from matriculation and beyond.

T – Technology: Investing in tools that help our volunteers do their work more efficiently and help us capture accurate date about how alumni are engaging with Yale.

L – Lifelong Learning and Travel: Making these integral experiences more accessible and inclusive for all alumni.

E – Education Across YAA: Enhancing collaboration across all of our teams to provide the best possible experience for our alumni.

For Humanity Campaign Engagement Goals

Engage 16,000 unique alumni in volunteer roles throughout the campaign
• Currently 15,771 unique alumni volunteers in 30,685 roles (10/1/21-6/30/25)
• FY26 year goal of 229 new volunteers
Engage 17,000 alumni for the first time through an event or program during the campaign
• This would be 12% of email contactable alumni
• Currently 15,762 alumni (up to class of 2025) have attended their first event some time between 10/1/21 and 8/24/25
• FY26 year goal of 1,238 new alumni
• Strategies will include thoughtful virtual events with meaningful outreach/promotion
Maintain 80%+ engagement of the BOLD cohort as measured by ACES
• Track zero engaged in this cohort (6,846 alumni) and create targeted outreach plans
• Establish strong foundation for future engagement
Partner with alumni to “host” 600 events in last two years of campaign
• YAA-specific events with staff involvement
• Focus on importance of data entry
• Helps achieve additional stated goals

Alumni Listening

Alison is committed to continuing to hear from as many alumni as possible and learning how the YAA can help support and enhance your lifelong relationship with Yale. The YAA completed a questionnaire for all alumni and followed up with focus groups on distinct topics. If you were not able to participate in a focus group and would like to provide feedback on service, careers/networking, friendship, or lifelong learning, please fill out this form.

Yale Afternoons with Alison

In this video series, Alison meets with university leaders to learn more about their priorities and how the alumni community can support them. All conversations occur at Rose Alumni House, the home of the alumni association and a hub for activity on campus.