Texas A&M System picks longtime university fundraiser Cady Auckerman for advancement post

Cady Auckerman became assistant vice chancellor for advancement at the Texas A&M University System on Oct. 1, the system announced.

Auckerman will be the system's main advancement services officer. Her work covers fundraising, donor relations and stewardship across the system's 12 universities and its eight state agencies. Her boss is Executive Vice Chancellor Tracy Foster.

According to the announcement, her duties include helping member institutions with fundraising strategy and donor research, advising on naming opportunities and stewardship plans, and drafting gift agreements alongside the Office of General Counsel. She will also join system leaders in seeking outside money from foundations, agencies and individual donors.

Two decades at A&M

Auckerman comes from the Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine at Texas A&M, where she was chief of staff overseeing its advancement and administration work. The system said she helped land the biggest academic naming gift Texas A&M University has ever received while there.

Before that she served the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as both chief of staff and assistant vice chancellor for advancement. While running The Gardens at Texas A&M University, she led the fundraising behind the Leach Teaching Gardens, a $12 million project. Earlier still, she directed the university's policy internship programs and raised money for endowed scholarships.

Both of her degrees are from Texas A&M: a bachelor's in agricultural development, plus a master's in higher education administration. In the community, she has served as board chair of the United Way of the Brazos Valley; the system said the agency brought in over $1.5 million a year while she led it.

Chancellor Glenn Hegar pointed to her donor work in the announcement. "She has already helped deliver one of the most significant gifts in Texas A&M's history," he said.

Auckerman said she has seen "how philanthropy can transform lives, strengthen institutions and expand opportunities for future generations of Texans."

The hire comes as the system starts carrying out its 2026-2031 strategic plan, which names community advancement as one of four core priorities.

Sources

news.tamus.edu