Welcoming Our New Associate Director of Development

Posted on in News

Rochester, NY—July 8, 2020—Nativity Preparatory Academy, a local tuition-free privately-operated urban middle school for students in Grades 5-8, is pleased to welcome Jillian Beaman as its new associate director of development. Beaman will collaborate with Nativity leadership and staff to achieve all philanthropic and marketing communications goals for the school.

In her most recent role as director of annual giving at the YMCA of Greater Rochester, Beaman successfully led the annual campaign, soliciting donors and working with many staff and volunteers to ensure fundraising goals were met. She worked directly with staff teams in an urban setting to support fundraising efforts to provide quality child care with equity to families in Rochester. She also created and executed the marketing plan for the annual campaign, in coordination with the marketing and communications department.

“We are delighted to welcome Jillian to the Nativity team,” said James C. Smith, Nativity president and former colleague at the YMCA. “Her experience and proven fundraising and marketing communications skills will help us to advance the Nativity mission to provide an exceptional education for Rochester youth.”

Beaman started her career at the YMCA Westside Family Branch in 2007 as a finance/program assistant and worked her way up to become coordinator of annual giving in 2014. While there, she led four annual campaigns that met or exceeded their goals. Following her success at the Westside branch, Beaman was promoted to director of annual giving for the entire organization in 2017 and went on to lead three annual campaigns for the association (15 locations), raising over $2.6 million in 2019.

“I am excited to help support the Nativity mission and look forward to working with the team here,” Beaman said. “Nativity is funded solely through the generosity of local donors and what we can accomplish together for these kids is to give them the opportunity to have a high quality, values-based education, which will help to enrich their lives today and beyond.”

Based on a nationally renowned educational model, Nativity Prep is entering its 12th year of providing a Catholic middle school education for underserved Rochester inner-city youth. Small by design, with a current student capacity of 80 students, Nativity welcomes a diverse background of faith traditions with the unifying purpose of caring about education.

An extended school day and academic year, along with a strong enrichment program, offers students and families an immersive experience. Dedicated and caring administrators, faculty and staff personally mentor and support students well after graduation.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester and Monroe Community College, Beaman is an active volunteer in the local community. She lives in Ogden with her two children, Joey, age 15 and Laura, age 11.

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About Nativity Preparatory Academy Charter School:

Nativity Preparatory Academy is a Catholic middle school serving inner-city Rochester students in Grades 5–8. Founded in 2009, the school is co-sponsored by McQuaid Jesuit and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester. The school’s mission is to prepare students for entrance into local private and parochial high schools and eventually college. For more information, visit www.nativityrochester.org.