Ralph Amos
Ralph Amos may not be a university alumnus himself, but as the newly appointed director of the university’s Alumni Association, he plans to make connecting alumni and students across new platforms his top priority.
Amos, who has more than 20 years of experience working with alumni associations, will take over as director of the association Monday. One of his primary goals as director is to increase the organization’s social media presence, making use of new technology that could allow alumni to engage more easily with their alma mater.
“It’s about meeting alumni in a modern and contemporary sense, connecting them to the university in meaningful ways … and ensuring that the university can help them live a more productive life,” he said.
Amos earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies at The Ohio State University and a master’s in public administration at Ohio University. After graduating, Amos worked at a seafood restaurant — despite an allergy to crustaceans — to make ends meet.
Determined to land a more successful job, Amos went through a bowl of business cards customers left for contests at the restaurant and called businesses, looking for employment. This move landed him a position at Burlington Air Express, a shipping company.
Six years later, Amos was hired as Ohio State’s assistant vice president of marketing and membership. He would later move to the alumni association at Ohio University, serving as assistant vice president for alumni relations for nine years; he then became the assistant vice chancellor of the UCLA Alumni Association, a role he filled for six years.
In his previous positions, Amos said, he learned communication is one of the best tools for creating a strong alumni organization. To give alumni and current students a forum for discussion and networking, Amos plans to develop a website to help the two groups connect.
“This online community should be rich in content so students can network with each other, and it will help alumni in their professional life,” Amos said. “If you’re in the job market, you will be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m a Terrapin, you’re a Terrapin, let’s talk.’”
Several university officials said they are optimistic Amos will use a strong sense of leadership and dedication to increase alumni involvement with the university.
“He will bring great experience building alumni networks to Maryland,” Brian Shook, interim executive director of alumni engagement and philanthropy for the Alumni Association, wrote in an email, citing past university staff training sessions Amos led as proof of his skills. “Ralph’s abilities will be particularly important as Maryland joins the Big Ten next year.”
UCLA Assistant Vice Chancellor Keith Parker, who collaborated with Amos for five years, said Amos will bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm to the association.
“Ralph’s personality is infectious,” Parker said. “He has a great passion for what he does, and that belief transfers to those he works with.”
Ensuring alumni have a vehicle to express their school spirit long after they’ve graduated is what Amos most hopes to achieve as head of the association.
“[I want to] see measurable growth in the engagement of university alumni,” Amos said. “This will mean seeing alumni coming back to campus more often and interacting with students. It will be when [university] President [Wallace] Loh goes out to communities and alumni really show up and are supportive. It will be seeing alumni proudly wearing their colors and saying, ‘Hey, I went to Maryland.’”