New director of alumni affairs comes with a vision

BY DANA BENSON
Special to the Rice News

Mark Delos Reyes Davis learned quickly that Rice alums are passionate about their university. He thinks that makes him a perfect fit as the new director of alumni affairs and university events because he has a passion too: to take Rice’s alumni program to the next level.

Davis, who most recently served as executive director of the alumni program at Northern Arizona University, will officially assume his new role at Rice Dec. 9. However, he has been a familiar face around campus since homecoming as he’s met with Rice alumni, faculty, staff and administration to learn more about the university and its alumni program.

”Everyone I’ve met with has been so welcoming. They all share my excitement about the possibilities for this program,” Davis said, adding that he senses the Association of Rice Alumni board members ”want to move the program forward.”

Davis understands well the purpose of his office: to provide alumni with services and events that keep them engaged with the university and each other. ”It’s all about connections, and if we can offer that, then alumni will support and be involved in the institution lifelong,” he said. ”But whatever we offer as an alumni and university events office will fit with the culture of the community.”

He already has started learning what the Rice community is all about, and he looks forward to learning more about the university’s history when he starts his new job. Davis said he has especially enjoyed talking with Rice alumni and hearing their stories about their time on campus. He noted that each alumnus has enriched his impression of Rice.

Before taking the job at Rice, Davis said he was well aware of Rice’s reputation. If he has one goal, it’s to make the university’s alumni program as innovative as its academics.

Davis brings to Rice a solid reputation, and he too has been described as innovative. ”Mark was clearly our first choice with his outstanding history at NAU,” said Rachel Deskin ’83, past president of the Association of Rice Alumni (ARA) and chairman of the search committee for the director of alumni affairs and university events. ”The job he has performed there is impressive, innovative and effective — exactly what we need.”

The 27-year-old worked in alumni affairs at Northern Arizona University, his alma mater, for five years. He described himself as a manager who likes to try new things while still meeting the needs and desires of a diverse alumni group. One thing faculty, staff and alumni should know about him, he said, is that ”what you see is what you get.”
He doesn’t see his relative youth or the fact that he’s not a Rice alumnus as a disadvantage in his new job. In fact, he believes both factors offer an advantage.

Davis explained that since he’s not a Rice alumnus, he has no biases or preconceived ideas about the university.

”All alums have had a different experience at Rice, depending on their age, their gender, their major, what college they where in and other factors,” he said. ”For me, the advantage is being able to rely on the alumni’s perspective while bringing my own skills into the mix.

”I’m the first person to hold this position at Rice who is not an alumnus,” Davis added. ”I take that as a great responsibility, and I’m very humbled by it.”

Deskin noted that the search committee, which comprised seven alumni, reviewed more than 150 applications for the position, one-third of which were from Rice alumni.
”Although preference had been placed on finding the best candidate from the Rice alumni applicants,” she said, ”Mark’s talents and extensive experience were the determining factors for his selection.”

As for his experience, Davis said he has frequently held positions of responsibility. ”My age has never been a challenge for me, and I hope it’s not for other people,” he said. ”I think if you would ask the people at NAU, they would say I left the program better than it was when I started.”

Noted Carl Isgren ’61, a member of the search committee, ”Mark has demonstrated his ability while significantly improving the NAU Alumni Association by doing many of the things we plan to do with the ARA. I expect that he will take our alumni association to new heights to become one of the very best in the nation.”

After graduating from NAU, a public university with an enrollment of about 20,000, Davis joined the school’s alumni office. Before serving as executive director of the office, he headed the university’s centennial celebration. Davis noted that initially he didn’t think he’d make alumni affairs his career, but it turned out to be a perfect fit for him.

”It’s a fun field. I get to meet and talk to so many people, which is great for a people-person like me,” said Davis, who was born in Japan and lived in Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico while growing up. ”It turned out that my skill set matches well with this profession. It’s a field that challenges me professionally and personally, and that comes from the opportunity to meet new people and learn about them.”

— Dana Benson is a freelance writer