Xavier appointed Kendra Tircuit as the Executive Director of Advancement Services in January of 2021, but she is no stranger to the university. After graduating from Xavier with a BS in accounting in 1995, she continued her education at the University of New Orleans, receiving an MBA degree, all while working as a student account representative at Xavier. A true Xavierite to her core, Tircuit has served Xavier as both a student and in a professional capacity. 

Tircuit, a New Orleans-native, found her place in Advancement Services at Xavier in 2003. Over time, she proved her leadership skills to serve as the senior director for the Xavier University Office of Advancement. Tircuit held the position for three years, from 2016 to 2019, and was responsible for overseeing database integrity, gift accounting, prospect management and donor stewardship. Before rejoining Xavier this year, Kendra Tircuit served as the director of finance at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where her role consisted of organizing funding and school finances. 

“I’ve always been good at math, and I work well with numbers. I presented the idea of becoming an accountant to my mother, and she approved. She wanted me to do something that would be important, and we all know that organized money management and finances are at the core of great institutions,” said Tircuit.

The ability to obtain adequate funding is essential to a school’s progress and ability to provide resources to students. Tircuit has several years of experience managing student scholarships, training employees and assisting with fiscal planning and development for educational institutions. 

“We are very excited to have Kendra Tircuit rejoin our team at Xavier. She is a great leader who is passionate about her work.  I know that she will contribute significantly to our achievement of the University's ambitious fundraising goals,” said Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Xavier University, Phillip D. Adams. 

With this appointment as executive director, Tircuit will continue to expand the work she began as a leader in Advancement Services at Xavier. She will manage daily operation of the advancement systems and processes which tracks contributions, alumni, donor, and prospect information in support of fundraising and constituent relations. 

“My goal in helping to advance Xavier is to help organize our database and help with technological advancements. Anything to keep us forward-thinking and progressive in our approach to obtaining resources to advance the mission of our foundress and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament,” said Kendra.