Administrator Spotlight: Olivia Stone

Executive Director of Development

Tell us the story of how you came to work at NYU Law. Were you always in your current position?

I come from a working-class household in Indiana and was a first-generation college student. Suffice it to say, I’d never heard of development or really grasped how critical philanthropy is to preserving the things in (American) society we all love most. 

I initially moved to New York to pursue theater, but, after coming out, I quickly realized my real passion was education and advocacy. For me, education is the ultimate privilege. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, was working in major gifts at the American Ballet Theatre. That was my first real exposure to “development,” and it seemed like a perfect fit for me.

At the time, I was juggling two bartending jobs paying off student loans. I had no full-time administrative experience, so it was tough convincing folks I could contribute value. I applied to over a hundred jobs, hoping someone would take a chance and call me in for an interview. I knew if I could just get my foot in the door and talk with someone, I’d have a shot.  

At some point, NYU Law’s Development and Alumni Relations (DART) office called me in to interview for a development assistant position. I still remember the people I met that day and how warm and welcoming they were. Happily, I actually work with more than a handful of those same folks today. 

After I interviewed, I didn’t hear back for two weeks. Then they called: They’d offered the assistant position to someone else but wanted me to come in and interview for the more senior level role of development coordinator, which worked closely with the dean. Surely they’d made a mistake. 

I didn’t have any professional clothes, so I remember wearing one of my wife’s suits and a pair of her shoes, which were too big for me. Dean Trevor Morrison interviewed me that day. I waited in his office on a sofa where I’d just been told Bill Clinton had napped the previous week. Dean Morrison was particularly impressed by my experience working at an auto body shop and bartending; he said those jobs required real grit. I can’t overstate how much that meant to me. It really told me a lot about the culture of the place. The overall experience was very surreal. I’ll never forget it. 

That’s a long-winded way of letting you know that, no, I have not always been in my current role. 

I worked as the development coordinator for three years. In 2017, I left New York for a time and gained valuable management and fundraising experience elsewhere at places like Amherst College and Harvard University. But I often found myself thinking about NYU Law—the school’s mission and real impact on global issues, the people there. In 2021, the position I currently hold became available. I leapt at the opportunity. It’s been three years. I love this place. It changed my life. 

What’s a typical day for you like?

The main “why” behind my job is positioning the Law School to make the world a better place and make justice accessible for all. My team and I effectively do that by asking folks for gifts to advance causes that NYU Law champions. People find the idea of asking for money terrifying, but it’s really not. It’s actually incredibly rewarding, and no one makes a sizable donation if they don’t sincerely want to. 

So, a typical day for me: Wake up and knock out an Orangetheory class. I’ll then play fetch with my Labrador, Hazel, at our neighborhood dog park. After that, I’ll down a smoothie, brew a large pot of coffee, and embark on a day of internal and external meetings. My schedule is usually really varied, which keeps things interesting. 

I have roughly fifteen reports with whom I meet regularly. We’ll strategize, talk through challenges, and check in with one another. That last one is huge for me. For example, if we have an hour-long meeting scheduled, I try to ensure that at least one-sixth of that time is devoted to laughter or getting to know each other.

We’re also just continuously measuring and evaluating what we’re doing as a team to ensure we’re maximizing our potential. So I might meet with particular colleagues to discuss how we’re going to roll out a new initiative to improve what we do.

My role is also quite external-facing. I’ll usually meet with several alumni in any given week and—if it resonates with their own philanthropic priorities—ultimately ask them for a gift.

Separately, I often meet with faculty to discuss their own fundraising priorities. So I might meet with an executive director or co-faculty leader of one of our 30 centers. Later on that same day, I’d ideally facilitate a conversation between them and a potential donor with the goal of securing funding for an initiative that’s going to directly benefit people, like the Law School’s new Environmental Justice Lab. 

Beyond this, I serve at the pleasure of the dean of NYU Law, so I’ll likely be tackling items throughout the day to advance his priorities and support my boss, the vice president for institutional initiatives and associate dean of development and alumni relations, Nick Vagelatos. 

What’s the most challenging thing about what you do? And what’s the most rewarding? 

The most challenging thing about what I do is accepting that management can sometimes be a lonely place. I just hope my team knows at the end of the day that they’re my number one priority, and I’m always advocating for them from where I sit even if sometimes I don’t succeed. 

The most rewarding thing is when I’m able to secure funding from a donor and get something really impactful off the ground, like a first-generation student scholarship. Another truly rewarding aspect of my job is being able to set a tone of respect and compassion at scale for my team and department. 

What do you wish you’d known about the Law School on your first day of working here?

I’m honestly not sure. Where I come from, people don’t have careers—they have jobs. I just felt so lucky to be at the Law School: grateful to have healthcare and not have aching feet from pulling sixteen-hour bartending shifts, not to mention furthering incredible work to make the world a better place. All these years later, I still feel that way. Maybe I wish I’d known that I belonged. 

What is your favorite spot on campus, and why?

Henry James’s 19th-century novel Washington Square takes place in 1840s New York City in a newly-established neighborhood called, you guessed it, Washington Square. The protagonist lives in one of the 13 townhouses that line the north side of Washington Square Park, commonly referred to as “The Row.” I get to work in one of those townhomes. So yes, my favorite spot on campus is the NYU Law Development and Alumni Relations office. How lucky am I?

Posted October 17, 2024