Peter Buchanan joined Washburn & McGoldrick, Inc. in 1998 with skills and experience that are unique in our profession.  For over 35 years, Peter has worked with trustees, campus chief executives and senior advancement officers in their efforts to provide better education, stronger research and enhanced service to their respective communities.  Building relationships has been the core of that work.  Peter brings his experience in business, education and association management to strengthen advancement leadership in education.  His strengths include the ability to bring understanding, coherence and cohesiveness to advancement's role in institutional governance.  He is a problem solver whose skills have helped countless advancement professionals lead their programs to new levels of effectiveness.

Peter is President Emeritus of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) which he led from 1991 to 1997. He headed the strategic planning process of that international professional organization, reorganized its internal structure, and helped to shape professional standards for campaigns, the Donor Bill of Rights and the development of international professional programming.

Prior to leading CASE, Peter served as Vice President of University Development and Alumni Relations at Columbia University, where he was responsible for a highly successful $600 million campaign and the planning and inception of Columbia's $1.15 billion campaign -- now extended to $2.25 billion.  Before joining Columbia, Peter was Vice President for Planning and Resources at Wellesley College.  He previously held several positions at Columbia University including Assistant Dean and Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the Business School and Director of University Development and Alumni Relations.

Peter spent eight years in business with the Colgate Palmolive Company including two years as assistant general manager and director of Colgate Palmolive Venezuela.

A graduate of Deerfield Academy, Peter holds a BA from Cornell University, an MBA from Columbia Business School and an Ed.D. from Teachers College of Columbia University.  He served as a Marine Corps Artillery Officer from 1957 to 1960.

He is secretary of the Board of Directors of the Curry School of Education Foundation of the University of Virginia, and a trustee of the Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a past board member of Independent Sector, the Dana Hall School, the Episcopal Divinity School, and the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women.

Peter is the editor of the 3rd Edition of The Handbook of Institutional Advancement, author of a History of the Founding and Early Years of CASE, a chapter author in Educational Fund Raising (Worth) and Vision of Evaluation (Gray) and the author of several articles on fund raising campaigns and institutional planning.  He currently serves as one of the CASE judges who select annually the highest performing and most improved fund raising programs in education in the U.S.