Dan Montplaisir
Daniel E. Montplaisir (Dan) is the Vice President of Advancement at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), a position he assumed on September 3, 2024. With over three decades of experience in higher education, Montplaisir leads efforts in fundraising, alumni relations, and corporate outreach. In this role, he reports directly to President Mohamed Abousalem and oversees KGI’s Advancement team, working to expand the Institute’s culture of philanthropy, strengthen corporate and foundation relationships, and engage alumni. Montplaisir is focused on deepening KGI’s connections with donors, community members, and industry partners, particularly in the life sciences sectors, to amplify the Institute’s impact across California and beyond.
Before joining KGI, Montplaisir served as Vice President of Advancement and CEO of the Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation. Throughout his career, he has built strong cultures of philanthropy at leading institutions, focusing on accountability, partnership growth, and recognizing the impact of philanthropy.
Montplaisir previously held the role of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where he played a key part in the $1 billion “Shaping the Future” Campaign, completed in 2016. He also served as Vice President for Advancement at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he successfully led the completion of the institution’s first fundraising campaign, expanded alumni relations, and launched a national media campaign. Embry-Riddle, recognized as the top aviation-focused university in the U.S., has a global reputation in aviation and aerospace.
In 2023, Montplaisir spent time in Gujarat, India, as Joint Director General at Ganpat University, a 300-acre campus with 15,000 students. The university was founded by an Indian-American philanthropist with a mission to empower rural youth through education.
Montplaisir holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) and is active with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Daniel is married to Kelly, an elementary educator, and they have three adult children.