Southwestern Law School has appointed advancement leader Janet Dial, Ed.D. as Vice President for Institutional Advancement. She will lead fundraising, alumni engagement, and strategic partnerships to support Southwestern’s students, faculty, and its mission to expand opportunity through practice-driven legal education. 

“Janet has surpassed ambitious campaign goals everywhere she has served,” said Darby Dickerson, President and Dean of Southwestern Law School. “Her experience and leadership will strengthen our ability to support students, faculty, and programs to expand the school’s impact.” 

Dial most recently served as Vice President of Advancement for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), overseeing fundraising, membership, and partnerships for more than 42,000 members. Her leadership delivered sustained revenue growth and multi-million-dollar gifts supporting conservation and education. 

From 2014 to 2022, Dial was Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the Cal State LA Foundation, where she rebuilt the advancement infrastructure, led the university’s first comprehensive campaign—raising $101 million, far exceeding its goal—and more than doubled the endowment. Her tenure also included the institution’s largest-ever single gift. 

“I’m drawn to institutions with a clear sense of mission and community,” Dial said. “Southwestern’s students are talented, ambitious, and deeply engaged with the world around them. My role is to help connect that energy to supporters who want their giving to launch careers, expand justice, and back the next generation of legal changemakers.”  

Earlier in her career, Dial held leadership roles at the University of the Pacific, where she directed major gifts, the annual fund, and foundation relations. She holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of the Pacific and a B.A. in Psychology from The College of Wooster.