Marily Allen Howekamp (B.A. ‘66 in Italian) loved her time as a student at Cal so much that soon after graduation, in 1971, she went to work for the Cal Alumni Association, then known as the California Alumni Association, as the Manager of Alumni Programs and Student Affairs. In 1980 she was hired by Ernest S. Kuh, Dean of the College of Engineering (with funding from Provost George J. Maslach) to develop and lead a fundraising program for the College of Engineering. Maslach and Kuh felt that the professional schools needed to begin raising funds to support their programs. In the next 15 years, working under the leadership of Deans Kuh, Pister and Hodges, Howekamp helped the College raise over $240 million, including $35 million to build Soda Hall, the Computer Science building, and increase the College’s endowment from $500,000 to over $47 million. Howekamp was also responsible for the College alumni relations and public affairs programs. The fundraising program she built is still going strong and raised over $100 million in 2019.
In 1995 Howekamp moved to University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR), where she was Vice President of the UC Berkeley Foundation and Executive Director, Development Programs, overseeing development policy and services including: gift administration, alumni records, research, donor and fund stewardship, development communications, and events for the Chancellor. Working with Provost Carol Christ and Chair of the L&S Deans, Bonnie Wade, she helped design the fundraising program for Berkeley’s largest college, the College of Letters and Science. On loan from UDAR, Howekamp served a year as the interim assistant dean in the Haas School of Business and year acting for the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, before retiring.
On retirement in 2001, Howekamp was awarded the Berkeley Citation and she has remained involved with the campus ever since. She has consulted or volunteered for a number of campus units including: School of Optometry, Retirement Center, School of Social Welfare, and The Faculty Club. Most recently, she sits on the University Library Board where she serves as President.
Howekamp felt rewarded to have been able to spend her career working to support the teaching, research, and public service activities of the University and to have done it in concert with the Berkeley family of faculty, students, staff, alumni, parents, and friends. Not a day went by when she didn’t learn something new. She feels fortunate to be able to continue that work as a volunteer with the University Library, since the Library serves the academic mission for the entire campus community as well as for citizens around the world.
Marily grew up in small towns in Northern California. In addition to her undergraduate degree from Cal, she has a teaching credential and a master’s in public administration. She has served on the boards of several non-profits. Recently, she co-chaired her 50th Class reunion which broke reunion records, raising over $21 million for UC Berkeley, including more than $500,000 for her class priority, the Class of 1966 Library Endowment. Her husband and two children and their spouses all graduated from Cal. Howekamp spends as much time as possible with her five grandchildren and loves to read, walk, garden, travel, and learn new things.
Read more:
Berkeley alum, library aficionada takes the helm of Library Board