Risa Anne Grimes passed away on Nov. 29, 2019. Born Oct. 12, 1948, Risa served as Vice President of Advancement for Antioch College. She was instrumental in the Antioch College Revival effort. She worked very closely with Interim College President Matthew Derr ’89 and Antioch Chair Lee Morgan ’66. Risa developed close relationships with a number of donors from 2005 to 2011. Risa retired shortly after Mark Roosevelt was named President of Antioch.
Risa was hired in 2005 as a major gifts officer. At the closing of the College, she emerged as the institution’s chief fund-raiser, working with the alumni to secure the funds to purchase the College and its assets from Antioch University.
She led a team of eight that secured $10 million to obtain the college and wrote grants totaling $4.5 million. As executive director of the College Revival Fund, she worked intimately with the Alumni Association Board of Directors and wrote the 501(c)3 application to establish the Antioch College Continuation Corporation.
“I am especially proud of the Advancement Team,” she said at the time. “Against all odds, they never gave up on the fight to reclaim Antioch College. They are the unsung heroes of the Save Antioch movement and they are, without a doubt, the finest advancement professionals I have ever encountered.”
Risa came to Antioch College from Clemson University, where she served as the director of development for the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities from 2002-2005. There, she raised millions of dollars for a wide variety of projects, including a Pre Law Society and a Creative Arts Center.
Risa also served as the chief executive officer for Dayton’s Center for Nonprofit Resources,and for Life Essentials. Risa earned a bachelor’s in marketing education from Memphis State University and a master’s in counseling from Troy State University. Survivors include a son and daughter.