Clay Torres

Clay Torres brings nearly 25 years of higher education leadership experience to BU, including more than a decade as a senior leader within Columbia University’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development. Throughout his career, he has focused on strengthening organizations through strategic investments in people, processes, technology, and data, while enhancing service and support for alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students, and other key stakeholders.

As Columbia’s Deputy Vice President for Administration, Clay provided leadership for a broad portfolio of operational functions, including Human Resources and Talent Management, Finance, Business Services, Technology, and Advancement Systems. He played a critical role in supporting multiple university fundraising campaigns, including Columbia’s most recent campaign, which raised approximately $6 billion over five years.

Most recently, Clay led the successful implementation of Columbia’s new Salesforce-based advancement platform, replacing a more than 20-year-old system of record. The multi-year initiative engaged more than 500 advancement professionals across the university and transformed fundraising operations through modernized processes, enhanced data capabilities, and improved collaboration.

Prior to his advancement leadership roles, Clay served in Student Affairs and Enrollment Services and worked as an internal consultant supporting university-wide process redesign, technology implementation, leadership coaching, and organizational assessments. He is recognized for building collaborative teams, driving operational excellence, and creating organizational alignment that advances institutional goals.

Clay holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from The New School University, a Master of Arts in Higher Education from New York University, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from St. John Fisher University.