Lee Blitch, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, will join SFSU as its vice president for university advancement on Sept. 1. Responsible for advancing SFSU's external image and maintaining relationships with key University constituencies, he will lead university development, public affairs and publications, alumni relations, special events, and government and community relations.

Blitch, who will report directly to President Robert A. Corrigan and serve on the president's cabinet, has replaced James R. Collier, who retired late last year.

"Lee Blitch is a true leader in the San Francisco community, and well positioned to further advance the University's profile and contributions. His fund-raising, marketing and relationship-building expertise will be tremendous assets to San Francisco State University as we build toward the future," Corrigan said.

As Chamber president and CEO, Blitch was instrumental in helping the city win the competition to house the new statewide stem cell research center, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He also helped establish the San Francisco Center for Economic Development as an affiliate of the Chamber, which has helped create more than 3,000 new jobs in the last year.

"For a community to achieve greatness, it must start with a focus on education and job creation," Blitch said. "Job creation generates the revenues that make all other government services possible, and jobs cannot be generated unless a community has an educated work force.

"This is an excellent opportunity for me to use skills acquired over a long career and intensive community experience to help link this outstanding 30,000-student university to the city, business community and its alumni," Blitch said.

A graduate of University of Florida, Blitch began his career with Southern Bell, where he established the Bell System's first marketing division and was involved in developing the phone center concept and the nation's first phone center.

Prior to joining the Chamber in March 2001, Blitch was employed by AT&T for 37 years. He was AT&T's region vice president for consumer marketing in the Western and Pacific regions. Previously, he held various positions at the company including director of product management, director of marketing and advertising and manager of national sales.

Active in community service, Blitch serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee and the boards of the San Francisco Historical Society, American Chamber of Commerce Executives, National Center for Educational Accountability, Just for the Kids California, SF Works, World Affairs Council, School Alliance Foundation, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and Municipal Fiscal Advisory Committee for the Mayor. He also sits on advisory boards for the San Francisco School Volunteers and Oversight Committee for San Francisco City College Capital Improvements.

Blitch and his wife, Sandy, have two children. His daughter, Susan, is an attorney in Monterey and his son, Scott, is a graduate student majoring in microbiology at University of California, Berkeley.

-- Public Affairs & Publications