Amanda Sbriscia
Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Holyoke Community College
Amanda Sbriscia serves as Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Executive Director of the Holyoke Community College Foundation, Inc., dual roles she has held since 2017.
A member of the President’s Cabinet at HCC, Sbriscia leads the college’s marketing, communications, public relations, grants, alumni relations and development operations. A skilled leader of large-scale events, community engagement opportunities, and legislative affairs, Sbriscia is responsible for countless initiatives that showcase institutional mission and strategic priorities. During her tenure, she secured the largest private donation in college history — $7.5 million — to support the renovation of the college’s life sciences facility, led the public launch of the institution’s first-ever strategic plan, and managed a college-wide effort to celebrate HCC’s 75th anniversary as the oldest two-year college in Massachusetts. She is also responsible for the college’s crisis communications, a responsibility that took on greater significance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her capacity as Executive Director of the HCC Foundation, Sbriscia works with a 27-member Board of Directors to manage and steward the largest endowment of any community college in Massachusetts. Under her leadership, the Foundation’s board transformed from zero racial diversity to 30 percent of members identifying as Black or Hispanic, reflecting the college’s identity as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Now guided by its own strategic priorities for the first time in its history, the Foundation prioritizes funding for initiatives focused on eliminating barriers to student success, including the establishment of the Bienvenidos Latinx Scholarship and Student Emergency Fund, while remaining responsive and innovative, as evidenced by its funding to construct and open the 20,000 square-foot HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2018.
A women’s college graduate and two-sport NCAA Division III athlete, Sbriscia’s career includes roles in college and university institutional advancement, residence life, and athletics; as well as fund development for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.
A native of central Pennsylvania, Sbriscia earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Cedar Crest College and Master of Science in higher education from Drexel University. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in education leadership and management from Northeastern University and will complete a Doctor of Education in educational leadership with Gwynedd Mercy University in summer 2023.
Sbriscia was named to Business West’s list of “40 Under Forty” in 2020. She and the HCC Foundation Board of Directors received the John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership from the Association of Governing Boards in 2023.
An avid runner, she has completed eleven marathons, including Chicago, New York City, and Boston.