Artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic priority for colleges and universities seeking to improve student engagement, fundraising, and operational efficiency. Reflecting that momentum, Gravyty has expanded its executive leadership team by appointing Margaret Onisick Lawless as Chief Product and Technology Officer and Brandon Stec as Senior Vice President of Marketing, reinforcing its focus on AI-powered engagement solutions for higher education institutions.

As higher education institutions increasingly adopt artificial intelligence to modernize student engagement and institutional advancement, technology providers are strengthening their leadership teams to support the next phase of innovation. Gravyty, an AI-powered engagement platform for higher education, has announced two executive appointments aimed at accelerating product development and expanding market growth.

The company has named Margaret Onisick Lawless as Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) and Brandon Stec as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Together, the executives will help advance Gravyty's unified AI platform, which supports student success, alumni engagement, fundraising, institutional advancement, and collegiate athletics.

The appointments come as universities face increasing pressure to improve enrollment, enhance student retention, strengthen alumni relationships, and operate more efficiently with limited resources. Artificial intelligence has emerged as an important technology for addressing these challenges by automating routine processes, delivering personalized engagement, and providing data-driven insights throughout the education lifecycle.

Lawless brings more than 25 years of experience leading product and technology organizations serving education and mission-driven institutions. Prior to joining Gravyty, she served as Chief Product and Technology Officer at TeachTown, where she oversaw engineering, information technology, curriculum, product management, marketing, and customer support. Her previous leadership roles at Blackbaud, Relias Learning, and Intelerad focused on scaling enterprise software platforms, modernizing product portfolios, and improving customer experiences.

As CPTO, Lawless will lead Gravyty's product strategy and technology roadmap while aligning product innovation with customer needs and long-term business priorities. Her responsibilities include advancing AI-powered solutions that help institutions create stronger engagement across the student journey while maximizing technology investments.

The company has also appointed Brandon Stec as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Stec brings more than a decade of experience leading marketing, demand generation, and growth strategies across education technology, nonprofit technology, and professional sports organizations. Most recently, he held senior marketing leadership positions at Frontline Education, helping K–12 institutions modernize operations and improve stakeholder engagement. Earlier in his career, he supported digital marketing initiatives for Community Brands following its acquisition of Gesture.

Stec will oversee Gravyty's global marketing organization, including brand strategy, demand generation, communications, and go-to-market initiatives. His role is expected to strengthen market awareness of Gravyty's AI platform while helping colleges and universities better understand how artificial intelligence can improve engagement with students, alumni, donors, and athletic supporters.

The leadership expansion reflects broader trends across the education technology sector. Institutions are moving beyond isolated digital transformation initiatives toward integrated platforms capable of supporting the entire education lifecycle—from prospective student recruitment and enrollment to fundraising, alumni relations, and lifelong engagement.

Gravyty's platform is designed around this connected approach, combining AI-powered engagement tools that enable personalized communications, automate repetitive workflows, and provide actionable insights for institutional advancement teams. Rather than deploying separate solutions for fundraising, student engagement, and alumni relations, universities increasingly seek unified platforms that centralize data and improve operational efficiency.

According to Gartner, artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic investment across education and enterprise sectors as organizations prioritize automation, predictive analytics, and personalized digital experiences. IDC also projects continued growth in AI software spending as institutions accelerate digital transformation initiatives to improve productivity and user engagement.

Competition within the higher education technology market continues to intensify as software providers incorporate generative AI, intelligent automation, and predictive analytics into their platforms. Enterprise technology companies including Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, and Adobe continue expanding AI capabilities that support customer engagement, workflow automation, and data intelligence, influencing innovation across education technology providers as well.

For colleges and universities, AI is increasingly viewed not simply as an operational efficiency tool but as a means of building stronger relationships throughout the education lifecycle. Personalized communications, predictive engagement models, automated fundraising outreach, and intelligent student support are becoming central components of institutional success strategies.

Gravyty's executive appointments underscore this evolving market direction. By strengthening leadership across both product development and go-to-market strategy, the company is positioning itself to expand its AI platform while helping higher education institutions adopt technologies that improve engagement, increase operational efficiency, and deliver more personalized experiences for students, alumni, donors, and other stakeholders.

Market Landscape

Higher education technology is rapidly embracing artificial intelligence to improve student recruitment, retention, fundraising, alumni engagement, and operational efficiency. Institutions are investing in integrated AI platforms that unify engagement across the entire education lifecycle rather than deploying disconnected point solutions.

The market is also witnessing greater convergence between education technology, CRM platforms, marketing automation, and predictive analytics. AI-powered engagement platforms are enabling colleges and universities to deliver personalized experiences while optimizing institutional resources and strengthening long-term stakeholder relationships.

Top Insights

• Gravyty has strengthened its executive leadership with new product and marketing appointments to accelerate innovation across its AI-powered higher education engagement platform.
• The company continues expanding AI capabilities that support student success, fundraising, alumni engagement, athletics, and institutional advancement through a unified technology platform.
• Higher education institutions increasingly rely on AI to improve operational efficiency, personalize communications, and strengthen engagement throughout the student lifecycle.
• Leadership investments reflect broader education technology trends emphasizing integrated AI platforms over disconnected engagement tools and manual workflows.
• AI-powered engagement solutions are becoming strategic assets for universities seeking to improve enrollment outcomes, donor relationships, and long-term institutional growth.

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