PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Steven A. King, a 1991 Brown graduate who is currently executive director of the Brown University Sports Foundation, has been named senior vice president for University advancement. King will begin his new duties July 1, 2010, succeeding Ronald D. Vanden Dorpel in that position. The search that has culminated in King’s appointment was initiated in the fall of 2009 following Vanden Dorpel’s announcement that he intended to retire as soon as a successor could be named.
The position of senior vice president for University advancement was created in 2002, bringing together what had formerly been separate offices of development and alumni relations. Three vice presidencies reported to that new position, overseeing development and the campaign, alumni relations, and international advancement. Vanden Dorpel, the first person to hold that position, is credited with bringing about much improved alumni outreach, a successful ongoing campaign that has raised more than $1.5 billion to date, and an outstanding international advancement office.
A former wealth management professional with Morgan Stanley at the Zitzmann-King Financial Advisory Group, King has been executive director of the Brown University Sports Foundation since 2005. He was a stand-out varsity hockey player at Brown and played for the NHL’s Rangers and Mighty Ducks during a nine-year professional career. He returned to Brown initially as an assistant coach of men’s hockey. At the Sports Foundation, he has worked closely with colleagues in the Office of Advancement and elsewhere in the administration as well as with major donors and volunteers around the country.
“Steve’s success in building the Sports Foundation will serve him well as he now advances the broader educational mission of Brown,” said Brown President Ruth J. Simmons, announcing King’s appointment. “Importantly, as a devoted Brown alumnus, he reflects and articulates the impact of Brown’s special blend of academic rigor and personal and intellectual responsibility.”
King emerged from a nationwide search overseen by an eight-person search committee of Corporation members, administrators, and faculty. Chaired by Simmons, the committee researched and interviewed candidates from a variety of universities across the country.
Brown Chancellor Thomas J. Tisch, who served on the committee, observed, “In my judgment, Steve King is exactly the right person to lead Brown’s advancement efforts at this time in our history. A product of Brown’s unique educational focus, he is a leader and a team-builder.”
Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and a member of the search committee, said, “We were seeking a person with the appropriate combination of intelligence, personal values, Brown experience, advancement knowledge, financial background, and desire to advance Brown fundraising to the next level.”
Ken O’Keefe, president of the Sports Foundation, said, “Steve has been a great leader for the Sports Foundation. I am confident that he will bring the same passion and skill to this new challenge.”
Simmons stressed the extraordinary success of the Advancement effort under Vanden Dorpel and the need for the next leader to build significantly on that success. Since 2002, the Advancement Office has raised an average of $227 million annually, bringing unrestricted annual giving from $16 million in 2002 to $35 million in 2009.