Adams named Vice President for Institutional Advancement
As the leader of all the University's advancement functions, Adams will be responsible for developing relationships to support the institution, including identifying and cultivating major donors, creating and managing high-goal capital campaigns, and guiding the staff of the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Since 1998 Adams has served as executive vice president and CEO of the VMI Foundation Inc. and executive director of the VMI Development Board at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va. At VMI, Adams led a development effort that raised more than $280 million during his tenure, including a successful $175 million capital campaign. Under his management, VMI's endowment increased by 50 percent, peaking at $370 million.
Adams earned a bachelor's degree in English from VMI, a master's degree in English literature from James Madison University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Tennessee.
He served two years on active duty in the United States Army and retired from the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 1999 after 28 years of commissioned service (and six months of active duty during Operation Desert Storm in 1991).
Prior to his position at VMI, Adams served as director of membership and development at the U. S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Md. He has also been a fundraiser and public relations manager at the Citadel, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and an earlier stint at VMI.
Adams has been involved in many professional organizations, including service on the planning committee of the Association of Governing Boards, as an over 25-year member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, on the Advisory Board of the John A. Adams Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis at VMI, and as a member of the Naval War College Foundation and the Military Officers Association of America.