Brian Campbell joins the VCU College of Engineering Nov. 15, 2018, as executive director of development. Campbell was selected after a nationwide search to find the right candidate to help increase fundraising efforts of this rapidly expanding college. He will lead the College of Engineering fundraising program, primarily through the coordination of major gift and annual fund strategies.

“We are excited to have Brian lead our fundraising efforts. He has a well-deserved reputation in the world of academic engineering as being innovative in his approach. This resonates with the VCU community in so many ways,” said Barbara D. Boyan Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Dean of the College of Engineering and professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

In his 22-year career in higher education administration, Campbell has served in similar roles at the North Carolina State University College of Engineering Foundation, the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania; the Nevada System of Higher Education, Iowa State University and the University of Virginia.

During Campbell’s tenure at NC State, the college’s endowment and the number of endowed professorships both doubled. He led fundraising efforts resulting in a $25 million gift to build Fitts-Woolard Hall, the newest engineering building on NC State’s Centennial Campus and the first public-private building project in the university’s history.

Campbell is passionate about the value of public education and the wide range of opportunities created by an engineering education. He was attracted to VCU Engineering’s strong track record in advancing meaningful research that helps humankind and the college’s success in providing Virginia’s workforce with engineers who are collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial.

“I feel like the planets have aligned with this opportunity for me to return home to Virginia and join Dean Boyan’s team,” Campbell said. “The upward trajectory and opportunity at the College of Engineering at VCU are incredible. Excitement is in the air!”

Campbell also has extensive background in public service. He was a member of the Virginia State Board of Social Services from 1994 to 2001 and served as board chair. From 1980 to 1986, Campbell served in the United States Air Force with the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, where he participated in contingency operations in Egypt, Panama, Germany and Honduras.

Campbell and his wife, the former Lynn Hall, are natives of Gloucester, Virginia. Mr. Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Averett University and a master’s degree in higher education policy from the University of Virginia.

Philip O’Connor has assumed the role of executive director, College of Engineering Foundation and corporate relations. He is responsible for day-to-day operations of the foundation and the Board of Trustees as well as cultivating industry partnerships.