Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech names senior director of development

Lois Badey of Hanover, Va., has been named the senior director of development for the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.

In this position she will be the chief major-gift officer for the center, which is already running programs and this fall will occupy a 150,000 square foot complex currently under construction on the corner of North Main Street and Alumni Mall. Badey will work closely with the executive director of the Center for the Arts and be responsible for overall fundraising efforts from all private sources and individual major givers.

Badey, a certified fundraising executive, brings a strong background in university fundraising to the position. She recently served as the director of development for the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she spent seven years building a fundraising and alumni relations program for the college.

"We are so pleased to have Lois Badey joining the Center for the Arts team," said Ruth Waalkes, the center's executive director. "She brings to us not only a wealth of experience in higher education fundraising, but also a wonderful personal passion for the arts and the work that we will be developing through the center. Her commitment to community and learning will be a vital part of building support for our program."

Badey said the opportunity to help increase the prominence of the arts at Virginia Tech and throughout Southwest Virginia attracted her to the job.

"The Center for the Arts will bring remarkable, unimagined opportunities to both Virginia Tech and the Blacksburg community," said Badey. "I look forward to implementing a fundraising program that will sustain and continue the center's momentum of success."

Badey's fundraising experience also includes working at her alma mater, Randolph-Macon College, where she served as the director of gift stewardship and donor relations, and later as the director of annual giving.

Badey has a bachelor's of English from Randolph-Macon, having graduated magna cum laude as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society, and has been the secretary of the Richmond Association of Phi Beta Kappa since 2010.

"Lois' intelligence, drive, and strong record of fundraising achievements make her an excellent addition to our team," said Sherri Mylott, assistant vice president of development for Virginia Tech's university programs, which include the Center for the Arts. "The center is a major initiative for our university, and fundraising is an essential component in the success of this ambitious project."