Virginia Tech hires Steve Clark as assistant vice president of gift planning
Virginia Tech has hired Steve Clark as assistant vice president of gift planning, effective Nov. 30.
In this role he will oversee gift-planning services provided to the university community, including academic departments and program units, in line with university fundraising priorities.
Reporting to the senior associate vice president for development and principal gifts, Clark will also directly manage a portfolio of principal-gift prospects, and will plan and implement initiatives to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects and donors.
Clark has served as assistant vice chancellor for university development at North Carolina State University since 2013, where he worked in collaboration with the associate vice chancellor for university development to build infrastructure and prepare for the university’s comprehensive campaign.
Clark’s new position represents a return to Virginia Tech, where he worked from 1994-2013 at positions of progressive responsibility that included associate director of planned giving, director of gift planning, and assistant vice president for gift planning. Before that, Clark worked as an attorney at firms in Abingdon and Richmond.
“Steve’s extensive experience in gift planning overall, and in gift planning at Virginia Tech in particular, will be major assets for us in working with donors to maximize the impact of their philanthropy,” Virginia Tech Vice President for Advancement Charlie Phlegar said.
Senior Associate Vice President for Development and Principal Gifts Thim Corvin said, “Steve served our gift planning operation with distinction for 19 years. We were sorry to see him leave in 2013, and are excited to have him rejoin us.”
Corvin added, “Steve is a recognized leader in the field of philanthropic planning, and both our donors and our institution as a whole stand to benefit from his expertise.”
Clark has given more than a dozen industry presentations and has served a number of industry groups in a variety of capacities, including as a member of the national board of directors of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning and as president of the Blue Ridge Planned Giving Study Group.
He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and government and a law degree, both from the University of Virginia.
“I’m excited to start working with Charlie and Thim as part of a team that will help Virginia Tech focus strategically on how donors can have a new level of impact on the university,” Clark said.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
