UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- O. Richard Bundy III, president and chief executive officer of the University of Vermont Foundation, has been named vice president for Development and Alumni Relations at Penn State, effective Jan. 1, 2017, pending approval of the Board of Trustees at the Nov. 4 meeting.
Bundy succeeds Rodney Kirsch, who during his 20-year career at Penn State attained $4.4 billion in new private support for the University while leading two, seven-year, billion-dollar-plus capital campaigns. Kirsch announced his retirement in March.
David Lieb, senior associate vice president for development, will serve as interim vice president for Development and Alumni Relations through the end of this year.
“Rich’s energy and fresh perspective are exactly what Penn State needs as we prepare to launch our upcoming capital campaign,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “Our alumni and friends are passionate advocates of Penn State and its mission, and it takes an equally passionate leader to engage with them and convey our most fundamental needs. Not only does Rich possess that passion, but he shares our collective vision to enhance Penn State’s impact, both here and beyond.
“While I couldn’t be happier that Rich will be joining us, I am equally pleased that an experienced and respected professional like Dave Lieb has agreed to serve as vice president on an interim basis, as his leadership will prove invaluable in the months ahead.”
A Penn State alumnus who began his career in public higher education fundraising at the University, Bundy brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role. At Vermont, Bundy oversaw the establishment of the University of Vermont Foundation, a separate, institutionally related 501(c)(3) organization, which has enjoyed six successive years of record fundraising since its establishment in 2011. He also provided oversight and management of all aspects of Vermont’s fundraising and alumni relations programs, including leadership toward the successful execution of the university’s current eight-year, $500 million campaign, “Move Mountains.”
Before joining the University of Vermont in 2010, Bundy spent more than a decade working in development at Iowa State University (ISU), ultimately serving as vice president for development at the ISU Foundation. In this role, Bundy oversaw nearly all of Iowa State’s fundraising activities, including serving as campaign director for “Campaign Iowa State,” the university’s successful eight-year, $800 million comprehensive campaign that ended in 2011.
Previously, Bundy served as associate director of development for the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University from 1997 to 2000. Bundy was assistant director of annual giving at Penn State from 1995 to 1997, during which time he managed the Lion Line program.
“Penn State is unquestionably one of the leading public universities in the nation, with far-reaching impact, a passionate alumni community, and an exciting strategic vision to affect the world in positive and enduring ways,” said Bundy. “Philanthropy is an increasingly critical component of public higher education, and I look forward to working with President Barron and the entire Penn State family to advance the University’s mission and vision through the upcoming campaign.”
Bundy is a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, as well as a member of the Golden Lion Society and the Mount Nittany Society. In 2011, he endowed a scholarship in honor of his father, retired Penn State Blue Band Director O. Richard Bundy Jr. to support student musicians in the Blue Band.
At Penn State, Bundy will lead a team of more than 400 professionals whose work secured $2.2 billion in support during the University’s most recent capital campaign that ended in 2014 — and who engage the more than 177,000 members of the Penn State Alumni Association, the largest dues-paying organization of its kind in the world.
As a member of the University’s senior leadership team, Bundy will report directly to the president. Bundy will provide strategic vision and leadership for every aspect of the University’s advancement operation, including frontline fundraising, alumni relations, event planning, major gift cultivation, corporate and foundation relations and more, in support of Penn State’s strategic goals and institutional missions.
Bundy earned two degrees at Penn State — a master of arts in history in 1996 and a bachelor of arts in history in 1993. He also earned an MBA with a focus in integrative management from Michigan State University in 1999, and he completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Management Development Program in 2004.