UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jay E. Davenport, vice president of development and alumni relations at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and VCU Health, has been named the vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State, effective March 1.
“Jay is a committed team builder and experienced development and alumni relations leader who is joining Penn State at a critical time as we prepare for the public launch of our current comprehensive fundraising campaign,” said President Neeli Bendapudi. “Jay’s passion and enthusiasm, along with his strong strategic vision, make him the ideal person to lead a team that oversees the world’s largest dues-paying alumni association and, thanks to our committed donors, has achieved record-breaking fundraising success. I am thrilled that he is joining our leadership team.”
Penn State closed fiscal year 2025, which ran July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, with historic annual fundraising. Alumni and University friends contributed more than half a billion dollars, with $369.5 million in cash and outright gifts and other support from more than 235,000 donors.
Reporting directly to the president, with a dotted line to the senior vice president for external affairs, the vice president for development and alumni relations is responsible for guiding the University’s advancement strategy, encompassing fundraising, alumni relations, events, major gifts, and corporate and foundation engagement. Davenport will oversee a budget of more than $67 million and lead nearly 600 full-time staff members within the Penn State Alumni Association and the Office of University Development, connecting with Penn State’s more than 800,000 living alumni and friends to advance the University's land-grant mission.
“As a native of Pennsylvania, I have always admired and appreciated the combination of academic, research and athletic excellence at Penn State,” Davenport said. “Several family members are proud Penn State graduates, so I have witnessed firsthand the impact of a Penn State education and its lasting benefits for its alumni. Penn State is a world-class university, and I am excited to join the development and alumni relations team to help publicly launch our current fundraising campaign in support of its mission, deepen relationships with our alumni and donors, and advance President Bendapudi’s vision to improve the lives of our students, alumni and all Pennsylvanians.”
At VCU and VCU Health, Davenport oversaw all fundraising and alumni relations activities, providing direction for advancement services, alumni relations, annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, development and alumni communications, donor relations, planned giving, regional philanthropy, presidential advancement, principal giving and campaign management. He also managed development staff across the university and philanthropic coordination with 16 academic deans and senior leaders in athletics, the health system and at the university. Davenport led the team that raised $1.5 billion for VCU and VCU Health since fiscal year 2018, his first year in the role. Under his leadership, alumni giving grew by 43% over three years, and total giving increased 275%, including the largest gift in VCU history, at $134 million.
“One of Penn State's deepest strengths is the lifelong connection among our alumni, friends, donors and the University,” said Michael Wade Smith, senior vice president for external affairs. “The Division of Development and Alumni Relations and the Penn State Alumni Association play an integral role in driving those connections, marshalling the goodwill and strength of all Penn Staters to support our mission to educate the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers. With Jay’s talent and our enormously talented development and alumni relations teams there is opportunity to reach new heights.”
Prior to his most recent role at VCU and VCU Health, Davenport served as the associate vice president of university advancement and campaign director at Wake Forest University. Davenport previously held development and administrative leadership roles at Rice University, the University of Memphis, Catholic Memorial High School, Wright State University and Wittenberg University.
Davenport is a certified fundraising executive, the profession’s leading professional certification. He earned his master of arts in higher education administration from Ball State University in Indiana and his bachelor of arts in political sciences from Xavier University in Ohio.