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Dave Kennedy Reappointed to Second Term As Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Development

David Kennedy Dave Kennedy will serve a second five-year term as vice president for alumni engagement and development, President Vincent Price announced this week.

The reappointment followed a routine administrative review that was conducted by a committee chaired by Bill Boulding, dean of the Fuqua School of Business. Kennedy’s new term begins July 1, 2023.

“Under Dave’s leadership, Duke is engaging our global network of over 190,000 alumni and friends, harnessing their extraordinary talents, and securing philanthropic support that is enabling us to strengthen our educational, research, and patient care missions and advance strategic priorities,” said Price. “I am grateful to Dave and his team for their terrific work and dedication and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Kennedy was named vice president in 2018, succeeding Robert Shepard, who held the position for 14 years.  As vice president, Kennedy provides leadership of Duke’s alumni engagement and development efforts across the institution and around the world; leads strategic and campaign planning; and manages key internal and external relationships. To these ends, he oversees the budget, administration, and management of a large division and coordinates closely with school and unit leaders across the university.

Since Kennedy’s arrival, high giving levels that were established during the Duke Forward campaign, which ended in 2017, have been sustained, and the number of new gift commitments has increased.  In collaboration with university leaders, Kennedy and his team designed and launched fundraising initiatives in support of Duke’s highest priorities, notably Duke Science and Technology and the Duke Climate Commitment. In addition, as part of Duke’s priority to deeply engage and activate its global network of alumni and friends, the Forever Learning Institute was launched in early 2021 under his leadership. The institute offers educational opportunities to Duke alumni and others, and to date has engaged thousands of alumni, donors, and friends.

Kennedy came to Duke from Stanford University, where he served as senior associate vice president for development for nine years. He previously spent eight years as associate dean for development at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford in 1984.