Executive Director of Advancement Information and Technology
North Carolina State University

Kevin Howell
Chancellor of North Carolina State University

---

Kevin Howell became North Carolina State University’s 15th chancellor in May 2025.

Howell previously served as chief of external affairs for UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine. In his role, he developed and implemented strategies shaping public policy and legislation for a health care system with 19 hospitals, more than 900 clinics, 3,000 physicians and more than 40,000 employees.

Howell has a long record of service to North Carolina, the UNC System and NC State University. Prior to his time with UNC Health, Howell acted as NC State’s vice chancellor for external affairs, partnerships and economic development from 2018 to 2023, and as assistant to the chancellor for external affairs from 2006 to 2016. He was also senior vice president for external affairs with the University of North Carolina System.

His work in building and managing relationships and economic partnerships has enhanced both local and global engagement and created new jobs and investments for the state of North Carolina.

A native of Shelby, N.C., Howell received his bachelor’s degree in political science from NC State and served as student body president during his senior year. He earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and later served as a legal clerk on the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Returning to his alma mater, Howell takes the helm of a forward-looking university leading the nation in biotechnology, nanotechnology, proteomics, nonwoven textiles and other fields of study – such as food safety, biomedical research and artificial intelligence – that affect the health and livelihoods of people across the globe.

With deep expertise in driving economic investment and growth, he’ll strengthen NC State’s role as a frontier research university to keep North Carolina competitive in the most important fields of our future.

Brian Sischo
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement

---

Brian Sischo leads a comprehensive University Advancement organization that incorporates University Development, Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services with a hybrid team of more than 250 staff who are embedded centrally and within colleges/units across campus. The organization is responsible for strengthening relationships with alumni, donors, and friends to elevate the NC State brand and build a culture of philanthropy.

Under Sischo’s leadership, NC State launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in university history, a $1.6 billion effort to increase scholarship support, fund research and faculty positions, create and revitalize campus infrastructure and increase the university’s endowment. At the campaign’s completion on December 31, 2021, more than 133,000 donors from all 100 counties in North Carolina, all 50 states and 73 countries had helped the university raise more than $2.1 billion. Sischo has implemented university-wide engagement initiatives such as Red and White Week, a Women in Philanthropy program and a robust volunteer Campaign Cabinet to connect alumni and friends with NC State.

Prior to joining NC State, Sischo served as vice president for development at Syracuse University, where he spearheaded the planning, implementation and successful conclusion of the university’s first-ever $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign. Before joining Syracuse in 2001, Sischo worked for ten years at his alma mater, Clarkson University, where he served as the chief development officer and led two successful capital campaigns. Sischo earned a B.S. in finance and a master’s degree in management systems from Clarkson.

Jeff Baynham
Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Services

---

Jeff Baynham has spent more than two decades in higher education advancement and has served at North Carolina State University since 2016. As Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Services, he leads a team of more than 40 professionals who provide the backbone for fundraising and engagement efforts across NC State. He oversees Gifts and Records Management, Donor Services, and Advancement Information and Technology, ensuring this work is grounded in data integrity, innovative technology, and actionable analytics. His experience also includes leadership in Prospect Development, where he directed research and prospecting strategies to support fundraising priorities.

During his tenure at NC State, Jeff has played a central role in shaping and strengthening advancement operations across the university. Most recently, he led a 22-month implementation of Kindsight Ascend on Salesforce, which went live in February 2025, modernizing NC State’s advancement technology ecosystem, improving engagement, and strengthening philanthropy through more data-informed decision-making. He also provided operational leadership in support of the university’s $2.1 billion Think and Do the Extraordinary campaign, which concluded in 2021.

Jeff was named an Almabase 50 Champion in 2025 and received the Kindsight Community Catalyst Award that same year. He is actively engaged in the profession through CASE and AASP, where he regularly presents at conferences, serves on the AASP Finance Committee and on faculty for CASE Academy. He previously served as faculty for the CASE Summer Institute in Advancement Services. He also serves on the Kindsight Ascend Client Advisory Board.

Before joining NC State, Jeff served as Assistant Vice President for Advancement Services at his alma mater, Western Kentucky University. He holds a finance degree from WKU’s Gordon Ford College of Business and began his advancement career in leadership annual giving following an earlier career in personal banking.