Executive Brief

Senior Director of Development, Herbert Wertheim College of Business
Florida State University

Florida State University

Founded in 1851, Florida State University (FSU) nationally recognized public research university located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida. Based in Tallahassee, FSU serves more than 46,000 students from every Florida county and approximately 130 countries and offers 274 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, specialist and professional degree programs. The University is classified among “Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity” and achieved a record $488 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2025.

With a $3 billion operating budget, more than 16,000 employees and 2,800 faculty members, FSU combines the scale of a major research institution with a strong commitment to student success. The University maintains a 97% freshman retention rate and an 82% four-year graduation rate, supported by a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Beyond its main campus in Tallahassee, FSU maintains additional campuses and international study centers, extending its academic and research impact across Florida and around the world.

FSU – Leadership Spotlight

Richard McCullough
President, Florida State University

Richard McCullough became the 16th president of Florida State University in August 2021, bringing more than three decades of academic leadership experience. Under his tenure, FSU has achieved record student success, rapid research growth, historic rankings, and significant campus development.

McCullough has strengthened the university by recruiting top faculty and staff, expanding FSU’s research enterprise, enhancing entrepreneurial initiatives, and building strong relationships with government, community, and industry partners. He has also advanced fundraising efforts and supported a highly competitive athletics program.

Under President McCullough’s leadership, FSU has reached its highest national standings in history, including a No. 21 ranking among public universities and No. 51 overall by U.S. News & World Report. The university has also been recognized for exceptional first-year experiences, innovation, and student outcomes. Retention and graduation rates have reached record highs, including a 97% first-year retention rate and a 78% four-year graduation rate. The six-year graduation rate has climbed to 86%, while the transfer student graduation rate has reached 80%, the highest in the history of the State University System of Florida.

McCullough has overseen the enrollment of highly accomplished freshman classes and strengthened support for first generation and Pell eligible students through programs such as CARE, Quest Scholars, and Illuminate. In addition, FSU has expanded opportunities for high-achieving students through Presidential Scholars and the Honors Program, which is ranked No. 1 in Florida. Doctoral education has also grown, supported by a $10 million university investment.

A proven research leader, McCullough has shepherded extraordinary growth in FSU’s research enterprise, increasing research expenditures by nearly 50% since 2021 and reaching a historic $488 million — representing the fastest growth rate in the State University System. Faculty have achieved record proposal submissions and secured major awards, including the $300 million renewal of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The university increased NIH research expenditures by 40%, with federal research funding surpassing $200 million for the first time, and regional impact has increased through major initiatives such as the $98.4 million Triumph Gulf Coast award for InSPIRE.

One of McCullough’s signature achievements is the creation of FSU Health, launched in 2022 with $125 million in state support to expand healthcare, training, and biomedical research in North Florida. He has advanced key healthcare and research facilities, expanded clinical partnerships, and launched initiatives such as the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and the Sunshine Genetics Pilot program.

McCullough has strengthened FSU’s legislative presence, securing historic appropriations for research, health, and strategic priorities. Under his leadership, the university surpassed the $1 billion endowment milestone for the first time in its history, bolstered by transformational philanthropic gifts such as $65 million for the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence and Wertheim College of Business, $10 million to expand the nursing program, and the naming gift for the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

FSU has completed several transformative capital projects during McCullough’s tenure, including the new Student Union and the Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building. The university also celebrated the opening of the Wertheim Center for Business Excellence, the new home of the Wertheim College of Business and the largest academic space on the Tallahassee campus.

McCullough is a national leader advocating significant reform in collegiate athletics, championing reforms that enhance student-athlete experiences, promote financial equity, and strengthen institutional competitiveness. He’s made investments in athletics facilities, including stadium renovations and the construction of the Dunlap Football Center, and launched women’s lacrosse — FSU’s 21st varsity sport. During McCullough’s presidency, FSU teams have captured 21 conference championships and three national titles, while student-athletes across all sports achieved the highest cumulative GPA in university history.

Prior to joining FSU, McCullough served as Harvard University’s vice provost for research and spent 22 years at Carnegie Mellon University in faculty and senior leadership roles. A first generation college student, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.

He has more than 110 publications, holds 16 U.S. patents, and is an entrepreneur who started two companies. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and was inducted into the Advanced Materials Journal Hall of Fame in 2021, and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida, both in 2025. He also is the recipient of the Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence as a Start-Up Entrepreneur.

He and his wife, Jai Vartikar, have two sons and three granddaughters.

Florida State University Foundation

Established in 1960, the Florida State University Foundation is the nonprofit organization responsible for advancing FSU's academic vision and priorities through private philanthropy and strategic funds management. Working in partnership with alumni, donors, university leadership and friends of FSU, the Foundation builds meaningful relationships and secures philanthropic support for academic programs, faculty, students, research and other institutional priorities.

The Foundation plays a central role in strengthening FSU's long-term financial resources and expanding opportunities across the University. As of June 30, 2026, it manages an endowment of approximately $1.02 billion and total assets of approximately $1.4 billion. Governed by an elected Board of Trustees, the Foundation serves as a critical bridge between FSU and its philanthropic community, helping translate donor investment into lasting academic impact and supporting the University's continued pursuit of excellence.

FSU Foundation – Leadership Spotlight

Susan Glenn
Interim Vice President for University Advancement and President of the Florida State University Foundation 

Susan Glenn was appointed Interim Vice President for University Advancement and President of the Florida State University Foundation on July 22, 2026. In this role, she leads the university's comprehensive advancement and alumni engagement efforts, overseeing fundraising, alumni relations, donor engagement, and communications in support of Florida State University's academic, research, and student success priorities. She also provides executive leadership to the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

A seasoned advancement executive with more than 30 years of experience, Glenn previously served as Associate Vice President for Advancement for Colleges, Schools and Units, where she led major gift teams and fundraising operations across 23 colleges, schools, and units. She partners closely with academic leaders and deans to develop fundraising strategies, achieve ambitious philanthropic goals, and advance the university's comprehensive campaign priorities.

Glenn's career has been dedicated to higher education, academic health, and health systems philanthropy. Prior to joining Florida State University in 2023, she held advancement leadership positions at the University of Central Florida, Rock Valley College, Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center, Duke University School of Nursing, and several other nonprofit organizations. Throughout her career, she has successfully led major, annual, and planned giving programs while building strong partnerships with institutional leaders, faculty, and donors to advance organizational priorities.

Glenn earned a bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications from Northern Illinois University.

Brad Hastings
Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts and Gift & Estate Planning

Brad Hastings, MBA, CFRE, is Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts and Gift & Estate Planning at Florida State University. With more than 20 years of advancement leadership experience, he specializes in principal gifts, gift planning, capital campaigns, and donor engagement. Throughout his career at Florida State University, Georgia Tech, and the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation, he has helped secure transformational philanthropic investments while building high-performing fundraising programs.

Brad holds an MBA from Georgia Tech and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). He is passionate about connecting philanthropists with opportunities to create lasting impact through higher education, student success, and institutional excellence.

Herbert Wertheim College of Business

Florida State University's Herbert Wertheim College of Business is one of the nation's largest business schools and a recognized leader in business education, research and professional development. Serving nearly 10,000 students each semester and supported by a global network of more than 78,000 alumni, the College combines rigorous academics with applied learning, industry engagement and faculty research designed to prepare students to lead in an increasingly complex global business environment. Its undergraduate and graduate offerings span disciplines including accounting, finance, management, marketing, real estate, risk management and insurance, and management information systems, with several programs consistently earning national recognition.

The College entered a transformative new chapter following a $65 million philanthropic investment from Dr. Herbert Wertheim in December 2025, the largest philanthropic endowment gift in FSU's history. The investment established endowed resources supporting student scholarships and professional development, faculty excellence, emerging academic priorities and a new Business of Healthcare Initiative, while naming both the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and its new home, the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence.

The five-story, $160 million Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence represents a significant investment in the future of business education at FSU. Designed to foster collaboration among students, faculty and industry partners, the facility incorporates state-of-the-art classrooms, collaborative learning environments and technology-enabled spaces that bring academic study and real-world business engagement together. Alongside its continued investment in faculty research, student opportunity and innovative programming, the College is positioned to further strengthen its impact within FSU and across the broader business community.

Herbert Wertheim College of Business – Leadership Spotlight

Michael Hartline
Dean, Herbert Wertheim College of Business

Michael D. Hartline has served as dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Business since April 2016. He leads an accomplished family of faculty, staff, students and alumni in pursuit of the college’s “Path to Preeminence” with a focus on student success, faculty and staff development, research excellence, preeminent academic programs, and alumni and donor engagement. He works closely with university leadership, trustees, and external stakeholders to align college and university priorities and to translate academic strengths into preeminent outcomes. Today, many of the college’s academic programs rank in the Top 25 of public schools, with most in the Top 20 and several in the Top 5. His work centers on strengthening academic quality while building the external partnerships and philanthropic support necessary to sustain long term institutional impact. Over the past decade, he has helped secure more than $290 million in philanthropic support for college and university initiatives.

In 2022, Dean Hartline served as Interim Vice President for University Advancement and Interim Executive Vice President and President of the FSU Foundation, providing institution wide leadership during a period of transition. Earlier, as interim dean, he played a central role in securing a $100 million gift from Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation, which led to the expansion of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship and the creation of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the nation’s largest stand alone, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship college. Recently, Dean Hartline played a leading role in securing a $65 million investment from Dr. Herbert Wertheim to name the college and its new facility, the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence.

As the college's associate dean for strategic initiatives from 2011 to 2015, he was responsible for external relations, marketing/branding, executive education and strategic programs. He was involved in strategic planning and innovation and had oversight of many fiscal matters and operations, including technology infrastructure and the physical plant. He served as chair of the college’s Building Program Committee, acting as liaison to university administration and the broader community. From 2006 to 2011 serving as chair of the college’s Rockwood School of Marketing, he worked to enhance private funding, implemented shared governance, established formal faculty evaluation and merit guidelines, created an annual strategic planning process and launched a major in professional sales and a Master of Science in Marketing program.

Before coming to Florida State, he was an associate professor of marketing at Samford University's Brock School of Business from 1999 to 2001, assistant professor of marketing at Louisiana State University's E.J Ourso College of Business from 1994 to 1999 and assistant professor of marketing and advertising at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Business from 1992 to 1994.

Dean Hartline has authored or co-authored numerous books and articles, including several publications in top-tier journals. He has served on the editorial review boards of several academic journals, made numerous presentations to industry and academic audiences and co-chaired two international conferences for the American Marketing Association. He is the former vice president of development for the Academy of Marketing Science. He has won numerous teaching and research awards, has taught MBA courses in marketing strategy and corporate reputation management, and taught undergraduate courses in services marketing and retailing. He also has served as a consultant to several for-profit and nonprofit organizations in the areas of marketing plan development, market feasibility analysis, customer satisfaction measurement, customer service training and pricing strategy. His research interests include customer-contact issues in service delivery, service quality and productivity, new service development and non-ownership consumption.

Dean Hartline earned a Ph.D. in business administration from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis, and an MBA and bachelor's in marketing, both from Jacksonville State University (Alabama). He resides in Tallahassee with his wife, Dr. Marsha Hartline, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the FSU College of Nursing. They have three daughters: Meghan (a speech therapist), Madison (a high school history teacher), and Mallory (a registered nurse). They also have one grandson, Maxwell. Dr. Hartline is a self-professed electronics and gadget enthusiast who enjoys music, reading, computers, travel, college football (Go Seminoles!), being a dad, and being a grandfather (aka Grumps) to Max.

The Opportunity: Senior Director of Development, Herbert Wertheim College of Business

FSU – Senior Director of Development, College of Business (PDF Download)

Position Summary

Florida State University seeks an accomplished and strategic fundraising professional to serve as Senior Director of Development for the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts & Gift and Estate Planning, the Senior Director will lead the College’s major and principal gift fundraising efforts, develop and manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors, and partner closely with the Dean, senior university leadership, faculty, volunteers, alumni and central development teams.

The successful candidate will bring a proven record of securing philanthropic support at the major gift level. The role will also provide leadership to the College’s fundraising team, strengthen donor and volunteer engagement, and develop strategies that advance the mission and priorities of Florida State University.

Responsibilities and Qualifications

  • The Senior Director of Development strategically designs and executes a personal solicitation program resulting in philanthropic support through the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of high-level prospects for the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. The Senior Director of Development secures, on an annual basis, private support at the major gift level ($100,000) while also identifying, developing and managing a portfolio primarily consisting of $1,000,000 and above donors. The Senior Director of Development will be expected to uphold and exemplify the operating practices of the Division of University Advancement while raising philanthropic dollars in support of the mission of Florida State University.
     
  • Serving as the chief strategist, develops, oversees and coordinates the fundraising plans of the College with the Dean and the Associate Vice President, Colleges, Schools and Units. Identifies, qualifies and sustains a donor prospect pipeline and portfolio with a giving capacity of $100,000 or more, while concentrating on the development of major and principal gift prospects at the $1,000,000 and up level. Provides oversight and assistance in the determination of the feasibility and type of giving vehicle best suited to the needs of the donor, the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the University. Prepares prospect materials for the President of the University, the Vice President, the Associate Vice President, the Dean and other senior administration as appropriate to a prospect’s situation.
     
  • Effectively communicates FSU’s mission and represents the FSU’s culture to external stakeholders.
     
  • Travels frequently to meet with alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends of FSU.
     
  • Supervises and assists in the professional development and mentoring of the Herbert Wertheim College of Business fundraising staff, to include the monitoring of fundraising metrics. Leads staff in establishing a strong philanthropic focused and supportive work environment in alignment with the FSU’s operating principles. Facilitates the development, maintenance and monitoring of strategically aligned staff work plans. Responsible for cost center budget development and management, including expense reports under the direction of the Associate Vice President of Advancement, Colleges, Schools and Units.
     
  • Facilitates meetings, initiating up to date communications, informational exchanges and project / philanthropic coordination with the faculty and faculty chairs. Prepares correspondence with prospects and all contact reporting in a professional and timely manner. Maintains donor interest and enthusiasm through stewardship activities. Prepares proposals and gift agreements as required for proper gift documentation. Reviews gift agreements for proper gift documentation.
     
  • Designs and develops a volunteer structure in support of the Herbert Wertheim College of Business’ fundraising efforts. Ensures direct activities with prospects are designed to enhance the affiliation between the prospect and the University.
     
  • Coordinates with the Division of University Advancement colleagues to identify prospects for planned giving, corporate and foundation giving in partnership with the Office of University Research, and principal giving in partnership with the Principal Gifts Team. Protects confidential information.
     
  • Perform other related duties as required and assigned.
  • Master's degree and four years of experience in a related advancement field or a Bachelor's degree and six years of related experience. Higher education can substitute for experience at a comparable rate.
     
  • A valid Florida Driver's License or the ability to obtain upon hire.
     
  • The ideal candidate will demonstrate substantial experience in major and principal gift fundraising, preferably within a complex higher education or similarly sophisticated institutional environment.
     
  • Experience managing portfolios of high-capacity donors and securing gifts of $100,000 or more, including gifts at the $1 million level and above, is highly desirable.
     
  • The successful candidate will bring strong strategic planning, relationship management, solicitation, stewardship and proposal development skills.
     
  • Experience supervising, mentoring and developing fundraising professionals is also preferred, as is a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with academic leaders, senior administrators, volunteers, faculty and central advancement colleagues.
     
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, and discretion.
     
  • The ability to represent the mission and priorities of Florida State University with credibility and enthusiasm are essential.

Benefits

Florida State University offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include wellness programs, recognition programs, employee development opportunities, retirement contributions, earned leave and other employment-related benefits and perks.

Boyden Team

Lisa Vuona
Lisa Vuona
  • Managing Partner, United States
  • Global Sector Co-Leader, Not-for-Profit

Lisa Vuona has decades of experience in executive search and human resource management, primarily in the non-profit, healthcare and education sectors. She is distinguished by her track record and network, and by her approach, which combines the strategic power of data with a finely tuned ability to understand the client’s organization and identify high-caliber leaders who fit the culture.
Holly Wolk
Holly Wolk
  • Senior Associate, Leadership Consulting, United States

Holly Wolk has nearly 25 years of leadership experience in human resources, recruitment, and talent management. As an executive and public speaker, she has brought transformational practices and strategies to various organizations, including renowned institutions within higher education. Clients benefit greatly from her expertise in talent acquisition and alignment with organizational goals.
Leslie Smith
Leslie Smith
  • Senior Associate, United States

Leslie Smith has helped numerous individuals and organizations achieve their goals. She works with non-profits and educational institutions, helping to define leadership needs and connecting them with the right talent. Along with extensive knowledge of the non-profit sector, she has a passion for strengthening mission-driven organizations and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
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