Following a nationwide search, Kennesaw State President Pamela Whitten has named Lance Burchett as the University’s new vice president for advancement and CEO of the KSU Foundation, effective Dec. 12.

Burchett currently serves as vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs, and executive director for the Foundation Fund at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), in Little Rock, Arkansas, a position he has held since 2011. During his time at UAMS, he has led an increase in total fundraising from $18 million to $37 million; established 28 new endowed chairs and 83 new scholarship endowments; and was instrumental in the University’s international recognition as a “Top Performer” by the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy for three consecutive years.

In his new role, Burchett will set the strategic direction of Kennesaw State’s fundraising campaign, and will be responsible for the operations, management, and oversight of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, and the KSU Foundation. Burchett will report directly to KSU President Pamela Whitten and serve as a member of the president’s cabinet.

“Lance has an impressive track record as a results-oriented leader and fundraiser,” said Whitten. “His experience building successful advancement operations will help KSU expand opportunities for our students through scholarships, as well as secure additional resources for our academic and research initiatives. I look forward to working with him, and on behalf of the Kennesaw State community, I welcome him to Owl Nation.”

Prior to UAMS, Burchett served as vice president for advancement at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla. Under his leadership, the College increased fundraising efforts tenfold, from an average of $1.86 million annually to an average of $18.4 million annually, in just four years.

He also held positions as vice president for advancement at Northwest Missouri State University, executive director for the alumni association at San Diego State University, and associate executive director of the alumni association at the University of Arkansas.

“My wife Sherry and I are honored and overly enthused to join the Kennesaw State family,” said Burchett. “I share President Whitten’s commitment to putting students first and I find her vision of becoming the best R-3 university in the nation inspiring. I look forward to working with her and everyone at KSU to help propel this university to unprecedented heights of excellence while making a positive impact on the broader community.”

Burchett has been recognized for his achievements by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, an organization he has been involved with for close to 30 years. His advancement teams were two-time recipients of the organization’s Circle of Excellence Grand Gold Awards.

Burchett earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from the University of Arkansas in 1983 and 1984, respectively. While there, he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and the Golden Key National Honor Society. Perhaps his favorite claim to fame at the University of Arkansas was being a walk-on quarterback for the Razorbacks football team under then-coach Lou Holtz.