Brian Hastings has been the president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation since 2012. Under his leadership, Nebraska has consistently ranked among the top 25 U.S. public higher education institutions for funds received and endowment size. The number of annual donors has grown from 35,000 to almost 60,000 per year.

In 2022, the University of Nebraska publicly announced Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future with a goal to engage 150,000 unique benefactors and raise $3 billion. So far, the campaign has received over $2.5 billion from 147,000 donors.

Hastings has extensive experience in various senior leadership roles, including positions at The Ohio State University and the University of Dayton. He began his career as a student caller at Ohio State.

He is actively involved with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), serving on the CASE Board of Trustees and chairing its Commission on Philanthropy. He has been a faculty member for numerous CASE conferences, co-chaired the group that updated the global reporting standards for the profession in 2021, and received a Distinguished Service Award in 2023. He is also a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) Council of Foundation Leaders.

Hastings is a first-generation college graduate and a lifelong Midwesterner.