Shaun B. Keister, Ph.D., is a veteran fundraiser with experience in higher education, arts and conservation philanthropy. He has served as UC Davis’ first vice chancellor for development and alumni relations since 2011. 

Keister functions as the university’s chief fundraising officer, leading a team of over 300, and president of the UC Davis Foundation. In his role as vice chancellor, he also serves on the Chancellor’s Leadership Council. Keister led UC Davis in completing its first comprehensive campaign, “The Campaign for UC Davis,” raising more than $1.1 billion from 110,000 donors. Under his leadership, UC Davis rose to the top 2% of fundraising programs in the U.S., according to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). 

Keister guided the vision and record-breaking success of the university’s second comprehensive campaign, “Expect Greater: From UC Davis. For the World,” which raised more than $2.25 billion from 2016-2024. Donors surpassed the campaign’s $2 billion goal by more than 10%, with 133,961 people giving toward student support, human and veterinary medicine, sustainability, innovation, and the arts. 

Previously, Keister served in leadership development roles at Penn State, Florida State, and Iowa State. 

He is a nationally renowned fundraising expert who is often quoted in local and national media outlets including CNN Money, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, CASE Currents magazine, The Sacramento Bee, and Fox 40 News. Additionally, Keister has over 30 years as an independent fundraising consultant serving clients including the San Francisco opera, Steppenwolf Theatre, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and more than 60 public and private universities. 

Keister is an active member of and volunteer for CASE, having both chaired and participated in many district, national, and international conferences. He is a recipient of the 2005 CASE Crystal Apple award in recognition of his outstanding performance at CASE international educational programs. Keister has served on the CASE Philanthropy Commission.  

Keister has a bachelor's degree in political science from Penn State and master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Iowa State. 

Dale Wright is the Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Interim Senior Vice President of the University of Illinois Foundation Designate, developing, overseeing, and managing a comprehensive development and advancement program for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Illinois).

With 25+ years of extensive experience and a proven record success in constituent and alumni engagement, program development and execution, strategic planning, management, building and coaching high-performing teams, and securing and stewarding major and principal gifts, across three (3) $1B+ multi-year comprehensive campaigns. During his tenure at Illinois, he has held additional leadership roles as Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Associate Dean for Advancement for The Grainger College of Engineering.

Wright is actively involved with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), serving as a faculty member and speaker at conferences, co-chaired two major CASE events and contributing to the advancement field as a member of the CASE Commission on Philanthropy and a CASE Laureate, as well as past District leader (V & VI). His excellence as a teacher and mentor was recognized with CASE’s Crystal Apple Award for teaching. He is also the recipient of the Frank L. Ashmore Distinguished Service Award (2025 for the U.S. and Canada). Additionally, he is a member of organizations such as the African American Development Officers Network and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, including as a past member of the board.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Wright is committed to community service, serving on the board of the United Way of Champaign County, and the American Legion Boys State of Missouri (Missouri Boys State) Board of Directors. In recognition of his service to Missouri Boys State and the field of education, he received the Mel Carnahan Public Service Award in Education in 2023 from the Carnahan Policy Institute. He holds degrees from the University of Missouri (Mizzou). 

Jay E. Davenport, CFRE, serves as vice president of Development and Alumni Relations for Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health. 

As VCU’s chief development and alumni officer, Jay leads fundraising and engagement efforts for the entire VCU enterprise, including the Monroe Park Campus, the health sciences campus, and VCU Health. Areas under his purview include advancement solutions, alumni relations, corporate and foundation relations, development and alumni communications, donor engagement, medical philanthropy, planned giving, primary giving (annual), presidential advancement, principal giving, regional philanthropy, and the university-wide development staff.

Jay joined VCU and VCU Health in 2017 in the middle of a $750 million campaign and helped steer the campaign to a successful conclusion, raising over $840 million. In the past eight years, Jay has helped VCU and VCU Health raise over $1.5 billion.  In September 2025, VCU and VCU Health launched Unlocking Potential, the enterprise-wide comprehensive campaign with a goal of $1.838 billion to honor the founding year of VCU’s medical school. 

Jay has previously led fundraising teams at Wake Forest University, as assistant vice president of college development, assistant vice president of major gifts, and associate vice president and campaign director. He has also served as director of development and team leader at Rice University and held fundraising positions as a college development director at the University of Memphis College of Business and Wright State University College of Engineering. He began his higher education career as an assistant dean of admissions at Wittenberg University.

Jay has served on the board of directors for Make-A-Wish of Greater Virginia, the Benedictine Schools of Richmond, and is currently serves on the board of Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond.  In addition, he has served as a poll worker for 15 years. Jay holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Xavier University and a master's degree in higher education administration from Ball State University.

Maureen J. MacDonald, PhD, is McMaster University’s Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and a professor in the Department of Kinesiology. She brings more than two decades of academic leadership, research impact, and student mentorship to the role.

Dr. MacDonald has previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Science, where she advanced academic programs, expanded student supports and led major research and infrastructure investments. She is also the Director of McMaster’s Vascular Dynamics Laboratory and a leading researcher in cardiovascular physiology and exercise science. Her work focuses on how physical activity, high-intensity interval training, and heat therapy affect the heart and blood vessels, particularly in individuals with coronary artery disease, and emphasizes the inclusion of women in these areas of research.

Dr. MacDonald has published extensively in her field, secured continuous funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada since 2001, and holds additional research support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her dedication to student mentorship was recognized in 2018 with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s Mentorship Award; she has supervised more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students during her time at McMaster.

She is a member of several international professional societies, including the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Physiological Society, and the European College of Sport Science. She has held international research positions, including visiting professorships at Stanford University and Loughborough University, and currently holds a Global Chair appointment at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport.

Dr. MacDonald earned her Honours BSc in Chemistry from Acadia University and her MSc and PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo. She joined McMaster in 2000 and as Provost, she continues to advance research, education, and academic excellence, as well as promote sound financial stewardship across the university.