The Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering is pleased to announce Kyle Gray as the new development director, starting Monday, January 4, 2016. Kyle brings a fifteen-year background in higher education development and communications, most recently as the Director of Development and Communications for UNC Chapel Hill’s Department of Allied Health Sciences at the School of Medicine.
“As a mission-driven and team-focused professional, my approach to securing financial commitments from individuals, private foundations, corporations, affiliated organizations, and other stakeholders has been successful due in large part to my ability develop trust-based relationships with faculty and staff to creatively identify, cultivate, solicit, and acquire new annual and major gift donors—and then carefully stewarding these donors,” said Gray. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with UNC/NC State BME’s talented faculty and staff to build a comprehensive development program that advances the Department’s ambitious goals for the future.”
During Gray’s tenure with UNC Allied Health Sciences, the Department significantly increased development activity (cultivation, stewardship, and solicitations) that has resulted in tripling the AHS donor base and increasing cumulative donations over $10 million from 2006 to 2015. Previously, he served as the Assistant Dean for Development and Communications at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government from 2001 to 2005, where he launched and managed the Friends of the Institute of Government Program to increase public and private financial support for the school.
Earlier in his career, Gray served as a career specialist for the Boston Private Industry Council at the Boston Latin School and as a senior program instructor for the Close-Up Foundation in Washington, DC. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor of arts in political science with a minor in urban studies from The Colorado College. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Liz and children Hunter, Aedin, Allegra, and Harper running, biking, walking, fishing, and hiking.
Kyle has a strong interest in learning more about BME’s dynamic and far-reaching teaching, research, and service missions. He is immediately available to both faculty and staff as he sets up his campus offices at NC State’s Engineering Building III, UNC School of Medicine’s Taylor Hall, and UNC’s Corporate and Foundations office on Franklin Street. In the coming weeks, Kyle will be in touch to set up introductory meetings with BME faculty members, staff, and administrators, conducting a peer review of national BME development programs, conducting Development 101 lunches on both campuses, and organizing the BME marketing and communications planning meeting. Kyle will work with Nancy Allbritton, Brooke Church, and Brian Campbell to establish measurable short-term (Fiscal Year 2017) and long-term (5 years) development and communications goals for BME.