(Matt Hodgkins / UConn Foundation)
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jake Lemon is leaving a similar position in Connecticut to become the Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at the University of Kentucky, UK President Eli Capilouto said today.
Lemon has been president/CEO of the UConn foundation.
“Jake has a nearly 20-year, distinguished career in higher education philanthropy, having most recently overseen philanthropic efforts at another flagship university, the University of Connecticut,” Capilouto said in a letter to the campus.
Before joining the UConn Foundation, Lemon was a leader and fundraiser at the Florida State University Foundation for seven years, where he was elevated to assistant vice president for development and principal gifts. Lemon led planned giving, regional development, and created the principal gift department during FSU’s $1 billion capital campaign. Lemon held major gifts positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he specialized in athletics development; and the University of Mississippi, where he led fundraising for its pharmacy school.
Capilouto’s letter states:
“He has led more than 170 individuals at the UConn Foundation through three consecutive record-breaking years in fundraising. Philanthropy efforts such as those, increasingly, are critical in providing funding support for essential parts of our mission — from student scholarships to infrastructure that helps advance the work we do together.
“Jake’s proven track record — and the feedback we received from the search committee and throughout interactions with faculty, staff and leadership on our philanthropy campaign council — only reinforced my decision to ask Jake to join our team in this important leadership position.
“I am excited to see what he will do, in partnership with the terrific team in UK Philanthropy and the UK Alumni Association, to support our mission to teach, heal, discover and serve.
“I know you will join me in warmly welcoming Jake and his family to Lexington in the coming months as they join our community.
“I want to thank the search committee — led by Vice President for Student Success Kirsten Turner and College of Engineering Dean Rudy Buchheit — for the time and care they’ve put forth in this search process that is so crucial to who we are and what we do at the university.
“I also want to thank Tom Harris, who in the past year served as the Interim Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement in addition to his existing duties as Vice President for University Relations. His leadership has been instrumental in this time of transition.
“Finally, I want to thank the members of our campus community who participated in the candidate forums and who provided feedback to help inform my decision.
“This process reminds me, as I hope it does the larger community, that the future of Kentucky — and this institution — is bright.
“Thank you for all you do to make our progress possible as Kentucky’s university.”
Eli Capilouto
President
