University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Senior Vice President of the UI Foundation

Dale Wright, currently the interim vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will become the permanent vice chancellor for advancement and senior vice president of the University of Illinois Foundation, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Wright’s announcement was made following a competitive national search.

Wright has over 25 years of experience in higher education, with roles at Illinois and the University of Missouri-Columbia. At Illinois, he served as interim vice chancellor for advancement, associate vice chancellor for advancement and associate dean of advancement in The Grainger College of Engineering. He led units responsible for nearly half of the With Illinois Campaign, securing $1.34 billion in gifts, including more than 20 gifts of $1 million or greater. Under his leadership at The Grainger College of Engineering, he surpassed a $550 million campaign goal two years early and secured a $100 million transformational naming gift.

Wright also supports the advancement field contributing through leadership roles and speaking engagements, including the Council for Advancement and Support of Education Commission on Philanthropy and as a CASE Laureate.

Wright earned a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in public management and a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia.