KNOXVILLE — Scott Rabenold, director of the Campaign for Tennessee and associate vice chancellor for development at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will be named interim vice president for development and alumni affairs for the UT System. He also will serve as president of the UT Foundation.
Rabenold replaces Henry Nemcik, who announced in May his intentions to resign and accept a similar position at the University of New Mexico. Rabenold assumes his new responsibilities upon Nemcik’s departure August 1. The two will work in transition until then.
The interim appointment will last for one year, at which time a search will be conducted for a permanent position.
Nemcik and Rabenold have led the Campaign for Tennessee, the University’s system-wide fundraising effort on track to meet its $1 billion goal ahead of schedule. Rabenold was named director of the Campaign in 2007, and a year later took on an additional role as associate vice chancellor for the Knoxville campus.
“Henry Nemcik made a tremendous impact on this organization in just under five years. While we are losing Henry, I am confident Scott will continue the culture and focus that Henry brought to fundraising,” said Interim UT President Jan Simek. “Private fundraising is becoming increasingly important to the University and its future as the state’s comprehensive research and land-grant institution.”
Rabenold has worked in development for the last 12 years with experience at Wake Forest University and the University of Memphis before arriving at UT in 2002.
He first served as assistant athletic director and director of capital support in the UT Knoxville athletics department for five years. After successful fundraising efforts in athletics on projects such as the historic Neyland Stadium renovation, Thompson-Boling Arena, Regal Soccer Stadium, Sherri Parker Lee Softball Stadium, and LaPorte Stadium, he was recruited to oversee the Campaign for Tennessee, which will officially end in December 2011.
“I appreciate the opportunity to lead an organization that is filled with outstanding professionals in the offices of development and alumni affairs across each campus, as well as continue to work with those individuals who so generously support UT with their time, talent and resources,” Rabenold said. “We will continue implementing the plan Henry has created that has given us the momentum to have such a successful campaign.”
Rabenold, a native of Montezuma, Iowa, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Iowa and an MBA at Drake University. He was honored in December as one of the “40 Under 40” local professionals of note by the Knoxville News Sentinel. Rabenold and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two sons, Spencer, 6, and Sam, 3.
Tags: Scott Rabenold