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 Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dale is an advancement executive with 25+ years of extensive experience in higher education and non-profit fundraising with progressive responsibility in constituent engagement and involvement, strategic planning, management, and building and coaching high performing teams. 

Dale has a proven record of success in alumni affairs, program development and execution, securing and stewarding major and principal gifts, as well as multi-year comprehensive capital campaign experience, including three (3) $1B+ campaigns. 

Wright is actively involved with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), serving on both district and international committees, including the CASE Commission on Philanthropy, as well as a faculty member and speaker at educational programs and conferences. He is a recipient of the prestigious CASE Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence and is a CASE Laureate. Additionally, he is a member of organizations such as the African American Development Officers Network and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where he also serves as a local chapter board member. 

Outside of his professional endeavors, Wright is committed to community service, serving on 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).