Floyd Akins brings more than 25 years of experience in advancement to his work and serves as Vice President for Advancement at The University of Toledo. He has experience in major and principal gift fundraising, diversity in philanthropy, advancement career counseling and consulting, executive search, advancement organizational structures, and corporate and foundation engagement.

Floyd came to UToledo from Michigan State University, where he served as Associate Vice President for Advancement, overseeing constituent fundraising, individual giving and prospect development, and corporate and foundation engagement. Prior to that, he served as a senior consultant for the Aspen Leadership Group where he executed non-profit executive search and counsel in advancement and fundraising strategies.

As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he provided leadership and managerial support for UT’s Regional Major Gift Officers and Corporate and Foundation Engagement Team. He also helped develop the framework for and oversaw the creation of UT’s principal gifts program. He has been a strong advocate for diversity in advancement and higher education at all levels throughout his professional career and was the Co-Chair of UT’s Council for Diversity and Interculturalism.

In his career, Floyd has raised numerous multi-million-dollar gifts and managed staff at institutions in billion-dollar campaigns including at The Ohio State University where he served as Senior Associate Vice President for University Development and Vice President of the OSU Foundation. Prior to that role, he was Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts at the University of Iowa Foundation. Other positions include Executive Director of Development at Iowa’s Henry B. Tippie College of Business, and Director of the Capital Campaign at Grinnell College where he started his advancement career. In addition to his fundraising positions, he held positions at both Grinnell College and the University of Iowa that included admissions, public relations, and multicultural affairs.

Floyd has been an active faculty member for CASE since 1998 and has chaired numerous conferences on major and principal gift fundraising in both the US and Canada. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and his master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Journalism and Mass Communication. Outside of his career in advancement, Floyd was one of the original members and lead vocalist of the band Funkdaddies in Iowa City that opened for the Beach Boys at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Freedom Festival and celebrated the band’s 20th anniversary in Iowa City in October 2023. He also sang in the gospel choir at St. Dominic Parish in Columbus and was a member and soloist in the Harmony Project in Columbus, a 500-person choir that connects people across social divides through the arts, education, and volunteer community service. In keeping with his passion for the arts and music, Akins is on the board for the Toledo Alliance for Performing Arts (TAPA).