Brian Hervey named UCI vice chancellor for university advancement

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 4, 2016 – After an international search, the University of California, Irvine has selected Brian Hervey as its new vice chancellor for university advancement, effective immediately. Hervey, who has served in the position on an interim basis since November, will lead the development campaign outlined in the campus’s recently released 10-year strategic plan.

“I’m thrilled to make this announcement,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman. “In our strategic plan, we are committed to making fundraising a central feature of our planning and leadership culture, and achieving this goal will require a leader who is highly experienced, motivational and collaborative. Brian Hervey is that leader. We look forward to working with him as we mobilize community support for our important, impactful and ambitious goals.”

Hervey was selected from among 50 closely vetted candidates for the position. He came to UCI in May 2015 as associate vice chancellor for health advancement. He has been managing that enterprise and all other aspects of university advancement since November. That was the same month that UCI announced it had surpassed its 10-year campaign target of $1 billion – the first nonprofit in Orange County to achieve such a goal.

“UCI has reached remarkable heights in such a short period of time, and I’m excited to be part of the next phase of its evolution,” Hervey said. “We have a unique opportunity to innovate in the way a top public research university is funded to serve thousands of students, alumni, patients and the community at large. I’m invigorated by all the great progress we’ve made, and I’m honored to have been selected to lead the advancement team and take UCI to even greater heights.”

The vice chancellor for university advancement manages more than 100 staff members and will be responsible for doubling fundraising totals within the next 10 years to support teaching and research, student scholarships and building campaigns, among other essential university functions.

“As chair-elect of the UC Irvine Foundation board, I was looking for someone with an ability to educate and involve all members of the UCI community – deans, faculty, staff, key volunteers, senior administrators – in the fundraising process and lead the team to meet aggressive goals,” said Julie Hill. “In Brian Hervey, we have someone who can discover new donors, grow the annual fund, leverage corporate giving, and engage and mobilize alumni and friends.”

Hervey, at one time a financial adviser for a major investment firm, began his development career as a volunteer fundraiser. After his son was born and spent weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit, he wanted to help others by improving research around premature birth prevention and care. He began raising money for the March of Dimes and eventually was supervising all the local chapter’s fundraising endeavors. (His son graduated from high school in June.)

Before coming to UCI, Hervey led successful multimillion-dollar campaigns at the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation as its vice president for philanthropy and communications. In this role, he supervised staff in major gift development, communications and planned giving for the Baylor Scott & White Health Central Division, which included 14 hospitals and more than 65 clinics in central Texas. Previously, he was director of institutional advancement at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and held planned giving and major gift positions at the Texas A&M Foundation.

Additionally, Hervey was the chair for development on the Association of American Medical Colleges’ institutional advancement steering committee and is a frequent presenter at conferences. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Texas A&M University and is a certified fundraising executive and a certified gift planning professional.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.