Contact: Maridith Geuder
Frank A. Shannon III
A longtime Texas fund-raising professional is the new executive director of development at Mississippi State University.
Frank A. Shannon III will provide leadership for the university's fund-raising efforts in the areas of private gifts, including constituency-based major fund raising, planned giving and corporate and foundation support. His appointment is pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
For more than seven years, Shannon served in leadership positions with the Texas A&M 12th Man Foundation, as both associate director and executive director. He led a division that generated more than $6 million annually for athletic programs and that grew its endowment from $11 million to $35 million.
He also has served as a director of college development for Texas A&M, with responsibility for major gift programs in the colleges of Business Administration and Veterinary Medicine, and the university's Evans Library.
A graduate of Texas A&M with a bachelor's in business administration/marketing, Shannon also has held positions in industry and banking.
"With 14 years of fund-raising experience, Frank Shannon brings a solid track record and outstanding leadership skills to the executive director position," said Dennis A. Prescott, vice president for external affairs.
"He will be a key player in meeting the university's ambitious goals for increased levels of giving to support Mississippi State's mission of service to the state."
Mississippi State has averaged more than $23 million annually in private gifts over the past five years. The university's endowment stands at more than $150 million and a campaign to increase the scholarship portion of the endowment by $20-$25 million is in the advanced planning stages.