2026 C-suite higher education: MARK LUELLEN

Luellen has led a sustained period of growth and operational change in fundraising at the University of Virginia, culminating in the Honor the Future campaign, which kicked off in 2019 and exceeded its $5 billion goal 18 months early. The campaign closed in 2025 at $6.1 billion, placing it among the largest fundraising efforts at a public university.

Luellen, an Allegheny College graduate who joined U.Va. in 2014 after eight years at Penn State, has seen annual giving commitments increase by 92%, while philanthropic cash flow has exceeded $350 million annually for seven consecutive years.

“Over the last dozen years, I have strived to consistently balance ambition with accountability, ensuring resources are aligned with mission and values,” he says.

Beyond the campaign, Luellen has modernized U.Va.’s advancement infrastructure — streamlining a technology stack from 135 tools to 35, reducing gift-processing error rates from 10% to under 0.05%, and championing a program that increased undergraduate alumni giving participation from 14% to nearly 20%. In 2025, his portfolio expanded to include state government relations, and he was named senior vice president.

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