Joshua Newton, a leading philanthropy executive who steered fundraising efforts that raised nearly $1.7 billion in private support during a recently completed campaign at Emory University, has been appointed president of the University of Connecticut Foundation.
As president of the UConn Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 organization, Newton will report to the Foundation’s board of directors, effective Sept. 3, 2013.
“Josh Newton is the kind of results-driven leader that the UConn Foundation needs at this important juncture in UConn’s history,” said Daniel Toscano ’87, chair of the Foundation’s investment committee and presidential search committee. “He is one of America’s top fundraising executives, with a track record of success at the highest level of academic fundraising that is second to none. We’re excited for the leadership he will bring to our organization, and for the engagement and service he will bring to our benefactors.”
Newton will succeed John Martin, who has been president of the UConn Foundation since 2003.
“We are grateful to John Martin for his excellent performance as president of the UConn Foundation for the past decade,” said UConn President Susan Herbst. “He has been a superb fundraiser, strong manager, and terrific advocate for UConn.
“As a result, the Foundation is poised to make a quantum leap forward in engaging supporters of the University in more substantive, mutually beneficial ways,” she added. “Having Josh on board to lead that effort is nothing short of a home run for the Foundation. He will be a transformative force on our efforts to bring philanthropy at UConn in line with other top national universities, and his leadership will benefit UConn students and faculty for generations to come.”
As vice president at the Atlanta-based private university since 2010, Newton was a driving force behind the successful Campaign Emory, a seven-year, $1.69 billion effort that ranks as the largest fundraising effort in university history. Nearly 150,000 donors contributed to the campaign.
Initially appointed assistant vice president for health sciences development at Emory, he was promoted to senior associate vice president for arts and sciences development in 2005. In that role, he increased giving to the arts and sciences by 247 percent, from an average of $46 million during the seven years prior to the campaign, to more than $160 million during the seven-year campaign period.
“I am honored to have been selected as the next president and CEO of the UConn Foundation, and look forward to joining the UConn family,” said Newton. “In partnership with a strong and dedicated Foundation board, an energetic and focused University president, and a passionate team of professionals at the Foundation, I look forward to taking our message out to alumni, parents, patients, and friends of the University to build philanthropic support that will continue to help UConn move forward.”
A graduate of Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., Newton’s first higher education experience came at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., in 1997, where he served in development roles culminating in his appointment as executive director of development from 2000 to 2002, leading their successful $75 million campaign to surpass its goal one year ahead of schedule.
After spending two years as the chief development officer for AID Atlanta, a non-profit foundation supporting HIV/AIDS education, outreach, and client services, he began his career at Emory.
Newton is a native of Hamlet, N.C., where his parents and many family members continue to reside.
