Kim Keel Named Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations

Kimberly F. Keel, a former York County and S.C. United Way official, has been appointed Winthrop University vice president for development and alumni relations effective May 1.

Keel, 55, is presently executive director of S.C. Campus Compact, a Winthrop-hosted statewide organization of 16 colleges and universities dedicated to engaging students in community service activities as part of citizenship and leadership development.

In her new position, Keel will be responsible for overseeing operations of the Winthrop Foundation, Winthrop Real Estate Foundation, and Winthrop offices of development and alumni relations, as well as coordinating Winthrop's ongoing capital campaign. Known as Distinction: The Campaign for Winthrop, the capital campaign was launched in October 2011, and already has raised more than $36 million toward a $50 million goal. Keel succeeds Brien Lewis, who served as vice president from 2007 until earlier this year, when he was named president of Catawba College.

"Kim's experience as an energetic fund-raiser, a skilled administrator and a dynamic storyteller for the causes she represents made her the first choice to fill this important role at Winthrop," said President Anthony DiGiorgio in announcing the appointment.

Winthrop Foundation Board Chairman Gary Williams said he is "very pleased Kim has agreed to take on these new responsibilities, especially those of chief ambassador to the donor community. With our $50 million capital campaign now more than 70 percent complete, Kim's experience will enable her to lead our fund-raising team into the homestretch without missing a beat."

Keel noted that "Winthrop's core institutional values begin with 'service' and end with 'leadership' – two words very important in my professional and personal life. The first characterizes what I was called to do in this life; the second represents the opportunities afforded by the professional responsibilities I've had occasion to fill, which all seem to have been preparing me for this opportunity. I look forward to building on the solid work that is already underway at Winthrop."

Concurrent with Keel's appointment, Laura Lynn Stubbs of Rock Hill will become assistant to the vice president for development and alumni relations. Stubbs, currently administrative assistant in the Office of the President, will be responsible for coordinating meetings of the boards of both Winthrop foundations, as well as providing support across the division.

Keel is well-known in York County civic circles, having served as president of the United Way of York County from 2004-2010, when she took on a similar role statewide as vice-president and chief operating officer of the United Way Association of South Carolina. For 19 years prior, she served as executive director of Family Resources of Rutherford County, N.C., a non-profit agency assisting children and families in western North Carolina.

She holds a master's in business administration from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., where she was named a Blumenthal Fellow, and a B.A. in psychology-human resources development from N.C. State University, where she graduated in 1977 with high honors.

Keel, married to Frank Keel, lives in Rock Hill, and is the mother of two adult children living and working in York County.

Stubbs, a graduate of Wofford College with a B.A. in finance, is married to Andrew Stubbs; the couple resides in Rock Hill.

Posted 4/17/2012