Kirk Swenson

Kirk Swenson joined UNC Asheville as vice chancellor for university advancement in May 2020. As UNC Asheville’s chief advancement officer, Swenson is responsible for strategic leadership and oversight of all areas of advancement, including alumni and parent engagement, leadership giving, planned giving, annual giving, research and corporate, government and foundation support. He leads a committed and professional Advancement staff that builds relationships and secures philanthropic resources needed to advance the University’s strategic priorities.

Prior to joining UNC Asheville, Swenson previously held development positions at Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ithaca College, the University of Rochester, and Dickinson College.

In his first two years at Dickinson philanthropic support grew by 247% over 2016 totals. His team developed the prospect pipeline to support continued growth in philanthropy and a comprehensive strategy to meaningfully engage alumni, parents and friends in the work of imagining a bold future for Dickinson.

Kirk holds a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, was a founding faculty member of the CASE Winter Institute, New VP Bootcamp in 2019. He was also a trustee at The Guild School from 2013-2016, and was organizer and host of the TEDxStMarksSchool in 2015.