Joey Knight ’07 has been named associate vice president for development for Lehigh University’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, effective November 6.
In his new role, Knight will advance Lehigh’s fundraising and engagement efforts, developing strategies and guiding work that inspires philanthropy from alumni, parents, and friends of the university. He will oversee six teams within the department and work closely with the vice president and leadership to achieve the goals of GO Beyond: The Campaign for Future Makers, the university’s $1.25 billion fundraising and engagement effort.
Carol Packard, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, expressed her gratitude to the search committee. “I am thrilled to welcome Joey to Lehigh,” she said. “He brings with him a wealth of experience, deep Lehigh connections, and a wonderful energy. His presence will help continue to build Lehigh’s philanthropic community and its impact on our students and the future of the university.”
Knight said he was grateful to Packard, President Joseph Helble ’82, Provost Nathan Urban, the Board of Trustees, and members of the search committee for the opportunity. "I am excited to return to Lehigh in this capacity and work alongside Carol, university leadership, and the DAR team to further the Lehigh mission,” he said.
Knight comes to Lehigh from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), where he has served as chief development officer, managing a development staff of fundraisers that saw consecutive years of double-digit increases in giving, most recently a 35% increase in giving to SIEPR.
Before his time at SIEPR, Knight served as the assistant athletics director, development for Stanford Athletics. He was an integral part of a team that raised more than $220 million in support of student-athletes and achieved $75 million in 2020-21 – the highest fundraising year in Stanford Athletics history. He also served as the lead fundraiser and liaison for Stanford Wrestling, endowing all three coaching positions and multiple scholarships in addition to bolstering Stanford Athletics development efforts in multiple regions.
Unique to Stanford Athletics, he also served as the liaison for the DAPER Investment Fund, which reached a record high of $171.2 million under his leadership. Knight was selected by Bernard Muir, the Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics, to co-lead the Stanford Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He was also a member of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in a Learning Environment (IDEAL) Office of Development Strategic Action Subcommittee.
Prior to Stanford, Knight served as the chief development officer for athletics at Catawba College. He secured 20% of the college’s campaign gifts, helping Catawba exceed its campaign goal — the largest in its history at that time. He also brings five years of fundraising experience with the Boy Scouts of America, most recently at the national office where he worked in principal gifts and collaborated with a larger fundraising team to raise over $100 million annually for the organization.
Knight holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lehigh and a master’s in human development and leadership from Murray State University. During his time at Lehigh, Knight was Scholar-Athlete of the Year, received sportsmanship awards from Lehigh and the Patriot League, and was a tri-captain on the men’s basketball team.
