Tom Jennings has over thirty years of experience in advancement, university management, fundraising campaigns, volunteer board management, and talent recruitment and management. Most recently, Jennings rejoined Washington and Lee University from 2020-2024 as vice president for university advancement, where he served on the President’s Cabinet, led the early phases of the university’s Leading Lives of Consequence campaign, and managed the Advancement division’s 70 staff members in the departments of Alumni and Career Services, University Development, Advancement Operations, Law Advancement, Special Events, Guest Housing, and Travel/Lifelong Learning Programs.

His advancement career began at Washington and Lee University in 1992, first as a regional development officer, then as director of capital giving programs, director of law school relations, and ultimately director of university development. In that role, he managed all aspects of the university’s development program and led the early phases of W&L’s $225 million For the Rising Generation campaign.

Jennings joined the University of Virginia in 2002 as associate dean for development for the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, where he led development activities for UVA’s largest academic unit. From 2006 to 2010, Jennings served on UVA’s senior development staff, overseeing fundraising initiatives in the schools of Engineering, Architecture and Education, and for programs in the arts, historic preservation, and science and technology, as part of UVA’s $3 billion campaign.

In 2010, Jennings joined Florida State University, serving as vice president for university advancement and president of the FSU Foundation, where he led the Advancement Division’s nearly 200 staff members in fundraising, alumni relations, advancement services, investment management, and real estate development efforts. He and his colleagues helped FSU rise in U.S. News rankings among national public research universities from #43 in 2014 to the top 20 in 2019. Under his leadership at FSU, annual philanthropic support increased by 64% from 2010 to 2019, and FSU completed its first $1 billion campaign, exceeding its goal by 15%. Jennings was instrumental in creating the FSU Real Estate Foundation in 2011 and served as its president. He also served as a trustee on five of Florida State University’s institutionally related foundation boards:  the FSU Foundation, FSU Alumni Association, FSU Real Estate Foundation, Seminole Boosters (Athletics), and the Ringling Museum of Art Foundation (the state museum of Florida), fostering collaboration and cooperation among these groups and FSU.

Before beginning his advancement career, Jennings was the director of residence life at Davidson College and the residence coordinator at UNC-Charlotte.

He holds a B.S. and M.A. in psychology from James Madison University and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Virginia. Tom and his wife, Dawn, live in Lexington, Virginia, and have four children, ages 23 to 32.