University of Minnesota fund raiser is UCR’s next development leader

A top development executive at University of Minnesota has been named UC Riverside's next vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE). Travis Smith will also assume the role of president of the UC Riverside Foundation following confirmation by the foundation board of trustees.

Smith is currently senior vice president for central development for the University of Minnesota (UMN) Foundation.

At Minnesota, Smith was an integral part of the university-wide Driven campaign, which concluded in 2021 having raised $4.4 billion. Recently, he led fundraising efforts toward a 100% philanthropically supported $40 million renovation of the Carlson School of Management's flagship headquarters building. For fiscal year 2025, UMN raised a record $464 million in philanthropic giving.

"With Travis's appointment, we have fully realized our ambition of hiring a top-tier development leader who comes to us with a national fund-raising profile," said Chancellor S. Jack Hu. "Travis's experience includes development roles in three top public research universities and work within one of higher education's most successful philanthropic campaigns."

Smith, a native of the Central Valley of California, received his B.A. in business administration from the University of Oregon, and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at UMN.

He said he was drawn to a return to his "roots" in California, and to the University of California system, which he said is "the greatest educational system in the world."

"My attraction to UCR was about the institution and its values," said Smith, who was the only child in his family to attend college. "If it weren't for Pell grants and other forms of aid, I wouldn't have been able to pursue higher education. When I think about the students UCR is serving, it's incredible how UCR walks the walk. That's what really spoke to me."

Smith began his fund-raising career with the Oregon State University Foundation, where he served in roles including as director of development at the College of Business. From 2013-15, he was senior director of Regional Advancement at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In 2015, he became assistant dean for institutional advancement at the UMN Carlson School, becoming associate vice president at the university level from 2019-24 for principal gifts and campus programs. He became senior vice president at the university level in July 2024, leading a collection of centralized development programs along with a number of collegiate-based programs.

Smith participated in the 2011-2021 Driven campaign at both the unit and university levels. He led Carlson's portion of the campaign by raising $190 million, surpassing its goal of $150 million.

A highlight of the Carlson School's campaign success was the Centennial Scholars Program, which sought to identify 20 donors, each at the $2.5 million level, to establish an endowed scholarship fund that would be dispersed at the dean's discretion. Under Smith's leadership, the goal of $50 million was reached with only 15 donors and was announced as part of the school's centennial celebration in 2019.

"There is a tremendous opportunity to tell the UCR story to the donor community," Smith said. "The team is ready, and with the chancellor and his vision, there is a chance to do big things, and that's what I like to do."

The most recent incumbent in the permanent vice chancellor DAE position was Monique Dozier, who left UCR in early 2025 for a role at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement Jorge Ancona is serving in the interim leadership role.

Smith's first day as VCDAE is July 6, 2026. He comes to Riverside with his wife, Kara Sherman, and their daughter, Delaney, who will start at UC San Diego in fall 2026.

The search committee was led by Deborah Deas, vice chancellor, Health Sciences and dean for the School of Medicine, and also included Ancona; trustee Susan Atherton; Board of Trustees Chair Wally Bakare; Joshua Carter, chief of staff, VCDAE; Sarah Dillon, director of Human Resources, CNAS; Leila Haidar, ASUCR president; Annya Lott, associate vice chancellor, development; Robyn Martinelli, assistant dean for development, CNAS; Jeff Pack, alumni board member and president-elect; Liz Przybylski, professor, Department of Music, and Daryle Williams, dean, College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences.