Baylor Bear Foundation Names New Executive Director
Doug Smith, who in the past 27 years has raised more than $47 million for the athletic programs of seven different Division 1A schools, was named Saturday as the new executive director of the Baylor Bear Foundation, the organization which raises money to pay for scholarships for Baylor student-athletes.
Smith, who since May of 1997 has been assistant athletic director of development at Rice University, succeeds David Hawkins, who several months ago was named to head up the quest for athletic endowment at Baylor.
"I am very, very excited about coming to Baylor University. It is an institution that is respected nationally and has outstanding student-athletes and coaches," said Smith in accepting Baylor's offer, thus climaxing a national search of several months duration.
"I am also excited about working with the Bear Foundation's board of directors and establishing an athletic fundraising organization that will compete with others nationally," Smith added.
"I have used the 'team' concept in fundraising for more than 25 years, and I look forward to many of our alumni getting involved with this concept."
Smith, a 1969 graduate of Kent State, directed with great success the athletic fundraising efforts at his alma mater and also the University of Pacific, California State at Fullerton, the University of New Mexico, Southern Methodist University and the University of Oklahoma before moving to Rice.
He created new annual giving programs at four of the seven schools, developed first-ever priority seat programs at SMU and New Mexico, and headed up the planning and implementation of Oklahoma's "Reach For Excellence Campaign" with the goal of raising $10 million for athletics. He is a founding member of the National Athletic Fund Raising Association (NAFRA), a founding board member of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD), and was named "National Athletic Fund Raiser of the Year" in 1990 while at New Mexico.
"We're thrilled that our search has lead us to Doug and that he was willing to accept our offer," said Bear Foundation president John Burleson, a Waco attorney. Burleson said the Foundation's search committee interviewed a number of "very attractive" candidates, but Smith's experience and track record were impossible to overlook.
"We had any number of folks tell us that Doug is the best in the country at this particular job. We are confident that under his leadership the membership of the Foundation and the giving levels will continue to grow," said Burleson.
At the end of the 1997-98 school year, the Foundation reported a membership of 3,300 and presented a check to Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. in the amount of $1,250,000.
Among those highly recommending Smith to the Foundation's search committee was Donnie Duncan, who currently is Director of Football Operations for the Big 12 Conference and who as athletic director of Oklahoma, in 1991 hired Smith to become director of the Sooners' athletic development.
"I know Doug to be one of the most highly motivated, focused and knowledgeable individuals in the area of what he does, no matter what the field," Duncan said. "He will be a tireless worker and an enthusiastic supporter and representative of all Baylor teams.
"He leads by example. I'll tell you, Tom Stanton (Baylor athletic director), the Bear Foundation and Baylor University struck gold -- no, make that green and gold -- when they were able to hire Doug Smith."
Smith said he will attend a meeting in Waco of the Bear Foundation's board of directors on Aug. 22 and will officially take over his new duties on Aug. 24.
For more information, contact Stanton at (254) 710-1222.