Gary Evans ’57 Will Talk about “Selling Your Ideas and Yourself” Today

Gary Evans ’57, special assistant to Lafayette President Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55 and one of the nation’s most accomplished fundraising executives, will talk about “Selling Your Ideas and Yourself” 7:30 p.m. today in the Pfenning Alumni Center’s Wilson Room.

The talk is sponsored by the Lafayette Leadership Education Committee and the Office of Student Life Programs.

Evans will share his expertise in public speaking in discussing how to deliver one’s message effectively. Student leaders have consistently rated Evans’ workshop among the very best Lafayette Leadership Institute programs since 1996.

A prominent figure in national fundraising organizations, Evans teaches seminars for college and university trustees through the Association of Governing Boards. He has been a member of the faculty of the Williamsburg Development Institute since 1979 and has taught at Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management and the Harvard University Seminar for New Presidents. He is author of several articles and book chapters on fundraising.

A former trustee of Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Evans chaired the organization’s national assembly in 1984 and served on CASE task forces on ethics in institutional advancement and matching gifts. In 1998, Evans was honored by the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives during the chapter’s celebration of National Philanthropy Day.

Evans has also played key leadership roles in Lehigh Valley organizations. He is vice president of the Children’s Home of Easton, Inc., a member of the board of directors of Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, and an officer of First Presbyterian Church in Easton. He has served as president and director of Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce.

He stepped down as Lafayette’s vice president for development and college relations last year after more than 30 years of service to his alma mater and a decade in high-level positions at other institutions. His current part-time position involves special assignments in support of Lafayette fundraising.

Evans had served as vice president for development and college relations since May 1991, following an earlier stint in the same post from 1970-1980. His career was capped by leadership of the largest and most ambitious fundraising campaign in Lafayette’s history. The Lafayette Leadership Campaign, which ended in October 2001, raised $213 million, far exceeding its original goal of $143 million.

In recognition of his accomplishments, a board room in Pfenning was named for him and his wife, B.J.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Evans earned a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude with a major in history and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Following graduation he worked at Bell Telephone for three years, then joined the Lafayette staff in 1960 as assistant director of admissions.

In 1963, Evans became director of admissions and student financial aid. In 1967, he was named director of development and alumni affairs, and in 1970 became vice president for development and college relations. He completed Harvard Business School’s Educational Management program.

During his time away from Lafayette, 1980 to 1991, Evans served five years as vice president for resource development at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and five years as vice chancellor for development and university relations at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In September 1990, he became senior vice president of the consulting firm Barnes & Roche, but returned to Lafayette less than a year later.

In 1988, Evans was elected to a five-year term on Lafayette’s board of trustees, and served until he returned to the College as vice president. He was member of the trustees’ committee on athletics and student affairs and committee on college relations.

Evans and his wife live on College Hill. They are the parents of three grown children, Karen, Steven, and Daniel.