As Vice President of University Relations, Secord will head Southwestern’s Office of University Relations, which includes the Offices of Gift Programs, University Events and Alumni and Parent Relations. Working in alignment with the University’s overall mission, goals and strategic planning efforts, Secord will lead his team to expand Southwestern’s fundraising efforts and will partner with President Edward Burger to plan and implement comprehensive fundraising and engagement efforts.

Most recently, Secord was the director of development and gift planning at Drake University where he led a successful $200 million capital campaign. In 2011 the Des Moines Business Record named Secord as one of the 40 Under 40 winners based on demonstrated impressive career achievements and unparalleled community involvement. Prior to his work at Drake, Secord was the major gifts officer at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts, responsible for reinvigorating a $165 million capital initiative tied to expanding health care facilities. He began his career at Babson College as a development research analyst with a focus on data mining, moving into a position as the director of gift and estate planning that resulted in a 300 percent increase in the number of planned gifts committed to that institution.

“Paul Secord is a dynamic philanthropic professional with the strategic thinking, creativity and fund raising skills that will make a significant, positive impact on Southwestern’s future,” said Burger. “His experience and success in higher education advancement are a clear indication of the leadership and energy he will bring to building and maintaining the productive internal and external relationships that are vital to our on-going success. We are delighted to welcome him as a new member of the Southwestern community.”

Secord cites his dual passions for the values of a liberal arts education and the transformative impact of philanthropy as key vectors in his professional life. He identified Southwestern’s clear commitment to advancing a culture of broadly educated thinkers, the visionary leadership of President Burger, engaged alumni and donors and a vibrant campus community as offering a compelling opportunity where his passions could make a significant contribution.

“I am very excited to join Southwestern University and to work with President Burger as well as the members of the campus and external communities,” said Secord. “As the first institution of higher education in Texas, and its leading liberal arts university, Southwestern has an impressive past, a vibrant present and a boundless future. I want to be a part of changing the world, and Southwestern is where I want to do that.”

Secord holds a B.A. in political science (magna cum laude) and an M. Ed. in curriculum and instruction, both conferred in 1998 from Boston College, and received an M.S. in taxation from Bentley University in 2003. He, his wife Deborah (B.A. Wellesley College, M.B.A. Drake University) and their two children are all excited about joining the Georgetown community.