Career fund-raising professional F. Duke Perry assumed his
duties as president of the West Virginia University Foundation
on January 1. He is replacing James A. Robinson, who retired
following nearly 15 years as president of the Foundation. 
Perry was president of the George Mason University Foundation in Virginia since 1993, and served as president of the Florida State University Foundation from 1990 to 1993. From 1967 to 1990 he held various positions at Virginia Tech, including associate vice president for development.
"I was attracted here by the nature of West Virginia University," said Perry. "My background includes a longtime involvement with a state land-grant university and I enjoy working at a land-grant university. I believe they have their own special purpose in higher education. I find those who graduate from such institutions to be strongly dedicated to their universities.
"I felt this would be a wonderful place and a great opportunity
to carry out another campaign and to help an outstanding University
move to a new level of national prominence and recognition. Because
of the people I met
during my interview, I fully believe all of this is possible
and I very much want to be a part of it."
During Perry's tenure at the GMU Foundation, gifts in support of the university rose to $16 million from $3.5 million, and the endowment grew to more than $30 million from $9 million. In four years the Foundation's assets grew from $32 million to $72 million. At Florida State, fund-raising reached $25 million annually and the endowment increased 27 percent during his final two years. While at Virginia Tech, he directed Tech's first capital campaign, a three-year effort that generated over $118 million, and annual giving reached $32 million.
"Our goal is to provide the opportunity for our alumni and friends to become more involved with WVU and to assist them in understanding just what private support can do for the University," Perry said.
"We need to be sure that everyone knows just how good and valuable WVU is and what it does for the citizens of the state of West Virginia and beyond," he added.
Perry is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Commission on Philanthropy and serves on the Association of Governing Boards' National Planning Committee for Institutional Related Foundations. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Virginia Tech.
He and his wife, Judy, have two grown children. Todd, a Virginia Tech graduate, is a computer engineer. Eryn has completed bachelor's and master's degrees in English, also from Tech.