News
UNT Dallas Campus selects first executive director of development
DALLAS – The University of North Texas Dallas Campus has selected Joseph W. Breshears as its first executive director of development. Breshears will oversee the campus’ fundraising efforts and seek lead gifts to provide scholarships, academic program support, and facilities for the creation of UNT Dallas.
An attorney who specializes in estate planning, probate law and charitable trusts, Breshears was most recently executive director of development, director of planned giving, and general counsel for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to his positions at the seminary, he was associate trust counsel with the Baptist Foundation of Texas and owned and operated his own legal practice in downtown Fort Worth.
Breshears said he values the opportunity to “be a part of what is being built at the UNT Dallas Campus.”
“I believe education for all people is a goal worthy of pursuit, and I wanted to be a part of a school that is creating access to success,” Breshears said. “There is no reason that financial obstacles should stand in the way of a student prepared to study, and by working with the people of Dallas and the remainder of North Texas I believe we can find the resources to help young people make their dreams come true at the UNT Dallas Campus and at the future UNT Dallas.”
While at the seminary, Breshears legally positioned the institution to manage its $100 million endowment through a wholly-owned foundation. He personally secured more than $10 million in planned gifts and implemented a new stewardship program that resulted in $3 million in deferred gifts to the institution in 11 months. He also presided over the most successful fundraising year in the seminary’s 98-year history, which exceeded the previous record by more than $2 million.
Breshears has taught courses on issues related to estate planning and charitable giving. He has written case law summaries and identified core legal concepts for more than 5,000 state and federal court opinions for LexisNexis, an international legal publishing company.
John Price, vice provost of the UNT Dallas Campus, said he was pleased to appoint Breshears to the position. “Joe has a heart for education and for helping people succeed. I believe he will be a great asset to the campus’ senior leadership team,” Price said.
Breshears attended William Jewel College in Liberty, Mo., but later transferred to Baylor University in Waco. There he earned a degree in business administration and attended the university’s School of Law. In 2007, Breshears was nominated as a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is a member of the National Council on Planned Giving and of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
The UNT Dallas Campus, which operates under the authority of the University of North Texas in Denton, currently offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Once freestanding, the University of North Texas at Dallas will begin recruiting its first freshman class for admission in fall 2009.
For More Information:
Gregory Tomlin
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(972) 780-3615
(817) 798-9260 (Cell)
greg.tomlin@unt.edu