Knight '07 Hired As Lehigh's Associate VP For Development
9/27/2024 3:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Former Lehigh men's basketball great Joey Knight '07 has been named associate vice president for development for Lehigh University's Office of Development and Alumni Relations, effective November 6.
"Joey has had a very impressive rise within his professional career," said Lehigh men's basketball head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "He's produced at a high level in his multiple fundraising roles. I'm very proud of him. He's going to be a great addition to Lehigh. It's very impressive that one of our former student-athletes has elevated so significantly within his chosen profession. He's always shown great character, work ethic and has been a good teammate. It's no wonder he's been so successful. We are so excited to have him back at Lehigh."
In his new role, Knight will advance Lehigh's fundraising and engagement efforts, developing strategies and guiding work that inspires philanthropy from alumni, parents, and friends of the university. He will oversee six teams within the department and work closely with the vice president and leadership to achieve the goals of GO Beyond: The Campaign for Future Makers, the university's $1.25 billion fundraising and engagement effort.
Knight comes to Lehigh from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), where he has served as chief development officer, managing a development staff of fundraisers that saw consecutive years of double-digit increases in giving, most recently a 35% increase in giving to SIEPR.
Before his time at SIEPR, Knight served as the assistant athletics director, development for Stanford Athletics. He was an integral part of a team that raised more than $220 million in support of student-athletes and achieved $75 million in 2020-21 – the highest fundraising year in Stanford Athletics history. He also served as the lead fundraiser and liaison for Stanford Wrestling, endowing all three coaching positions and multiple scholarships in addition to bolstering Stanford Athletics development efforts in multiple regions.
Prior to Stanford, Knight served as the chief development officer for athletics at Catawba College. He secured 20% of the college's campaign gifts, helping Catawba exceed its campaign goal — the largest in its history at that time. He also brings five years of fundraising experience with the Boy Scouts of America, most recently at the national office where he worked in principal gifts and collaborated with a larger fundraising team to raise over $100 million annually for the organization.
As a student-athlete, Knight excelled on the court in two seasons with the brown and white after transferring from High Point. Knight was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2005-06, averaging 14.4 points per game while also earning Lehigh's Scholar Athlete of Year award that season. Knight's name is etched into the Lehigh record books for his 45 point performance against Colgate in 2005, which stands as the second-highest individual scoring performance in program history.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Â
"Joey has had a very impressive rise within his professional career," said Lehigh men's basketball head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "He's produced at a high level in his multiple fundraising roles. I'm very proud of him. He's going to be a great addition to Lehigh. It's very impressive that one of our former student-athletes has elevated so significantly within his chosen profession. He's always shown great character, work ethic and has been a good teammate. It's no wonder he's been so successful. We are so excited to have him back at Lehigh."
In his new role, Knight will advance Lehigh's fundraising and engagement efforts, developing strategies and guiding work that inspires philanthropy from alumni, parents, and friends of the university. He will oversee six teams within the department and work closely with the vice president and leadership to achieve the goals of GO Beyond: The Campaign for Future Makers, the university's $1.25 billion fundraising and engagement effort.
Knight comes to Lehigh from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), where he has served as chief development officer, managing a development staff of fundraisers that saw consecutive years of double-digit increases in giving, most recently a 35% increase in giving to SIEPR.
Before his time at SIEPR, Knight served as the assistant athletics director, development for Stanford Athletics. He was an integral part of a team that raised more than $220 million in support of student-athletes and achieved $75 million in 2020-21 – the highest fundraising year in Stanford Athletics history. He also served as the lead fundraiser and liaison for Stanford Wrestling, endowing all three coaching positions and multiple scholarships in addition to bolstering Stanford Athletics development efforts in multiple regions.
Prior to Stanford, Knight served as the chief development officer for athletics at Catawba College. He secured 20% of the college's campaign gifts, helping Catawba exceed its campaign goal — the largest in its history at that time. He also brings five years of fundraising experience with the Boy Scouts of America, most recently at the national office where he worked in principal gifts and collaborated with a larger fundraising team to raise over $100 million annually for the organization.
As a student-athlete, Knight excelled on the court in two seasons with the brown and white after transferring from High Point. Knight was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2005-06, averaging 14.4 points per game while also earning Lehigh's Scholar Athlete of Year award that season. Knight's name is etched into the Lehigh record books for his 45 point performance against Colgate in 2005, which stands as the second-highest individual scoring performance in program history.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Â
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
