COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- University of Maryland alumnus and proven fundraising leader Kirby Mills has been named Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Development Officer for Maryland Athletics by Damon Evans, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics on Thursday. 

Mills returns to his alma mater after serving as Associate Athletic Director, Development at Arizona State University. He has served in various development roles with the Sun Devils since 2017 where he led the fundraising unit in achieving collective team goals of generating more than $32.5M annually in new gifts and commitments from more than 10,000 unique donors. Mills oversaw all philanthropic giving in support of Arizona State Athletics through management and development of a diverse team of professional fundraisers focusing on one-on-one donor engagement, annual fund efforts and donor experience. He was responsible for managing a portfolio of high capacity donors and individually secured more than $4M in new gifts and commitments annually. 

"I am incredibly excited to be returning to my alma mater in this role leading the Terrapin Club," said Mills, who earned his Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Maryland's prestigious Phillip Merrill College of Journalism in 2011 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2015. "Thank you to Damon, Brian Ullmann, Matt Hodge and Jim Harris for their support and trust in me. Maryland is one of the preeminent universities in the nation and has one of the top athletic departments and I can't wait to connect with our many donors and supporters. Maryland has a tremendous legacy and being able to reimagine the Terrapin Club is something I take great pride in. I can't wait to come home."

Mills will fill the role recently vacated by Cheryl Harrison. Harrison, who has worked for the University of Maryland for 27 years, 23 of them in Maryland Athletics, will remain with the Terrapin Club, transitioning to a role leading principal gifts for the athletic department.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kirby home to Maryland," said Evans. "He has had tremendous success in fundraising at Arizona State with innovative solutions and strategies. We are confident that he can lead the Terrapin Club to new levels and advance the culture of philanthropy with Maryland Athletics. He has proven himself in areas of growing donor bases and increased support with major gifts. We look forward to Kirby hitting the ground running in College Park."

"I would also like to thank Cheryl Harrison for her leadership in overseeing the Terrapin Club for many years and look forward to her continuing to grow and cultivate Maryland supporters in her new role."

In his time at Arizona State, Mills received progressive promotions from Director of Major Gifts to Assistant Athletic Director to his current role as Associate Athletic Director. With the Sun Devils, Mills individually raised nearly $25M through donor support, including cash and gift planning commitments towards endowments, facilities, program needs and other departmental priorities. He has also been an instrumental part of a team that raised more than $100M over the last five years. He elevated the leadership giving efforts by building a pipeline leading to seven and eight figure donations. Mills individually secured an eight-figure commitment tied to the donor recognition of the recently dedicated Mullett Arena, a new multi-purpose venue, home of Arizona State ice hockey and the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. 

Prior to his time in The Valley, Mills worked at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2015-17 where he finished his time as the Assistant Athletic Director, External Relations. Mills directed the revenue generation initiatives for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, supporting all 20 NCAA Division III programs by enhancing fundraising operations and implementing a corporate partner program. He also served as primary resource raiser and led a team of support personnel to build sustainable revenue models and increase external engagement through high-impact recognition and stewardship of corporate and philanthropic investors.

Before Whitewater, Mills worked various roles at Maryland from 2012-15. He served as the Assistant Director of Development in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2014-15. Prior to that, he was Assistant Director of Football Operations/Outreach as well as a position handling Football Social Media and Operations Coordinator and working in the athletic department as a student worker. 

Mills is a native of Georgetown, Delaware and continues a family legacy of Terrapins as three generations of his family attended Maryland. He grew up going to Maryland football games, sitting in Section 17, Row R. Mills and his wife Leah have a son Foster.