FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University has announced the hiring of Nick Wormley for the position of Executive Director of Athletic Development/Senior Associate Athletics Director. A more than 10-year veteran in the field of university fundraising, Wormley most recently served as the Executive Director for University Advancement and Campaign Management at Sacred Heart University.
 
"Nick is a key hire at an exciting time for Fairfield University Athletics," said Wally Halas, Vice President for Advancement. "Nick's energy and proven track record of working with a variety of coaches and stakeholders will serve him well in this position."
 
Wormley will be responsible for developing and executing fundraising strategies to enhance revenue generation for Fairfield's 20 varsity sports. He will lead a team that will oversee the recruitment of major gifts, the Friends of Athletics program, donor events related to athletics and the student-athlete mentor program.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Nick, his wife Michelle, their son Jackson and daughter Reese to the Fairfield Stags family" said Paul Schlickmann, Director of Athletics. "Throughout the interview process it became clear that Nick's skill set was a perfect fit for the position. I look forward to working with Nick and I am confident his efforts will positively enhance our student-athlete experience."
 
At Sacred Heart, Wormley brought an expertise that has helped strengthen Sacred Heart's Advancement team. He was instrumental in building a fundraising program for athletics that is continuing to make a tremendous impact on 32 athletic teams. Under his leadership, gift officers solicited and received their largest gifts to date; an annual fund program for athletics was formalized and parents are playing a larger role than ever on the philanthropic landscape of Sacred Heart.
 
Wormley managed the advancement team for the completion of University's first capital campaign of $30 million, personally soliciting and securing over $7.5 million in gifts and pledges over three years. He also worked closely with Executive Director of Athletics Bobby Valentine to determine funding priorities and capital projects for Sacred Heart athletics, including the Bobby Valentine Athletic Center, the renovation of the men's and women's lacrosse locker rooms and the addition of new scoreboards for lacrosse, football and basketball and closing multiple six- and seven-figure gifts.
 
"I am honored to join the Fairfield University community and Stags Athletics," said Wormley. "I would like to thank Wally Halas and Paul Schlickmann for this opportunity. I look forward to connecting with our student-athletes, coaches and supporters of Stags Athletics as we work together to build upon the resources available for our varsity programs."
 
Wormley previously spent eight years at Quinnipiac, rising to the position of Associate Vice President for Alumni and Parent Development. During his tenure in Hamden, Wormley significantly increased personal portfolio gifts, parent participation and the gift participation rate of alumni attending events.
 
A 2000 graduate of Quinnipiac with a degree in Economics, Wormley was a four-year member of the Bobcats' men's tennis team. He earned an MBA with a concentration of Finance from Quinnipiac in 2002.
 
Fairfield is in the midst of the largest capital campaign in the university's history, which is nearing $200 million in gifts. The Fairfield Rising Campaign has made a tremendous impact on campus with new buildings such as Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium, the Leslie C. Quick Jr RecPlex, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and the Daniel and Grace Tully Dining Commons. Visit Fairfield.Edu/ModernCampus for more details.