Gatling joins Elon Law with significant experience in the financial services industry and 13 years of executive development experience in higher education.
LaDaniel “Danny” Gatling II, a higher education development professional with expertise in financial advising, philanthropic management and institutional advancement, joined Elon Law in December as assistant dean for development.
“We are very excited to have Danny bring his professionalism, collegiality, community values and track record of success to Elon Law,” said law school dean Luke Bierman. “Elon Law’s innovations to transform legal education while benefiting our community and region will be enhanced by Danny’s vision and accomplishment. As we invigorate Elon Law’s advancement and community building objectives, Danny’s contributions will be appreciated by all of our friends and partners.”
Gatling comes to Elon from Guilford College, where he was associate vice president for philanthropy.
“I’m very pleased to join Elon Law at a time when the school is bringing tremendous innovation to legal education,” Gatling said. “I look forward to enriching the student experience at Elon Law by building on the already generous investments of time and resources made by the school’s legal, civic and philanthropic partners.”
Gatling earned a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University. While at A&T and after graduation, Gatling worked with the architectural engineering firm of Alley, Williams, Carmen and King located in Greensboro from 1993-1995. In 1995, Gatling chose to pursue a career in financial services, joining Primerica Financial Services, a subsidiary of Citigroup, as a financial analyst.
In 1999, Gatling became a financial consultant with the financial investment firm of Merrill Lynch. At Merrill Lynch, he served as financial advisor to over 200 clients while managing over $10 million in assets. As a result of his clients wanting to integrate philanthropic support into their financial portfolios, Gatling began to work closely with Merrill Lynch’s Philanthropic Group. During this time, Gatling paired the philanthropic motivations of individuals with financial vehicles that advanced their philanthropic intentions. Applying his expertise in philanthropic management, Gatling worked with fundraising staff at several nonprofits, colleges and universities to help them manage endowments and increase fundraising efforts through the use of planned giving.
In 2001, Gatling became the Director of Development for the School of Agriculture at North Carolina A&T State University. He also took on a range of development responsibilities in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2006, Gatling accepted the position of Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Bennett College, where he was responsible for securing major gifts and providing direct support to the President and Vice President of Institutional Advancement. At Bennett, Gatling led the annual fund, alumnae affairs and advancement services. In 2007, Gatling joined Guilford College as a major gift officer, before being promoted to the positions of Senior Director of Philanthropy and Associate Vice President for Philanthropy. At Guilford, in addition to a broad set of fundraising responsibilities, Gatling provided leadership and strategic support for a team of major gifts officers and multiple volunteer groups.
Gatling is member of several professional and service organizations, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Salvation Army of Greensboro, the North Carolina A&T National Alumni Association Board and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Gatling and his wife Kimberly have three sons, Danny III (L.A.), Fletcher and Jordan.