John Barnhill

John H. Barnhill ’92 serves Elon as the Associate Vice President of University Advancement. He works with a dynamic team of professionals leading the Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving, Parent Engagement, Advancement Communications, Advancement Services and Donor Relations departments. Often acting as a liaison for Advancement; he serves on the Vice President’s leadership team to oversee divisional priorities and provides leadership to Academic Deans to increase strategic engagement of alumni and parents. In 2010, he led the effort to create a strategic plan for alumni, which laid the current foundation of Elon’s vibrant alumni network. Under his leadership, the plan has increased alumni and student giving participation, expanded regional alumni markets and events, modernized web and marketing materials and expanded volunteer and recognition societies. Seeking to further engage Elon’s broadening alumni base, John conceived and piloted #ElonDay in 2014, an annual Day of Giving for the university. The campaign was sincere, interactive and most importantly established a culture of philanthropy throughout the Elon community. Since then, John has spearheaded nine successful ‘Elon Days’, the raising over $16.5M and creating a pattern of support from all constituents.

John also draws from his experience serving as Salem State University’s Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement. While there, he managed a team of 17 staff members, served on the President’s leadership team and co-chaired Salem State’s five-year strategic planning committee. Under his leadership, annual alumni events and activities doubled, the number of $1,000 donors grew 67% and the office of Institutional Advancement rebranded their marketing materials.

Graduating from Elon in 1992, John started his professional career at Elon and has led a number of programmatic efforts that remain critical to Elon’s success. In 2002, he served as the founding Executive Director of the North Carolina Campus Engagement (formerly NC Campus Compact), a collaborative network of 37 colleges and universities committed to educating engaged citizens and strengthening communities. Earlier as the Assistant Dean of Students, he directed the Residence Life and Service Learning departments and co-created the Experiential Learning Requirement. As the Director of Service Learning and Leadership Development, he oversaw the endowment and creation of the nationally recognized Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement. In the same role, he created the student leadership model, which involves students in progressive responsibility for coordination of both leadership and service programs. As a student, with Chaplain Emeritus Richard McBride, he started Elon’s campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Elon Volunteers! (EV!).

John holds a Masters of Education from UNC Greensboro and lives with his wife and two daughters in Greensboro, NC.