156: Greg Willems, Kansas State University Foundation

Greg Willems has served as president and chief executive officer of the KSU Foundation since February of 2022.Willems has held executive fundraising positions at the University of Hawai’i, University of British Columbia and Texas A&M. Prior to his development work, he worked in the corporate sector in the construction and insurance industries.Most recently, Willems served as vice president of development for the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, overseeing fundraising, campaigns and development operations. In that role he led them to record-breaking annual fundraising results and directed the planning and implementation for the next comprehensive, system-wide capital campaign for the University of Hawaii System. Prior to his position at the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, Willems was the executive director of development at the University of British Columbia, where he served on the executive leadership team and helped launch a $1.5 billion campaign, the largest in Canadian history at the time.He also served as the senior director of development for the Texas A&M Foundation, where he provided leadership in the university’s successful $1.5 billion “One Spirit One Vision” campaign.Willems earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Texas A&M University in 1988. He was named three times to Hawaii Business Magazine’s “Executives You Need To Know” list and served on the board of the Engineering Development Forum.