A respected veteran of the education and nonprofit industry with over 30 years of advancement and executive experience, Howard R. Lipman serves as Chief Executive Officer of FIU Foundation, Inc., and Senior Vice President of University Advancement. Mr. Lipman’s passion for philanthropy began in college, where he saw firsthand how the matching of a donor’s interests with the university’s goals could transform both the institution and the people it serves. Today, that passion has taken Mr. Lipman to the helm of FIU’s $750 million comprehensive campaign, the Next Horizon, which launched in January 2019 and will culminate in December 2023 with a bold alumni engagement campaign.

Mr. Lipman leads a top team of diverse professionals, driving strategy and results while building a culture of philanthropy across all university stakeholders. His efforts have recharged the FIU Foundation, adding new programming in principal gifts, major gifts, and leadership annual giving, and expanding leadership volunteers, staff, and fundraising capacity to achieve new records in donor investments. Under his leadership, the Foundation’s net assets have increased from $176,974,182 in FY10 to $473,566,978 today, a total of 168%. Recent innovations in philanthropy include establishing the FIU Foundation Office of Inclusive Philanthropy, which will raise support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at FIU and further diversify FIU’s donor base.

As chief architect of FIU’s present-day alumni program, Mr. Lipman recruited top professional talent to build out the program, expanded staff, and brought together alumni and other stakeholders to create the vision for a combined FIU Alumni Center, Conference Center, and Hotel. Mr. Lipman has significant experience at multiple universities in his long and successful career. His extensive background in health-related fundraising spans beyond FIU to Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami and Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University. Mr. Lipman believes deeply in the mission of public higher education and the role it plays in lifting communities.