Robert D. Sweeney
Of Counsel
Bob has spent his entire career leading colleges and universities in maximizing their fundraising and public outreach. He has represented some of America’s important public and private institutions during pivotal periods in their history. He leverages vision, strong leadership and generating significant private resources into a narrative for increasing prominence. Among those served are the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Richmond and Loyola University. He served at the vice president level for 33 years.
As UVA’s Senior Vice President for University Advancement, Bob was the architect of two of the largest campaigns in the history of public higher education. In 2000, he led a remarkable team to a $1.43 billion campaign success. At the time, it was the largest amount ever raised by a public university. In 2013, his team completed a $3 billion fundraising effort that placed the University of Virginia within an elite group of institutions having completed campaigns of $3 billion or more. During his tenure at UVA, Bob orchestrated funding exceeding $5 billion.
He is a recipient of The Thomas Jefferson Award, the University of Virginia’s highest honor for life-time service to the University and, upon retirement, was named as the University’s first Senior Vice President for Advancement, Emeritus. He is also the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from the Serpentine Society for his commitment to creating a more positive and welcoming environment for the LGBT community at UVA.
Residence
Charlottesville, Virginia
Education
- Niagara University, B.A., Honorary Doctorate