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University Development Leadership

University Development is on hand to assist you with private gifts to the University of Arkansas and to ensure that the money is invested wisely in students, faculty, programs and capital. Please feel free to contact us.

Bradford (Brad) E. Choate
Vice Chancellor of University Advancement
479-575-6800
choate@uark.edu 

Bradford (Brad) E. Choate joined the University of Arkansas in July of 2008 as vice chancellor for university advancement. He came to Arkansas from the University of South Carolina where he was vice president for university advancement and oversaw the fundraising and advancement units at the university's eight campuses. Prior to arriving at South Carolina, he was president and chief executive officer of the Minnesota Medical Foundation from 1996 to 2006. From 1990 to 1996, he worked closely with University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart at The Pennsylvania State University. He also has held advancement positions at The Ohio State University and Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill. He holds bachelor's degrees in political science and history and a master's degree in education, all from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. In 2004, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education named him the winner of the CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Award recognizing his leadership and exemplary professionalism.

Bruce Pontious
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development
479-575-7206
pontious@uark.edu 

Bruce Pontious joined the University of Arkansas in September of 2008 as associate vice chancellor for university development. He came to Arkansas after 21 years at The Ohio State University, where he last served as the assistant vice president for professional colleges/units and regional programs. In this role, he supervised development programs for five major academic and auxiliary units at the university, as well as five regional major gift programs. Prior to his most recent role at Ohio State, Pontious served in a series of progressively responsible executive positions at the university, one of the nation's largest academic institutions with more than 60,000 students and over 400,000 living alumni. Previous positions held include associate vice president for health sciences and senior director of medical center development and alumni affairs, as well as assistant to the vice president for health sciences. Pontious holds a bachelor's degree from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and he has completed course work toward a master of education degree at Bowling Green State University.

Mark Power Mark Power
Executive Director of Development and Principal Gifts
479-575-5064
mepower@uark.edu

Mark Power is the executive director of development at the University of Arkansas. He joined the university staff in 2001 serving as the director of development for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. He helped the Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture raise more than $98 million during the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. Prior to coming to the university, he worked at the American Cancer Society Inc. in Little Rock from 1998 to 2001 where he served as development director his final year. He also worked as the assistant director of admissions at Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., from 1994 to 1998. Mark is a 1994 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in history.  Mark is a past member on the National Agricultural, Alumni and Development Association Board of Directors and is a current member of the Northside Rotary Club in Fayetteville. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the northwest Arkansas chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. 

Brenda Brugger
Executive Director of Administration and Development Services
479-575-4925
brugger@uark.edu

Brenda joined the University of Arkansas in 1999 as Director of Development Research, assigned the task of establishing a formal prospect research program to support the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century. She came to Arkansas from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), where she founded their first prospect research office in support of UMR's Full Circle Campaign. Prior to this position, Brenda was selected by the University of Missouri-Rolla Western Historical Manuscript Collection, under a grant from the Burlington Northern Foundation, to compile, "Guide to the Historical Records of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company," published in 1989. Brenda holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Missouri-Rolla. She is a member of CASE, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and has been a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement since 1990. She has served as a mentor for APRA, has held offices in local chapters in Missouri and Arkansas, and has presented prospect research sessions for all three organizations.

Jim Harris
Executive Director, Gift & Estate Planning
479-575-5507
jlharris@uark.edu

Jim Harris is the Executive Director, Gift & Estate Planning at the University of Arkansas. He is a graduate of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the School of Law at the University of Arkansas. He received his Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant. He was in private practice as a partner in the Rose Law Firm, Little Rock, Ark., from 1989-1997, and with Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson in Fayetteville, Ark., from 1997-2000. He has received the Craig Sterne Award for Outstanding Achievement in Taxation and Estate Planning and is a James J. Freeland Tax Scholar. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Gift & Estate Planning at the University of Arkansas, he served as Director and Associate Director of Planned Giving, and Counsel to the Office of University Development.