Jim Lewis has served in institutional advancement leadership roles for more than 30 years across a wide range of institutions. He currently serves as the President of the Texas United Methodist College Association which raises funds in support of scholarships for Methodist students enrolled in any one of six Texas Methodist colleges and universities. From 2014 to 2020, he was Vice President for University Advancement at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. He previously served the University of Texas at Arlington as Vice President for Development from 2008 to 2014, Austin College in Sherman, Texas as Vice President for Advancement from 1995 to 2008, and Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi from 1989 to 1995. He has been involved in multiple comprehensive campaigns and provided leadership for advancement programs which raised nearly $500 million during his tenure. While at UT Arlington, he received national recognition from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for leading one of the two most improved development programs among doctoral institutions with endowments of under $250 million for the 2012-13 year.
Jim has been actively engaged throughout his career as a volunteer, speaker and mentor through CASE. He served on the CASE International Board of Trustees from 2017 to 2020 and has had numerous roles with CASE District IV including serving as Board Chair and Conference Chair. He also been an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1987, having served on the national board (then the National Society for Fund Raising Executives) from 1991 to 1993. In recognition of his service to the fundraising profession throughout North Texas, he was recognized in 2016 by the Greater Dallas AFP Chapter with their Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award and honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award in 2017 by CASE District IV.
Jim began his fundraising career at Southern Methodist University, where he earned an M.B.A. He also attended East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University – Commerce), where he earned B.S. in Sociology and M.A. in Counseling.