John Roberson has been named the new development director for the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences at Middle Tennessee State University.

The 37-year-old native of Gadsden, Alabama, will be responsible for securing private donations for the college.

“John comes to us with a diverse array of experience that includes time spent in the private sector, time at a large land-grant university, and most recently, time working at a community college where he had numerous responsibilities and led a capital campaign,” said Mark Clark, executive director of development at the MTSU.

A graduate of Auburn University, Roberson stepped into his role in MTSU’s Development and Foundation Office in mid-November after leaving a director’s position at Gadsden State Community College.

“In addition to his experience, he demonstrated an understanding of and appreciation for the power of charitable giving to transform lives and communities, especially as it relates to higher education,” Clark said.

Some of the projects he spearheaded prior to coming to MTSU include helping secure a $12 million state funds to build a skills training center at Gadsden State.

Michael Hein, professor of psychology and interim dean for CBHS, already has plans for utilizing Roberson’s skills.

“I talked with him about three specific goals — getting the student emergency fund to an endowed level, endowed enrichment accounts for each department and matching funds for a mental health clinic that could cut across several departments in the college,” Hein explained.

Expanding the reach of CBHS is important, Clark said.

“The College of Behavioral and Health Sciences has more alumni than any other single college at MTSU,” Clark said. “Coming off back-to back record-breaking years for fundraising, we recognize it is critical to our future success to have a great development director in CBHS and we believe we’ve found that in John.”

Degree programs that fall under the CBHS umbrella include the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, Department of Health and Human Performance, Department of Human Sciences, the School of Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Psychology and Department of Social Work.

Roberson, who enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants, is equally happy to be in the heart of a thriving university and growing community.

“I’m excited to be a part of the MTSU development team,” Roberson said. “We have a lot of exciting things going on campus, and I’m proud to say that I am a part of the wonderful culture and tradition at MTSU.”

To learn more about university giving, visit www.mtsu.edu/development. Learn more about the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences at https://www.mtsu.edu/cbhs/index.php.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)