UVA Darden School of Business Appoints New Leaders to External Relations Team

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Darden School Foundation announced today two new leaders in the area of external relations. W. Carter Hoerr will serve as executive director of advancement, and Locke Ogens will serve as executive director for strategic relations.

“At Darden, we aim to assemble a world-class, market-facing external relations team,” said Darden’s Dean Bob Bruner. “In Carter and Locke, I am confident that we have found experienced, strategic leaders to join the team and build its managerial capability,” said Darden’s Dean Bob Bruner.

“Advancing the School’s long-term fundraising capability and crafting an engagement strategy for our top stakeholders are key external relations goals,” said Trip Davis, president of the Darden School Foundation and senior associate dean for external relations. “Both Carter and Locke bring to the School’s senior leadership team business acumen and valuable ties to the University of Virginia community.”

As executive director of advancement, Hoerr will be responsible for all fundraising, leading the Darden Annual Fund, major gifts, corporate gifts, operations and stewardship. He has served as the interim executive director of advancement for Darden since May 2012. During that time, he successfully led “Operation Finish Strong” through the end of the fiscal year on 30 June 2012, yielding total gifts of $24.8 million, including a record year for the Annual Fund.

Hoerr is a seasoned business and nonprofit leader with broad expertise in strategic planning, business development, organizational development, marketing and communications, investor relations, e-commerce and web development. Hoerr was operations manager for the former J.W. Sieg and Co., an Anheuser-Busch distributor; owned Mailing Services of Virginia (MSV) for many years; served as CEO of Vmeals, a web-based services company; and consulted for a wide variety of startups and established businesses. A 1979 graduate of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia, Hoerr is a lifelong supporter of the University and has served on numerous volunteer boards.

Locke Ogens, as the executive director for strategic relations, will support the dean and the senior associate dean for external relations. Her primary responsibility is to manage Darden’s volunteer leadership boards and to craft an engagement strategy for top external stakeholders. She will also lead various strategic projects.

Ogens has served as the interim chief of staff for external relations since May 2012. Prior to her role at Darden, she was a long-time investment management executive with firms including Morgan Stanley and Schroders. An experienced nonprofit leader and board member, she served as chair of the Greater Boston Salvation Army Advisory Board and as a member of the Salvation Army Massachusetts State Advisory Board. At the University of Virginia, she has served as a trustee of the UVA College Foundation Board for eight years and held the office of president from April 2010 to April 2012. She also served on the UVA Council of Foundations and is a member of the Raven Society. Ogens is a 1976 graduate of UVAs College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Both Ogens and Hoerr were elected officers of the Darden School Foundation.