Patton Vo has joined Penn State Brandywine in Media as the new director of campus development, writes Christina Billie for Penn State Brandywine.

Vo began his career at Penn State Brandywine this month, bringing a background in fundraising, operations and strategic planning.

He graduated from Widener University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and obtained a Discipline of Frontline Fundraising certificate in 2018 from Plus Delta Partners.

He has worked at other institutions of higher learning, including Arcadia University, Swarthmore College, and Widener University.

His hope at Penn State Brandywine is to create innovative philanthropic opportunities that will open doors, connect disciplines and ultimately advance the student experience on and off campus.

“Very early on in college, I learned the impact of philanthropy because I’m a first-generation student, and it was because of a scholarship that I received at my alma mater that I was able to complete my four-year degree,” Vo said.  

He discovered a knack for building, creating and sustaining relationships—a vital and fundamental aspect of fundraising.

After graduating from Widener, he was offered a full-time position at the university as an assistant director of development.

He shifted his focus during the pandemic, helping K-12 schools address problems of chronic absenteeism and a loss of student development and learning exacerbated by the pandemic.

Before taking on his new role at Penn State Brandywine, Vo worked for a year at a healthcare startup that focused on mental health and telepsychiatry service.

Vo wanted to work at Penn State Brandywine because of the ethos and values of the community.

“I’m extremely inspired by Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi’s vision as a new leader of the university. Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn Wells has a huge role in why I wanted to be here as well, recognizing that I’m a Delaware County resident, and I’ve seen the impact that Penn State has had to our community. To be a part of the sensation that’s giving back in such transformative ways has been extremely inspiring.”

In his new role, he will be assessing where Penn State Brandywine student needs lie as he builds a collaborative culture of philanthropy.

“We’re in a very sensitive space with higher education where its value is being challenged. The shifting demographics of college students are very evident in how we are teaching and engaging these types of students in and out of the classroom”.

As far as fundraising goals, he wants to determine how donors can transform the lives of the students, programs and faculty that will allow Penn State Brandywine to continue being a leading institution.

“And then eagerly, my goal is to hopefully secure the largest gift in Brandywine’s history.”

Read the entire interview with Penn State Brandywine’s new campus development director at Penn State Brandywine.