Alumnus Brad Averitt named APSU Assistant Executive Director of Alumni and Annual Giving
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 Austin Peay State University alumnus Brad Averitt (鈥10, 鈥17) has been named the University鈥檚 new Assistant Executive Director of Alumni and Annual Giving. In this position, which he will begin on July 1, he will oversee the APSU Office of Alumni and Annual Giving.
鈥淚 am honored to have earned the opportunity to assume this role and lead the APSU National Alumni Association and our annual giving team,鈥 Averitt said. 鈥淎ustin Peay has been a foundational part of my life for over 16 years, and it has been my pleasure to add value to the University in every way I possibly can. APSU alumni are incredibly passionate and supportive. There is a tremendous opportunity to continue to strengthen and grow that network of alumni and friends to support the mission of our University. I am honored to play a role in that process to level up and lead the Alumni and Annual Giving team moving forward.鈥
A native of Erin, Tennessee, Averitt is a third-generation Austin Peay graduate. His father, Phil J. Averitt, earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in marketing in 1969, and his grandmother, Myrtle Averitt, graduated in 1940 when the institution was still known as Austin Peay Normal School. Averitt鈥檚 wife, Lesleigh, is also an Austin Peay alumna. She graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemistry in 2014.
Averitt is a two-time Austin Peay alumnus, earning a Bachelor of Science ('10) in corporate communications in 2010 and a Master of Science in health and human performance in 2017. He began his career at APSU in enrollment management, serving as an admissions counselor from 2011 to 2016, and as the coordinator of graduate recruitment from 2016 to 2018. For the past four years in his role as the director of development for the APSU College of Business, he has served and strengthened his alma mater by building on his existing network of APSU connections and cultivating new relationships. Averitt recently graduated in the Leadership Clarksville 2022 class.
鈥淏rad has established himself as an effective, trusted and innovative advancement professional,鈥 APSU Vice President for University Advancement Kris Phillips said. 鈥淗is level of experience, knowledge and leadership competency has prepared him to lead our annual giving efforts and the APSU National Alumni Association (NAA) as we look forward to the University鈥檚 centennial celebrations in 2027. Not only have we seen significant funds raised by Brad, he has also helped to grow the APSU alumni volunteer network. His reach extends from the campus to the community and into areas across the country where APSU alumni and friends live and work. He is a consummate team player who understands what it takes to complete all necessary tasks.鈥
News Feed
View All News
Mary Lee McCreary Rugraff ('41) attended Austin Peay State College on a music scholarship and performed as a soprano soloist. Music was her lifetime passion, and in addition to funding APSU music scholarships, she supported the music program at her church with gifts to the endowment.
Read More
The award from the Tennessee Department of Education will provide funding for teacher apprentices through July 2027. The Grow Your Own Teacher Residency provides a no-cost pathway to a teaching career and was named the first federally-registered teacher apprenticeship in the nation.
Read More
The naming recognizes the Millan Foundation's transformational gift-in-place donation--APSU's first privately-funded donation of this type--which will expand the food pantry's capacity to serve 35% more students facing food insecurity.
Read More