Athens County native JR Blackburn has been promoted to assistant vice president for development & associate campaign manager for University Advancement at Ohio University.

Blackburn will have primary responsibility for all aspects of the University’s fundraising and volunteer engagement efforts across administrative units, regional campuses and colleges. Blackburn will continue to manage the University’s major giving program and to build and enhance the constituency development program. He now will work closely with Campaign leadership, as well as the University’s volunteer base, to enhance the success of The Promise Lives Campaign as well as future campaigns.

“As part of Advancement’s reorganization plan to better serve our internal and external partners and to meet annual and campaign goals, I’m very pleased to announce this realignment of roles and responsibilities for JR,” said Vice President for University Advancement and President & CEO of The Ohio University Foundation J. Bryan Benchoff. “This model will better serve our Campaign efforts going forward, and I’m looking forward to all that JR and the team will accomplish.”

Having acted most recently as executive director for constituency development for Ohio University, Blackburn previously served University Advancement as director and, then, senior director of development for the Scripps College of Communication. An alumnus of The Ohio State University, Blackburn earned his master’s of business administration at Franklin University. Prior to joining the OHIO Advancement team in 2008, he served as Hocking College’s director of College Relations and Advancement, and executive director of the Hocking College Foundation.

Blackburn is an active community leader who has served on the Parade of the Hills Festival Committee, on the TBDBITL Alumni Club Board of Governors for The Ohio State University Alumni Association, as president of the Nelsonville City Planning Commission and as chairman of the Nelsonville-York City School Levy Committee.