Technology Conference 2009: Main Speaker Announcement

Jeffrey Sands became Vice President for University Advancement at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in March 2008. He is responsible for alumni relations, major gifts, annual giving, corporate relations, and marketing for one of the premiere science and technology universities in the southeastern United States. He interacts on an intensive basis with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S Army’s Redstone Arsenal, and more than 100 high-tech companies in the Cummings Research Park (the second largest technology research park in the country).

Prior to joining UAHuntsville, Jeff spent twenty-five years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he held a succession of positions related to marketing, external relations, and advancement. From 1998 until 2008 he served as Associate Dean for the College of Engineering, one of the largest engineering programs in the world and historically ranked in the top five nationwide.

Jeff has deep experience in connecting the educational, research, public service, and economic development missions of a major university with its external constituencies. He holds a B.S. in Botany from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Theatre History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Engineering Development Forum since 2000, and served a term as Chair.