Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences chief advancement officer hired

Chris Delisio started as chief advancement officer of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Oct. 7.
Credit: Courtesy of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

The Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has hired a new faculty member with Buckeye roots.

Chris Delisio was recently named chief advancement officer of the college.

Delisio said he wanted to take the position at OSU because of CFAES’s wide reach.

“Ohio State is a special place and the college (CFAES) makes a large impact within this (university), within this state and this country,” Delisio said.

Delisio started at his position Oct. 7 after working as assistant vice president at Ohio Wesleyan University. That role included managing developmental staff as well as directing the school’s comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Delisio’s salary is more than $175,000, said OSU spokesman Gary Lewis.

Bruce McPheron, dean of CFAES and vice president of Agricultural Administration, said Delisio will be working on fundraising for scholarships, support for experiential learning, internships and new facilities.

The position requires Delisio to “take the lead in framing strategies upon which we can build a successful fundraising campaign,” McPheron said. Delisio will also be involved in the “But for Ohio State” campaign, the university’s largest fundraising initiative in history.

The campaign had raised more than $1.66 billion by the end of September. OSU has set a goal of raising $2.5 billion by 2016 to be used for education, research development and a number of global issues including health and wellness, energy and the environment.

The CFAES department is looking to receive $150 million of the total amount raised, according to a CFAES press release.

Delisio’s past experience includes involvement with fundraising at University of Dayton and Ohio University. Delisio also served for three years as a senior director of development at the Wexner Medical Center James Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Steve Chaykowski, the executive director of development of the James, said working with Delisio is great.

“He is the ultimate team player. He will do an incredible job for the college but an even greater job for the university,” Chaykowski said. “The college has always had strong philanthropic support, and with his style of leadership, I’m convinced he will be able to take it to the next level.”

McPheron also said Delisio is a good fit for the job.

“The first thing I noticed about Chris was his solid experience in fundraising, with a background at both Ohio State and several other institutions,” McPheron said.

Delisio said for now, though, he’s just working on learning the ropes.

“Everyone has been going out of their way to help me. I am almost through with week three so I am just in the mode of learning a lot and taking it all in,” Delisio said.