Benedictine Military School hires Tim Nelson as Director of Advancement

Benedictine Military School is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Timothy J. Nelson as Director of Advancement effective July 1, 2023.

Mr. Nelson joins Benedictine after working for the last 19 years in the Office of Advancement at Utica (N.Y.) University. While in that office, Mr. Nelson served in various advancement capacities including Director of Annual Giving, Assistant Director of Development, Director of Principal Gifts, Assistant Vice President and, most recently, Associate Vice President. His broad experience covers nearly every component of school advancement ranging from strategic and campaign planning and implementation to major gifts as well as planned giving.

In addition to serving as principal fundraiser for some of Utica University’s largest capital and planned gifts, Mr. Nelson also played a leadership role in tripling the university’s annual fund during his tenure.

Leadership is a common thread in Mr. Nelson’s life experience. Prior to his position in the Office of Advancement, he established and led the university’s first intercollegiate lacrosse program in 1999, after serving as head men’s lacrosse coach at Dartmouth College for the previous nine years. Mr. Nelson’s coaching experience includes two years at both the University of North Carolina and Syracuse University, from which he holds both a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Higher Education.

Mr. Nelson is a 2012 inductee to the USA National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He is an avid recreational cyclist and the proud parent of Connor (Stevenson University ’21) and Katie (SUNY Cortland ’23 and Gallaudet University, AuD ’26).

Mr. Nelson fills the void left by Mr. Greg Markiton ’92, who has accepted a full-time position with Partners in Mission, a national consulting and professional education firm focused exclusively on developing excellence in Catholic school advancement and leadership.

“To be sure, we are going to miss Greg,” Benedictine Military School Headmaster Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B., said. “He joined us in 2009 and has done just wonders for us ever since. The fact that we’ve been able to conduct our most successful capital campaign, by far, was largely due to his initiative, dynamism, and drive. All that said, it is understandable that Greg is taking the next step in his career. He’s a very attractive candidate for any fundraising organization, and a perfect fit for Partners in Mission.

“We are excited to bring Tim Nelson on board. He has a proven track record as a superb fundraiser,” Ziemkiewicz continued. “The fact that he has an interest in moving down to this area makes it all the more attractive to us, and his dynamism and appeal, I think, will be widely recognized when he comes here. He’s joining us at an auspicious time when we are regrouping to study what our next move will be as far as our own development efforts are concerned. He will be an integral part of our strategic planning process. That process will include a feasibility study and, ultimately, guide us for our next capital campaign.”

Mr. Nelson said Benedictine is impressive, both academically and athletically.

“I had a good situation here at Utica but I wanted to branch out and use everything I’ve learned in my entire career, in my life, and I wanted to go to the southeast,” he said. “I looked at other places and talked to other people, and I saw this job advertised. I sent my stuff in. It came down to the school and its mission and the people, and the pride that I just see from everybody associated with the school – the alumni, the social media, the people at the school, the search committee, Fr. Frank, everybody associated with BC.

“Stacey and I had dinner with the search committee and everybody we met was just so welcoming, and we left there saying, ‘This is the place,’” he continued. “And we stayed longer to check out Savannah. We love Savannah and the area, and how livable it is. That was the thing we wanted to make sure of, the quality of life. We are so excited to come down there and join the BC community and the Savannah community, and we can’t say enough about the people and the leadership at Benedictine.”