Scott Nelson, a veteran fundraiser and respected industry leader, joined Arizona State University as the Senior Associate Athletics Director of Sun Devil Athletics and Executive Director of the Sun Devil Club in August of 2016. Nelson came to the Sun Devils with more than a decade of experience in collegiate athletics development and has made stops at UCLA, Ohio State University and Oregon State University during his career.
Nelson provides leadership for the Sun Devil Club and the ASU Foundation athletics development staff, and oversight of all fundraising initiatives within Sun Devil Athletics, including managing capital campaign projects, securing major gifts, annual fund, letterwinners, and enhancing donor relationships, as well as delivering meaningful collaboration and communication with constituents across the community.
Prior to joining ASU, Nelson spent four years at Oregon State University, including most recently as the Associate Athletics Director for Development. While at OSU, Nelson was responsible for capital projects, scholarship endowments, sport-specific fundraising, and planned gifts.
Nelson was a Director of Development at Ohio State University and part of a team that raised more than $81 million across a two-year period, the most successful two-year run in Ohio State history. His contributions included major facility enhancements for a basketball practice facility expansion, an indoor golf practice facility, and an outdoor tennis facility, among other projects.
Nelson served as the Assistant Director of the Wooden Athletic Fund at UCLA, where he played a role in increasing the annual fund, supporting a major capital campaign, and enhancing restricted giving for Olympic sports. He helped grow income from the Wooden Athletic Fund by nearly $2 million from $6.5 million to upward of $8.2 million, worked to secure gift commitments to back the renovation of historic Pauley Pavilion through the $100 million Campaign of Champions, and contributed more than $1 million to team operating budgets with strategic handling of the annual funds for 20 Olympic sports.
Nelson graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in political science and sports management and earned a Master of Education in intercollegiate athletic leadership at the University of Washington. He is a native of Colusa, Calif., and his wife, Lindsey, is from Brawley, Calif.