Virginia Tech has its new leader for the Hokie Club, and the school turned to a veteran fundraiser with deep experience in the Georgia athletic department.
The Hokies announced Tuesday afternoon that Brad Bell will head the Hokie Club. Bell arrives in Blacksburg after spending the past 12 years in Athens, Ga., most recently as the associate athletic director for major gifts with the Georgia Bulldog Club.
Bell’s rise at Georgia was steady. He joined the organization as its major gifts officer in 2014, then picked up promotions in 2015, 2017 and 2021. Before that, he worked from 2012-14 as Georgia’s director of private gifts for student affairs.
His résumé also includes time in banking. From 2007-12, Bell served as branch manager and assistant vice president at Athens First Bank & Trust, which is now called Synovus.
A former Furman football player, Bell earned his business administration degree in 2007 and later completed his MBA at Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 2011.
At Virginia Tech, Bell becomes the first person since Bill Lansden to hold the Hokie Club job solely focused on fundraising. Lansden served as executive director from 2015-19.
In the seven years since, those responsibilities were split between two executive associate athletic directors. Brad Wurthman handled the role from 2019-25 while also serving as chief revenue officer and overseeing external operations, and Danny White took over from 2025-26 after being elevated to chief operating officer.
Bell is also the second major hire for new athletic director Brian White, who was brought in in late June. White previously added Ryan Gottlieb from Florida Atlantic as deputy AD and chief strategy officer, a move announced on July 1.
The hire comes as Virginia Tech has already seen a boost on the fundraising side. In June, the school announced the creation of Hokie Ventures and an anonymous $75 million gift, the largest donation in university history.
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