Aaron Conley, Ed.D.
Aaron Conley is Founding Partner of Academic Advancement Partners (AAP), a consultancy based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to founding AAP in 2018, he was a Senior Vice President with the consulting firm GG+A in Chicago where he led their Teaching and Coaching practice area. Before consulting, Dr. Conley held senior fundraising roles at major research universities including Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Colorado and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Texas at Dallas. He also worked in major gift roles at the University of Pittsburgh, Florida State, and Purdue.
In addition to teaching for the Fund Raising School, Dr. Conley has contributed to the profession through a number of peer-reviewed publications including the chapter on campaigns in the fourth and fifth editions of Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising (Wiley, 2016 & 2022). He also co-authored the book, Fundraising Principles for Faculty and Academic Leaders (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) with IU professor, Dr. Genevieve Shaker. Their book was awarded the 2023 AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for Research on Fundraising and Philanthropy.
Dr. Conley earned an Ed.D. in higher education and philanthropic studies from Indiana University in 1999. He also completed the Fund Raising School’s Certificate in Fund Raising Management in 1997 and has served as a faculty member since 2014.