Spartanburg Community College Welcomes Samuel S. Hook as Executive Director of Advancement and the SCC Foundation
November 24, 2010
SPARTANBURG, SC – November 24, 2010 – Spartanburg Community College recently welcomed Samuel S. Hook as the Executive Director of Advancement and the SCC Foundation. In this role, Hook is responsible for oversight of the College’s Foundation, managing fundraising and daily operations of the advancement staff, which includes the SCC Alumni Association, grants development and marketing and public relations.
“At a time when the College is dealing with severe budget cuts, it is critical that we develop new relationships, while growing existing relationships, with key community leaders and benefactors that can assist with our continued mission to provide accessible and innovative education to our community,” said Dr. Para M. Jones, SCC’s president. “Sam will be instrumental in this effort. With his impressive and extensive background with nonprofit organizations, we look forward to utilizing the expertise he brings to the College.”
Hook’s experience in fundraising for nonprofit organizations is extensive and includes tenure at the College of the Desert (COD), where he served as executive director of the Foundation. In that position, Hook oversaw a 300-member auxiliary, managed more than 200 scholarship funds and a $16 million endowment. In addition, he raised more than $10 million for the COD’s endowment and served as treasurer of a successful $364.5 million bond issue for campus renovation and construction.
“I am thrilled to return to my home state of South Carolina and to the community college arena,” says Hook. “The impact and contributions that community colleges make in the lives of our students, to business and industry, and to livelihood and well-being of our local, state and national economy is tremendous, and SCC is no exception. Joining the SCC faculty, staff and the dedicated volunteers that serve on our Commission, our Foundation board and advisory committees to meet our College-wide mission, is an honor and a privilege. I look forward to sharing many success stories of our SCC students and alumni with the Upstate community.”
Before accepting the position at SCC, Mr. Hook was the president and chief executive officer of FIND Food Bank (Food in Need of Distribution) in Cathedral City, California. Hook’s diverse background and experience as a fundraiser spans over 30 years across the U.S. and also includes positions as the executive director of the EAR Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee; deputy director for development for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee; executive director at St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Anthony’s Hospital Foundations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida; and the vice president of development for the Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Hook is a South Carolina native and Wofford College graduate. He earned a master of divinity degree at Duke University, is a certified financial planner as well as a certified financial development and planned giving professional. He served as a chaplain in the Tennessee Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve, and is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow.
About Spartanburg Community College.
SCC offers more than 80 academic programs of study including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates plus University Transfer opportunities to four-year universities. SCC provides flexible class scheduling including online classes through SCCOnline, FlexStart classes, evening classes and more. The College also offers non-credit classes through the SCC Corporate & Community Education Division. For more information visit www.sccsc.edu.
About the Spartanburg Community College Foundation.
The SCC Foundation exists to provide assistance to Spartanburg Community College through the provisions of scholarships, curriculum resources, equipment, facilities and grants that help students, faculty and the community achieve educational excellence thereby contributing to a vibrant, local economy. For more information visit www.sccfoundation.org
