The IU Foundation announced Stacy Knapper will become its executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Knapper is the former senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Vera Bradley Inc.
Knapper was with Vera Bradley for five years, first serving as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary until her promotion to her most recent position in February 2014. In 2014 and 2015, she oversaw operations of the Vera Bradley Foundation, according to an IU press release.
Before her time at Vera Bradley, she was vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Haynes International Inc. in Kokomo, Indiana.
“Stacy is an extraordinary talent, and we eagerly look forward to having her join the IU Foundation team,” IU Foundation President Dan Smith said in a press release. “In every way, she is a perfect fit with the mission and the direction of the IU Foundation. Stacy, of course, possesses a strong technical legal background. But she also brings a rich new perspective formed through her combined experiences in corporate practice at Vera Bradley and the Vera Bradley Foundation. And, given her exceptional interpersonal skills and high energy level, over time, I look for Stacy to broaden the scope and impact of the role of general counsel at the IU Foundation.”
Founded in 1936, the IU Foundation maximizes private support for IU by fostering lifelong relationships with key stakeholders and providing advancement leadership and fundraising services for campuses and units across the University, according to a press release.
Today, the IU Foundation oversees one of the largest public university endowments in the country, with a market value in excess of $1.9 billion. In fiscal year 2015, IU received $359.3 million in support from the private sector. IU is consistently ranked among the top four of Big Ten universities in annual voluntary support, according to a press release.
Knapper enrolled as a freshman at IU in fall 1992 and stayed until joining IU’s study abroad program in her junior year to study at the University of Kent at Canterbury in England, according to a press release.
She eventually enrolled as a student at the University of Kent, earning her bachelor’s degree in English literature and film studies in 1996, followed a law degree at the University of Notre Dame, according to a press release.
