Merritt to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from NAADD

February 11, 2015

National group of fundraisers to honor Merritt at the June convention

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) has announced the recipients of its 2015 Fundraiser of the Year Awards and its Lifetime Achievement Award, and Lu Merritt, Virginia Tech’s senior director of development for athletics, will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Merritt and other award winners will be honored Tuesday, June 16, at the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 50th Annual NACDA Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Merritt, who is retiring this summer, has spent more than 20 years overseeing substantial growth in both the number of donors and dollars raised at his alma mater, Virginia Tech. He served as NAADD President in 2003-04 and has been heavily involved in NAADD throughout his career.

In his leadership role with the Hokie Club, Merritt has aided in fundraising efforts for several capital projects, including the South End Zone Expansion and West Side Expansion of Lane Stadium, the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center, the football locker room facility, as well as athletics’ role in the Campaign for Virginia Tech: Invent the Future.

Over the course of Merritt’s career at Virginia Tech, the scope of athletics fundraising at the university has grown by more than 600 percent. Contributions to the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund averaged just over $3.3 million between fiscal years 1990 and 1994. By comparison, such contributions averaged nearly $23.7 million between fiscal years 2010 and 2014.

Merritt was a two-time letterwinner for the Hokies’ tennis team, serving as a captain in 1967. After graduating with a degree in business administration, Merritt went on to serve in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, and upon returning, began a successful 23-year banking career.

For the official release on Merritt, please click this link - http://www.nacda.com/sports/naadd/spec-rel/021115aac.html

NAADD is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities, enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics, and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics development and fund raising.

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