A longtime Texas fund-raising professional is the new executive director of development at Mississippi State.

Shannon

Frank A. Shannon III will provide leadership for the university's fund-raising efforts in the areas of private gifts, including constituency-based major fund raising, planned giving, and corporate and foundation support.

For more than seven years, Shannon served in leadership positions with the Texas A&M 12th Man Foundation, as both associate director and executive director. He led a division that generated more than $6 million annually for athletic programs and that grew its endowment from $11 million to $35 million.

He also has served as a director of college development for Texas A&&M, with responsibility for major gift programs in the colleges of Business Administration and Veterinary Medicine, and the university's Evans Library.

A graduate of Texas A&&M with a bachelor's in business administration/marketing, Shannon also has held positions in industry and banking.