About

Elizabeth King, PhD has over 30 years of experience as a university foundation CEO and mission-driven leader. Her talent for aligning donor strategy with institutional goals has been called ‘a gift for university presidents’. Through her work with AGB, King leads workshops and retreats on board governance, board and leadership culture, and strategic planning.

At the time of her retirement in 2024 as president and CEO of the Wichita State University Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE), King was one of the longest serving institutionally related foundation CEOs in the country. With perseverance, business intelligence, and an ability to quickly earn respect, King guided six Wichita State University (WSU) presidents and 16 board chairs in realizing their leadership priorities. As CEO of the WSU Foundation, King led a team of 60 professionals to transform the organization and achieve unprecedented growth. With nearly $1 billion raised for multiple priorities over her tenure, the Foundation’s assets grew from $54 million to over $400 million. Starting in 1991, King held dual titles as vice president for university advancement and CEO of the Foundation. In 2006, she spearheaded its transition into a separate entity, adding President to her title. In 2022, King led the integration of WSU’s Alumni Association—all under a vision to deepen connections between students, alumni and donors.

No stranger to crisis, King guided her team through the volatility of the pandemic as well as through a dramatic drop in endowment assets during the global financial crisis. In both cases, she led with optimism and adaptability, making disciplined financial decisions that avoided headcount reduction. King left a legacy at WSU of forging long-standing relationships with donors around the world; instilled a culture of excellence, collaboration, service and integrity; and built high-performing teams across matrixed organizations with exceptional retention rates, while mentoring and uplifting professionals around her.

King is a Governor-appointed Board Director of the University of Kansas Hospital, where she chairs the Quality Committee and also serves on the Audit and Nominating Committees. She previously served for five years on the AGB’s Foundations Advisory Board and has sat on multiple community not-for-profit boards. Among other recognitions, King and her husband Don are the 2025 recipients of the WSU Foundation’s Fairmount Founders Award. In 2024, King was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame and in 2020, she was named Executive of the Year by the Wichita Business Journal.

Professional Credentials

King holds a BA from Wheaton College (IL) and a MEd and a PhD from the University of Noth Texas.