Kenny Daugherty, Executive Vice President, has 28 years of progressive administrative experience in higher education in both public and private institutions. Throughout his career in higher education, he had personnel responsibilities. In addition to serving on numerous search committees for professional staff and administrators, he had key roles in recruiting volunteer leadership and major contributors.

Most recently serving as Vice President for Advancement Administration at Mercer University, he was responsible for cultivating relationships and soliciting major gifts for three of the institution’s 11 schools and colleges, plus a performing arts center, as part of a highly-successful $350 million capital campaign. In managing, planning and implementing the University’s multi-million dollar annual fund, he directed eight development officers and oversaw an in-house phonathon program that contacted more than 12,500 alumni each year.  He supervised the records and research office that maintained a database of more than 96,500 records, of which 60,000 were alumni.

Before joining Mercer, he served 11 years at the University of Alabama, where he worked in the area of Student Affairs. He was responsible for student services within Housing, managed the housing computer labs and facilities databases and served as a judicial officer for the University. 

Mr. Daugherty attended Mercer on a full basketball scholarship, serving as co-captain and finishing his career on the court 13th on the University’s all-time scoring list. He continued at Mercer, earning his master’s degree. In 1981, he was an assistant basketball coach responsible for recruiting, scouting, and game preparation at the University. The 1981 team won the TransAmerica Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament and was the first in Mercer’s history to reach the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. He was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

He is President of The Oconee Institute, an affiliated consulting firm for educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to consulting services for administrative and resource management, The Oconee Institute offers leadership development programs for the next generation of senior administrators in higher education as well as athletic search and consulting services.