Effective February 4th, the word “interim” will be removed from Meg Kluttz Dees’ title at Catawba College. The Salisbury native has decided to remain a part of the Catawba College administration permanently as Vice President of Development.
Dees, who served on the Catawba College Board of Trustees between 2015 and the start of her interim appointment at Catawba in August 2017, had originally joined Catawba as an executive on loan from the Charlotte-based Foundation For The Carolinas. She had served there since 2008 as Vice President - Philanthropic Advancement, Affiliate Development. The Foundation For The Carolinas oversees 13 affiliate community foundations throughout North and South Carolina. Dees’ role there had been to promote and raise awareness of the five local affiliate foundations in Salisbury, Lexington, Stanly County, Cabarrus County, and Rowan County. She led the Foundation’s business development efforts for individuals, families and non-profits in those communities working with professional advisors, current clients and prospects to help fund holders identify and implement their philanthropic goals.
“Meg has been a wonderful addition to Catawba’s administrative team since she stepped into her role as interim vice president of development,” explained Catawba College President Brien Lewis. “In the time she has been on board, she has helped us ramp up staffing and training in the Development Office, and launch a three-year, $38.2 million Mind Body Soul campaign. She is respected and well-known in philanthropic circles and has helped us renew our institutional effort to cultivate stewardship among our alumni, friends and donors.
“Meg intimately knows the importance of giving -- that it’s not always just about how much, but rather the importance of making a gift. She’s going to be instrumental in Catawba’s efforts to grow a new generation of good stewards for our institution.”
Dees will continue to lead the Development staff and oversee fund-raising efforts, including cultivation and outreach to friends and donors, alumni and parent relations and area community foundations, grant writing, and planned giving.
“I’ve loved the time I’ve worked at Catawba and feel a true calling to help advance the mission and the vision of Catawba, an institution that continues to play a vital role in education in our state and region,” Dees said. “I am also very grateful to my colleagues at the Foundation For The Carolinas for allowing me the opportunity to put my skills and experience to work at Catawba in a different yet very familiar way.”
Before joining the Foundation For The Carolinas, Dees served as Assistant Director of the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Main Street Program which promotes downtown revitalization and economic development within the context of historic preservation in small towns across the state. She also served as Executive Director of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation.
She is actively involved in many area non-profit organizations, serving or having served on the Boards of Piedmont Players, Rowan Museum, Preservation North Carolina, and the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame Association. At Catawba, in addition to her service on the Board of Trustees, she has served on the Center for the Environment Advisory Board and the Board of Visitors. She has also served on the Catawba Foundation Board.
She earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from N.C. State University and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia.
Dees is married to husband Jay, an attorney in Salisbury, and the couple has two children, Archie and Maggie. The Deeses are members of St. John’s Lutheran Church.
