Azusa Pacific University President Adam J. Morris, PhD, named Brownwood, Texas, resident Dale Meinecke, PhD, as vice president for advancement following a four-month nationwide search. Meinecke assumes the role effective May 4, 2026. With more than 20 years of professional experience in higher education leadership, his expertise lies in strategic fundraising, community engagement, and implementing organizational growth for Christian education institutions.
“I’m thrilled that Dale will be joining APU’s senior leadership team,” Morris said. “His gifts and abilities, fundraising acumen, servant leadership, and his genuine heart for our mission align perfectly with what APU needs in our ongoing advancement efforts.”
As the vice president for advancement, Meinecke will develop the university’s fundraising strategies and set the cohesive vision and strategic direction for external relations, including annual giving, planned and estate giving, major gifts, alumni engagement, and grant writing. Reporting to the president and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, Meinecke will lead a team of 25 development and alumni professionals and provide strategic management and dynamic leadership to the university’s advancement efforts. Meinecke joins an impressive team that achieved a record $27.6 million in gifts and pledges in 2023-24 and $33.25 million in gifts and pledges secured in 2024-25. This included a number of transformational gifts and grants, including $1 million for a Center for Palliative Care; $4 million towards campus renovations; a $5 million grant to establish an Institute for Faith, Leadership, and Service; and a $10 million commitment to build a new Military and Veterans Center and further fund campus renovations. Efforts to strengthen the university portfolio have grown the endowment to $109 million, an increase of $8 million in one year.
I’m excited to join the rich history of Christ-centered leaders at APU. The call from God to join President Morris and the APU community was clear, and I look forward to partnering with APU’s faculty, staff, and students to strengthen and grow APU’s financial support and strategic position amongst Christian higher education.Dale Meinecke, PhD
Meinecke assumes this position after most recently serving as vice president for advancement at his alma mater, Howard Payne University, a Christian liberal arts institution in Brownwood, Texas. In this role, Meinecke directed and oversaw all advancement activities, including development, alumni relations, marketing, and communications.
Meinecke co-led the university’s overall strategic planning process and merged development and marketing teams to improve organizational culture. His career accomplishments include record-breaking fundraising over several years, increasing the annual number of donors by 99 percent, contributing to endowment growth from $65 million to more than $100 million, and securing the largest grant gift in the university’s history. Meinecke also led multiple, unparalleled Giving Tuesday campaigns, two of which raised more than $1 million in a single day.
Meinecke holds a PhD in Leadership Studies with a concentration in Higher Education from Dallas Baptist University, an MA in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Howard Payne University.