About the Vice-President

David Palmer 

Since 2007, David Palmer has served as Vice-President, Advancement for the University of Toronto, Canada’s most renowned university. Under David’s leadership, in December 2021, U of T launched its historic Defy Gravity campaign to raise $4 billion and to engage alumni in one million contributions of time and talent. Built on a framework of inclusive excellence, the campaign will fuel solutions and foster talent to address today’s most pressing societal challenges – such as social inequality, economic disruption, climate change, and public health. 

Under David’s leadership, in 2018 the University of Toronto completed its Boundless campaign – at the time, the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian history – with $2.64 billion raised from more than 104,000 unique donors, while more than tripling alumni engagement. 

David is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, an executive committee member of the National Council of Foundation Executives, and a director of the Earth Rangers Foundation. From 1999 to 2007, he served as President and Executive Director of the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors where he led Renaissance ROM—a campaign that redefined the Museum’s position as an international cultural destination. From 1993 to 1999, David led a groundbreaking campaign for the University of Western Ontario’s business school – now the Richard Ivey School of Business. 

In 2011, David was recognized with the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2016, he was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. 

Because of his achievements and his commitment to working collaboratively with other University leaders and partner institutions, David is widely regarded as one of the top advancement professionals in the country.