Robert “Bob” Fletcher, was the CEO of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (UMHEF), retired in 2024, and returned as Interim CEO in July 2025. He passed away on September 7, 2025, while completing a spiritual journey as pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He was 69.
A native of Springfield, Tennessee, Fletcher obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin and received a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Between 1980 and 1988, he served as a local church pastor, and from 1988 to 1991, he served as Executive Secretary to the General Board of Global Ministries (World Division) of The United Methodist Church, where he was responsible for missionary personnel and programming in the Africa/Europe/Middle East region. Starting in 1991, Fletcher served as President/CEO of the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, where he was in charge of implementing stewardship and development programs within the North and South Georgia Conferences of The United Methodist Church.
In 1996, he joined the Board of Trustees on United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (UMHEF), located in Nashville, Tennessee (United States), where he served for 14 years. In this role, he developed a deep understanding of how scholarships not only help students to pursue their individual interests and careers but also connect them to the Church at large. He also explored direct links with institutions because he believed it was important “to grow and develop our programs for the benefit of our United Methodist institutions and students alike.”
In 2011, Fletcher was elected President/CEO of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (UMHEF) by the Board of Trustees after receiving enthusiastic recommendations from the Presidential Search Committee and UMHEF’s Executive Committee. One of his indelible marks in this position was his emphasis on creating and nurturing relationships around the United States as a precondition to the enhancement of UMHEF programs and the growth of endowment funds. He was not only an expert in fundraising and development, but also a committed supporter of healthy relations to connect the Church and the Academy.
During his tenure at UMHEF, Bob Fletcher was able to raise, manage, and disburse more than $28 million in scholarships to nearly 13,200 students at 121 Methodist-related schools, colleges, seminaries, and universities. Moreover, he started an internationalization process, seeing the foundation as a key partner of the North America Association of Methodist Colleges and Universities (NAAMSCU) and the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU). UMHEF sponsored various NAAMSCU and IAMSCU events, and Fletcher participated actively in NAAMSCU yearly meetings and IAMSCU conferences held in the United States (2011), Japan (2014), Mexico (2017), and England (2023). After thirteen years as President & CEO of the foundation, he retired in the summer of 2024 and returned for an interim period in 2025 to assist UMHEF through a leadership transition.
The leadership of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU) expresses its most sincere appreciation and gratitude for the life and legacy of The Rev. Robert “Bob” Fletcher and conveys its deepest condolences to his wife, Deborah Fletcher, his family, and friends. A Memorial Service in his honor is scheduled for October 28, 2025, and donations celebrating his legacy in higher education and ministry may be made to the Robert R. and Deborah Fletcher Scholarship Fund through UMHEF at https://umhef.org/in-memory-bob-fletcher/