We’re extremely grateful for the generosity and expertise of our 2025 presenters, moderators and panelists. We’ll have nearly 40 in all!
= Returning “Meeting of the Minds” Faculty Member!
= First-Time “Meeting of the Minds” Faculty Member!
Bob Burdenski 🍎
Bob Burdenski is an internationally-recognized annual and regular giving programs consultant for schools, colleges, and universities. He is a prolific writer and published author, often appearing in CURRENTS Magazine, the member magazine of the Council for the Advancement and the Support of Education (CASE). Bob is the author of three CASE books: Innovations in Annual Giving: Ten Departures That Worked, which presents ten U.S. case histories of advanced annual giving strategies; More Innovations in Annual Giving, Ten Global Departures That Worked, which features case histories from institutions around the world; and a new CASE book, Online Innovations in Annual and Regular Giving, Ten Dozen Departures That Worked. In 2013, Innovations in Annual Giving was published by Fudan University in Shanghai, becoming the first CASE book translated into Chinese.
Bob is a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Lifetime Teaching Excellence as ranked by his audiences. He has educated (and entertained) at presentations throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including numerous CASE Europe Annual and Regular Giving Conferences and Masterclasses. He presented CASE’s first-ever annual giving training programs in India, Japan, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and he is also a frequent contributor to CASE’s Online Speaker Series on the subject of annual and regular giving. In 2019, Bob was named a CASE Laureate for his volunteer service to the profession.
Since 2002, Bob has served as the moderator of FundList, the fundraising e-mail discussion listserv with nearly 4,000 development professional subscribers.
John Taylor 🍎
John Taylor is Principal of John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC. For nearly 5 years John served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Services, as well as Interim Campaign Manager during his last 18 months, at North Carolina State University. He holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and Socio-Political Change from Vanderbilt University, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. John has also served as Vice President for Research and Data Services at CASE – a position he held from its inception in late 2002. Prior to that he was the Director of Alumni & Development Records at Duke University for nearly 15 years.
John is the editor of the 4th edition of the CASE book, Advancement Services Strategies: A Reference Guide for Advancement Professionals. He has spoken at hundreds of conferences across the country and received the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching. He is the Founder and Former President of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals. John received the AASP Jonathan Lindsey Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. He resides in Durham, NC, with his wife and children.
Theresa Aide 🍎
Theresa Aide is Director of Non-Profit Campaigns with Suttle-Straus. She has more than 30 years of experience in non-profit communication services with Suttle-Straus Incorporated. Theresa enjoys the process of taking a project from concept through to completion using best practices for best results with omni-channel campaigns. She offers consultations and recommendations to all her faith-based clients to represent the extensive communication capabilities of Suttle-Straus including content solicitation writing, social media, individually designed die-cut brochures, and digital print and mail.
Alexis Allen 🍏
Alexis Allen serves as the Director of Annual Giving within the University of Louisville’s Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. Her journey in development began as a phonathon caller at Eastern Kentucky University, a role that sparked her passion for fundraising and donor engagement. She went on to manage phonathon programs at both the University of Louisville and the University of Chicago, increasing her focus in digital and student-driven outreach. Now back at UofL, Alexis leads the university’s annual giving efforts and recently launched the UofL Digital Engagement Center, which achieved a strong return on investment in its first year, despite operating at just 25% capacity. She proudly makes up one-half of UofL’s small but mighty two-person annual giving team. Outside the office, Alexis enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, including her husband and energetic twin three-year-old daughters. She’s also a fan of hiking and never passes up a chance for a Friday night game of bingo.
Katrina Begrow 🍏
Katrina Begrow is Annual Giving Manager, Campus Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. She earned her B.S. in Advertising and Public Relations from GVSU. She works on the Annual Giving team to manage fundraising campaigns that engage students, faculty, staff, retirees, and alumni in a culture of giving. They focus on major campus initiatives like Student Philanthropy Week, Giving Tuesday, Day of Giving, and the Faculty and Staff Campaign, as well as smaller crowdfunding sprints throughout the year. Building on her previous event experience working for the not-for-profit, Junior Achievement, she is deeply involved in event coordination for these campaigns, as well as meaningful donor engagement and stewardship. She’s especially passionate about educating and empowering student organizations to become successful fundraisers and ambassadors for GVSU. Outside of work, she keeps busy with her 3 cats, 2 children, and her long TBR list.
Kelly Brault, CFRE 🍎
Kelly Brault is Sr. Director of Annual Giving and Special Audiences at Oakland University. With over two decades of fundraising expertise spanning higher education and the cultural sector, Kelly leads a dynamic annual giving team while also strategically supporting major gift initiatives across various university units. Her decade-long leadership of Oakland University’s faculty/staff/retiree program was marked by significant success, culminating in a CASE Circle of Excellence silver award in 2018.
Dania Calandrino 🍏
Dania Calandrino is the Associate Director of Data Records at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she currently oversees Record management, Gift Processing, and Receipting. Her passions are staff development, building new processes, and creating documentation. In her 15 years of experience in fundraising operations, her previous roles have included Membership Call Center manager and Data Integrity Specialist. She is a SQL enthusiast with a penchant for learning how things work and a reputation for showing her colleagues various Excel tricks.
Torey Calvert 🍎
Torey Calvert is the Director of Development Information Systems at the Archdiocese of Chicago. She has worked in advancement since 2010 and began her career at Latin School of Chicago as their development associate, followed by a stint in annual giving. Torey’s data-oriented mindset and problem-solving aptitude finally landed her in advancement services, her true home. Having held many roles in one advancement office, she has a deep understanding of the nuts and bolts of development office operations and their evolution. Torey has a BS in Community Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was a founding member of the Chicago Area Independent School Development (CAISD) Conference and served on its planning and host committee for seven years.
Ally Campbell 🍏
Ally is a development professional with more than 15 years of experience in fundraising, currently serving as Director of Annual Giving at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She began her advancement career in 2009 as a student caller at Southeast Missouri State University, where she went on to oversee both annual and planned giving programs. Today, Ally manages the medical school’s annual fund strategy, with a special focus on reunion giving, alumni engagement, and donor pipeline development. Passionate about donor-centered philanthropy, Ally brings a deep understanding of both annual and planned giving and holds the designation of Certified Specialist in Planned Giving. She thrives in collaborative environments and is committed to building meaningful, lifelong relationships between alumni and the institutions that shaped them. This is her first time presenting at the Meeting of the Minds Conference.
Kate Cominsky CFRE 🍎
Kate Cominsky is a Non-Profit Campaigns Strategic Consultant with Suttle-Straus. Kate represents Suttle-Straus Inc. as Strategic Consultant for Non-Profit Fundraising with experience in higher education enrollment management, corporate sales and marketing management, and congressional constituent work. With Suttle-Straus Kate develops unique and creative communication plans for non-profit and faith-based donor solicitation, retention, and acquisition communications using an omni-channel marketing approach with hyper-personalized content. She has presented at national and international higher education and not for profit organizations conferences. In 2019 Kate published a memoir about caregiving for a parent with dementia: Breakfast Memories ~ A Dementia Love Story. The book received a Gold Seal “selected read” by Alzauthors.org.
Anna Davis 🍏
Anna Davis is the Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Digital Strategy at Grand Valley State University. In her current role, she leads social media strategy for Annual Giving, cultivates young alumni giving, and manages the univesity’s crowdfunding platform, GiveCampus. She is deeply passionate about building inclusive communities both on and offline, with over 8 years of experience in digital marketing in the higher education, healthcare, and non-profit spaces. Anna has a B.A. in Media and Information from Michigan State University and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Communications from Grand Valley State University.
Jen Davis 🍏
Jen Davis currently serves as the Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Manager at Joliet Junior College. As a former English instructor, she has spent more than two decades in higher education serving students at various points in their educational and professional careers. In her current role, Jen works to foster meaningful relationships with alumni and donors. Her outreach efforts include planning small and large-scale events, designing and executing yearly social media, direct mail and e-campaigns, maintaining and enhancing JJC’s Employee Giving Program, and collaborating with other departments on campus to keep alumni engaged and connected. Jen’s passion for writing and storytelling is evident in her work for JJC ‘s Connections Magazine and as host of the Roots and Branches: JJC Alumni Podcast. On occasion, Jen will also expand her role to that of JJC’s mascot, Wiley Wolf, for on-campus events and print media.
Krista Eckhardt 🍏
Krista Eckhardt is Director of Development Operations at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Krista has a master’s in accounting and over a decade of experience in advancement services at K-12 independent schools, where she has focused her efforts on creating policies and procedures for gift and pledge processing, data and prospect management, and financial reconciliation and reporting. In her free time, Krista enjoys running, cycling, reading, and pondering life’s big questions – like how to get gift officers to enter their actions in a timely manner.
Ann M. Fisher 🍏
Ann M. Fisher is Director of Leadership Annual Giving, Annual Giving and Data Services at Michigan Medicine. Ann Fisher is a fundraising professional with more than 25 years of experience in annual giving. Ann began her career at Hospice of Michigan where she developed numerous skills from data base management to grant and appeals writing. From there she moved on to University of Detroit Mercy where she spend nearly 20 years in annual giving, eventually becoming their Executive Director of Annual Giving and Data Services. During her time at Detroit Mercy, Ann was instrumental in introducing new initiatives like online giving and crowdfunding while also improving the ROI in phone and mail and coordinating the University’s President’s Cabinet leadership giving program. Ann then spent two years at UC San Diego as Senior Director of Integrated Marketing, where she launched their first Day of Giving and restarted their grateful patient giving program. Ann currently works at Michigan Medicine where she serves as Director of Annual Giving, Leadership Annual Giving and Data Services. In 2021 Ann and her colleagues were selected as CASE Platinum Award Finalists in the Best Practices in Fundraising Award for their Nurses Week Campaign, which raised over $80,000 from 1,300 donors during the height of the pandemic. She has also served as a judge for the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards. In her spare time, Ann is an avid runner and has run several half and full marathons as a charity runner to raise money for various causes.
Clark Gafke 🍎
Clark Gafke is the CEO of LEAD Philanthropy. Clark enables nonprofit institutions to attract and motivate donors to achieve the organization’s strategic goals. He helps the organization’s senior leadership evaluate and design strategic fundraising plans in the context of contemporary giving trends. He also assists the organization’s development staff to implement the plan through the design and conduct of specific communication initiatives for Capital and Annual Fund programs. Clark’s experience enables him to provide guidance on using appropriate channels to reach prospects and donors in ways they want to communicate – face-to-face, special events, peer-to-peer texting, calling programs, direct mail efforts, email campaigns, crowdfunding & giving days, online technologies, digital communications, text-to-give, text-to-pledge and a host of other mobile channels. In his 30+ years providing fundraising counsel, Clark has served more than 300 organizations in the US and Canada representing education, healthcare, arts, museums, zoos, aquariums, public broadcasting and membership organizations. In the process, he’s trained and coached more than 11,000 communicators. Beyond this direct service to organizations, he is a frequent speaker at fundraising conferences including NCDC, CASE, AFP, PSI, GEAC, and on many college campuses. He is Past President of the Las Vegas AFP Chapter, a former national delegate, and Past Chair of the chapter’s Education Committee and Every Member Campaign. Clark is also Cialdini Certified Professional and Ethical Influence Practitioner with the Cialdini Institute. Clark began his fundraising work as a student caller in the alumni annual fund program at the University of Missouri. After graduation, he worked at the National 4-H Council in Washington, DC. Clark has served as Vice President and Senior Consultant for a variety of consulting firms. He created the first online caller training program for colleges and universities and served as Dean for 21 PHONE/MAIL 101 workshops. He is an avid supporter and volunteer for 4-H. Both Clark and his wife were named to the University of Missouri Extension Leaders Honor Roll for their long-term commitment and support. Clark resides near St. Louis, MO and enjoys fishing and traveling with his wife and their two daughters.
Jack Gaughan 🍏
Jack Gaughan is an Annual Giving Officer at the University of Michigan Medicine Development team who has leveraged his expertise in digital communication to enhance text messaging strategies. His efforts have helped expand outreach for initiatives such as the Medical School, Cardiovascular Center, and the campus-wide Giving Blueday campaign. Friends have referred to him as Steve Jobs, Queen Latifah, Jonas Salk, Orson Welles, Susan Sonntag, and Ringo Starr all rolled up into one person.
John Grice 🍎
John Grice is Direct Response Manager with the Obama Foundation.
Lauren Gulley 🍏
Lauren Gulley is Director of Annual Giving at Hathaway Brown School in Cleveland, OH. Lauren Gulley brings 18 years of experience in annual fund and major donor development across diverse sectors, including independent schools, public media, and healthcare. As Director of Annual Giving at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Lauren oversees the strategic planning and management of the annual giving program. Leading a dedicated team, she fosters donor relationships and community engagement, consistently surpassing revenue goals and enhancing alumnae involvement to support the school’s mission.
Paige Gustafson 🍏
Paige Gustafson is the Senior Director of Advancement Services and Annual Campaigns at Albion College, where she leads strategic giving initiatives and oversees data-driven development operations. A proud Albion alumna, Paige graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Political Science and returned to her alma mater in Institutional Advancement 2022. While working at Albion, she has led several successful Giving Days, which included initiatives for Athletics and Academic Departments. She has created policies and procedures for the Slate database and leads a team that is committed to accurate and reliable data. In 2024, Paige and her team earned recognition with a CASE Circle of Excellence Award in the fundraising category.
Andrew Gutierrez 🍎
Andrew Gutierrez is a Data Scientist, Philanthropy at the Cleveland Clinic. He works remotely from the Chicago area. Andrew has worked in the philanthropy space since 2018, having held roles such as Associate Director of Development Operations at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and as a Systems Analyst and later Data Scientist at Cleveland Clinic’s Philanthropy Institute. Much of his professional focus has been on using technology like SQL, Python, and Tableau to support organizations’ prospect development efforts through data analytics, with a particular focus on building statistical models for identifying and segmenting prospects, measuring capacity and affinity, and predicting donor behavior. Andrew graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Arts Administration & Policy and is pursuing his Master’s in Data Science at Northwestern University. He relocated to Chicago from his native Cleveland in late 2023.
Beth Hatcher 🍎
Beth Hatcher is the Principal and CEO of Beth Interactive, a digital philanthropy and communications agency in Chicago. She has 18 years’ experience working with higher education, secondary education, healthcare foundations and non-profits. A passionate storyteller, data nerd and accomplished presenter, Beth loves to bring best practices to her non-profit clients nationwide—with the goals of engaging donors and increasing giving through intelligent strategies, thoughtful implementation and full-service support. She received a 40 Under 40 Award from the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy in 2022.
Brandi Hovizi 🍏
Brandi Hovizi is the Director of Prospect Management and Data Analytics at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she leads the development and implementation of portfolio management strategies, data analytics, and training initiatives to support a sustainable donor pipeline. With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Brandi brings expertise in fundraising operations, donor stewardship, and data-informed decision-making. She passionately advocates for data integrity, championing the belief that “good data in means good data out” and that if it’s not in the database, it didn’t happen. Brandi has designed and led comprehensive database training programs and helped organizations build systems that drive results. Brandi’s previous roles include positions at the Chicago Foundation for Women, Blackbaud, Inc., the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, and Feeding America. She holds a B.A. in Organizational Communication and Nonprofit Leadership from Western Michigan University and a master’s in Digital Media and Storytelling from Loyola University Chicago. She also has a nonprofit management and leadership certificate from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.
Meredith Howell 🍎
Meredith Howell is the Senior Director, Annual and Leadership Annual Giving at University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences. Meredith previously served as the Executive Director of Annual Giving at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has worked in development for over 20 years (starting as a student caller at Southern Methodist University). She fell in love with the strategy and data required to drive annual giving and campaign planning and has held roles in those areas serving on the campaign planning teams for the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. After 19 years away, she recently returned to the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences development team. Meredith holds a BA in English from Southern Methodist University and received a master’s degree in English with distinction from DePaul University.
Danielle Hupp 🍎
Danielle Hupp, MPA is the Director of Communications and Annual Giving at Kent State University, where she drives innovative alumni giving campaigns that have significantly impacted the university’s fundraising success. Under her leadership, the annual Giving Tuesday initiative has consistently raised over $1 million each year for the past six years, showcasing her ability to blend strategic planning with a deep understanding of donor motivations. Danielle’s approach to fundraising is deeply rooted in the belief that “people give to people.” She emphasizes the power of authentic relationships, both in her professional work and personal life. Before her tenure at Kent State, she gained invaluable experience working with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where she honed her skills in communications, fundraising, and volunteer management. With a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from Kent State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Danielle combines her academic background with practical experience to lead effective, mission-driven campaigns. She is also actively involved in the Akron community, where she volunteers her time and expertise to various local organizations. Passionate about fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, Danielle is committed to advancing the field of higher education fundraising and communications. She seeks to inspire others through thought leadership and strategic initiatives that drive positive, lasting change.
Amanda James 🍏
Amanda James is a proud Louisvillian and currently works as Alumni Relations Specialist II in the University of Louisville’s Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. She is passionate about working with college students and at UofL, where she earned a BA in 2008 and an MEd in 2012. In addition to advising several alumni councils, she is also an advisor for three student organizations: raiseRED Dance Marathon, She Became, and the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR). Amanda also serves on the Beechmont Neighborhood Association Board and the Mercy Academy Alumnae Association Board of Directors. In 2022, she was named Neighbor of the Year by South Louisville Community Ministries. In her spare time, she enjoys going to fun events and new restaurants throughout Louisville, spending time with family and friends, traveling, walking, and being a Yelp Elite member.
Heather Johnson 🍏
Heather Johnson is the Deputy Director, Donor Revenue Management & Policy, at UNICEF USA. Heather has worked in the field of advancement services and donor revenue management for 15 years. Prior to joining UNICEF USA, she was the Associate Director of Revenue Operations at Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry in Washington, DC. In her role at UNICEF USA, Heather leads a team of gift processors, manages revenue reconciliation, documents policies and procedures, and reviews all gift agreements. Heather is an active member of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (aasp). She was previously a member of aasp’s DEI Data subcommittee and currently serves on the Membership Operations committee. Heather divides her time between Chicago and Washington DC, and loves exploring both cities’ museums and restaurants.
Peter Kotowski 🍏
Pete Kotowski is the Director of Prospect Development at the University of Denver, where he has worked remotely from the Chicago suburbs since February 2023. Prior to this, Pete spent over five years on the Prospect Management & Research team at Loyola University Chicago, most recently serving as Associate Director of Prospect Management & Research. In addition to his work with Advancement, Pete worked closely with the broader university community, serving on the University Senate and he remains a part-time faculty member in the Department of History, where he teaches core courses in US History and Western Civilizations. Pete began his career in prospect development at Loyola Academy, the largest Jesuit high school in the United States, based in Wilmette, IL. Pete has been a member of the Apra-IL board for eight years and is currently finishing his final term as chapter president. He was elected to the APRA International board in 2025 and will be starting his first board term there this fall.
John McBride 🍎
John McBride is the Executive Director of Advancement Operations at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In his current role at SAIC, he oversees a team that does gift processing, prospect research, and management, as well as database maintenance and reporting. Experienced in driving philanthropic growth within academic and nonprofit sectors, John is a seasoned prospect management and development leader. With a track record of success at institutions such as Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago, John specializes in crafting strategic approaches to donor engagement and fundraising. His expertise includes pioneering proactive prospect identification programs, developing innovative tools for donor assessment, and leading teams to identify major gift prospects. Recognized with accolades such as the APRA International’s Professional of the Year award, John is committed to advancing philanthropic initiatives while fostering meaningful relationships. Outside of work, John enjoys spending quality time with their three children and engaging in volunteer activities.
Felicity Meu 🍎
Felicity spent 9 years with Stanford’s Office of Development. As Stanford’s inaugural Director of Next Generation Giving she worked closely with individual donors and volunteers but also helped craft the University’s vision for engaging its next great generation of philanthropists. Leaning into the needs of young donors, Felicity spent time consulting for Stanford’s Effective Philanthropy Lab, working on a project dedicated to taking a deep dive into better understanding the needs of millennial donors. Currently she serves as Director of Partner Success for GiveCampus where she continues to work against her goal of helping more people be more generous more strategically.
Cori A. Myers 🍏
Cori Myers is Director, Direct Appeals at Northwestern University. Her career as a fundraiser began during college as an intern and has grown over the past two decades. Cori joined Northwestern University in 2011 after working in the nonprofit sector. In her role, she manages an annual giving calendar that includes soliciting gifts through multi-channel digital fundraising and direct mail. Across Annual Giving, she collaborates with colleagues to ensure messaging and strategy are cohesive across all platforms: email, social, web, texting, personal outreach, and crowdfunding. She takes a data-driven and donor-centric approach to her work.
Christina Pulawski 🍎
Christina is Associate Vice President, Management Consulting with Zuri Group, where she provides counsel, vision, and extra hands to the operational side of nonprofits. She previously served as AVP of External Affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago, and in leadership roles at Loyola University Chicago and Northwestern University. A native Chicagoan, she is a co-founder and former officer of AASP, chaired and developed conferences and symposia for APRA, AASP and CASE, and received CASE’s Crystal Apple and APRA’s Distinguished Service awards. Christina delights in teaching and empathetically creating structure and frameworks for good work; her passions are critically examining organizational structure, and designing relationship management schemes and all the underlying systems that drive successful major and principal gifts activities and donor relations.
Jordan Revenaugh 🍏
Jordan Revenaugh is the Associate Director of Alumni Communication and Annual Campaigns at Albion College. Much of her work is geared toward writing verbiage for campaigns as well as streamlining and strategizing both institutional and departmental communication to alumni. She graduated from Albion in 2021 with a B.A. in psychology and English, creative writing. After working in Calvin University admissions for two years, Jordan returned to Albion as the Assistant Director of Alumni and Student Engagement in Institutional Advancement. Much of her work focused on seamlessly tying the student and alumni experiences together, something that she continues to do in her new role utilizing strategic communications. During her time at Albion, Jordan helped to put in place a policy for departmental alumni outreach and is working to build a communication strategy to specifically engage young alumni.
Hilda Rivera 🍏
Hilda Rivera is Manager of Leadership Annual Giving at Wheaton College. Born and raised in Chicago, Hilda earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sales Administration with a focus on Marketing from a local college. With over a decade of experience in relationship management, she brings a strategic and people-centered approach to fundraising. For nearly four years, she has served in the Annual Giving department at Wheaton College, where she helps raise support for the college’s main operations fund. Most recently, her team celebrated a record-breaking month in annual fundraising, a testament to the power of connection, storytelling, and consistent donor engagement.
Tracy Rush 🍏
Tracy Rush is the Executive Director of Advancement Services at Otterbein University. Tracy has spent more than 35 years working in Higher Ed Advancement. She began as a grant writer and moved to a role that included volunteer management and prospect research before landing in annual giving. While she would tackle annual giving for two additional stints in her career, most of the last twenty-five years have broadly focused on leading Advancement Services. She has overseen gift administration, data management, prospect development, donor relations, and endowment reporting in those roles. She is a consummate lurker on FundSvcs and is excited to be at MMOTM in person this year!
Jamie Sablotny 🍏
Jamie Sablotny is Leadership Annual Giving Officer at Oakland University. She is a dedicated advancement professional with a background in personal wealth management and a strong commitment to philanthropic impact. Since transitioning to university advancement in 2018, she has focused on cultivating meaningful donor relationships and fostering a culture of giving. In her current role as Leadership Annual Giving Officer at Oakland University, Jamie engages alumni and friends in support of key university initiatives and student success. She champions a four-pronged approach to philanthropy—time, talent, wealth, and wisdom—believing that this framework can guide individuals on a deeply fulfilling philanthropic journey. Jamie brings a thoughtful, donor-centered approach to helping people align their passions with institutional priorities, and she is deeply inspired by the transformative power of giving in higher education and beyond.
Alison Shore 🍏
Alison Shore is with Excalibur Direct Marketing. A 20 + year veteran in marketing and advertising, helping non-profits, hospitals and universities transform marketing strategies across digital platforms and traditional channels. She is known for designing cost-effective campaigns that deliver measurable ROI while seamlessly integrating omnichannel approaches to maximize client reach and engagement. Allison’s expertise spans the full marketing ecosystem—from email automation and social media optimization to targeted direct mail campaigns and comprehensive analytics. Allison is a native of North Carolina and loves to explore both the mountains and the beaches of her state with her family and friends whenever she gets the chance.
Rachel Spencer 🍎
Rachel Spencer is Senior Account Executive, Fundraising with VanillaSoft. Rachel is a true “phonathon” and Engagement Center expert, benefitting from nearly 15 years of tele-fundraising experience. She graduated from student caller, to telefundraiser-for-hire, to Engagement Center manager (and VanillaSoft client), and is currently salesperson-cum-consultant. In her role at VanillaSoft, Rachel works closely with more than 100 universities and her ability to imbue others with her unique brand of enthusiasm and joie-de-fundraising is truly unmatched.
Ric Stewart 🍏
Ric Stewart is Development Manager with AORN. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) was founded in 1949 to establish a national community for operating room nurses who sought to share best practices for patients undergoing surgery.
Liz Sullivan 🍎
Liz Sullivan is the Senior Executive Director of Annual Giving at Northwestern University. Liz directs and oversees the central annual giving program at Northwestern University, which supports 6 undergraduate schools and multiple other programs. Prior to Northwestern she had held roles in Annual Giving at the University of Chicago and led marketing and research programs at the American Bar Association. Her portfolio consists of the direct appeals, leadership giving, young alumni, and Reunion teams comprising of 30 staff members, and she oversees the University-wide loyalty and leadership giving societies. In addition, her role includes solicitation & stewardship of donors who give $99,999 and below, senior class gift & student philanthropy, leadership giving events, annual giving volunteers, crowdfunding, and online/digital giving. The annual giving program (which secures $28M annually) has had a 20% growth in donors and a 20% gain in dollars since FY17.
Teresa Sutter 🍎
Teresa Sutter (she/her) is an Associate Director of Philanthropy at the Art Institute of Chicago where she secures major gifts for exhibition support, acquisitions, and programs. Prior to joining the Art Institute, Teresa spent 18 years in development and alumni relations at Latin School of Chicago, where she also served as the school’s archivist. Her background includes experience in annual giving, events, volunteer management, planned giving, communications, social media, major gifts and trustee support. She loves learning about donors’ passions and interests and finding the places where those intersect with institutional goals. Before pivoting to a career in development, Teresa was a teacher on two Native American reservations. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, with a minor in History. An avid film enthusiast and book reader, Teresa will happily debate the merits of various Jane Austen adaptations. When not playing board games with her husband and cat, she enjoys volunteering with the Arthritis Foundation and spending time with her 11 nieces and nephews.
Ryan Talbert 🍏
Ryan Talbert is Vice President of Client Services at Excalibur Direct Marketing, where he brings over five years of expertise in providing consultative marketing and data services to non-profit and for-profit clients. With a passion for connecting organizations with their donors and prospects, Ryan designs, develops, and coordinates comprehensive campaigns that span printing, direct mail, and digital outreach, ensuring excellence through innovative strategies. Leveraging cutting-edge AI tools and targeted digital micro-modeling, he uncovers high-potential prospects to maximize ROI and drive fundraising success. Prior to his current role, Ryan spent 11 years with Apple, Inc. working in B2B sales. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine and Studio Arts from Solent University and enjoys integrating his creative background into strategic communication plans. Outside of work, he enjoys running with his wife, his three pugs and is excited to contribute his insights as a first-time MMOTM faculty member.
Elizabeth Tavares 🍎
Elizabeth Tavares serves as the Director Donor Revenue Management and Records at UNICEF USA. She has ten years of higher ed experience and loves documenting a donor’s wishes into a CRM and then watching the world change for the better. When she’s not talking in acronyms, she enjoys chasing after her four children, baking, and exploring Chicago’s great museums.
Nicole Weir 🍏
Nicole Weir is Associate Director of Annual Giving for the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Emily Vetne 🍏
Emily Vetne is Associate Director of Advancement Initiatives – Annual Fund Operations at Wabash College.