Pam Russell
Director of Communications
CASE
+1-202-478-5680
russell@case.org

For Immediate Release
April 3, 2007

Top Education Foundation Executives to Receive Honor

CASE and Commonfund Applaud Commitment to Advancing Education

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Three widely respected leaders in foundation fundraising have been selected as this year’s winners of the CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation awards.

Now in their seventh year, the awards recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality and effectiveness of their foundations and the community of institutionally related foundations as a whole. Institutionally related foundations are private, nonprofit corporations that cultivate and manage private resources to support the missions of the colleges, universities, and university systems with which they are affiliated.

The award recipients will be honored April 18 during ceremonies at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort in San Diego. The 2007 winners are:

• Brenda Babitz, president of Monroe Community College Foundation. Babitz has served as president and chief advancement officer at Monroe Community College Foundation in Rochester, N.Y., for 15 years. Under her leadership, the foundation recently completed a $10 million campaign that exceeded its targeted goals ahead of schedule. Babitz is a frequent guest lecturer and consultant, working with boards of directors to enhance productivity and effectiveness. Susan Kubik, vice president for institutional advancement for Northampton Community College and one of the judges for this year’s awards, says Monroe Community College Foundation is a “model for community colleges in the way it is staffed, in its stability and in its successes.”
• Leslie Bram, associate vice president and chief operations officer of the University of Florida Foundation. Bram is a leading fundraiser and development professional who has helped build the stellar reputation of the University of Florida Foundation. Under her leadership, the assets of UFF have grown to more than $1 billion. Curtis Simic, president and chief executive officer of Indiana University Foundation and one of this year’s judges, notes that Bram has contributed more to the body of organizational and protocol documentation than anyone in the country. “There is no issue for which she has not confronted, researched and formulated answers as to how each can be appropriately and ethically handled,” Simic says. “Every foundation executive is in her debt.”
• F. Duke Perry, retired president and chief executive officer of West Virginia University Foundation. During his 35-year career in advancement, Perry served as president of West Virginia University Foundation, George Mason University Foundation and Florida State University Foundation. During his 17 years as a foundation president, he built a successful track record in foundation operations and management. David Bahlmann, president and CEO of Ball State University Foundation and a judge of this year’s awards, says Perry has guided many organizations and individual professionals to greater service in the advancement profession. “Every one of us in the field appreciates his leadership,” Bahlmann says. “Duke Perry is one of the giants of our world.”

The awards are underwritten by Commonfund, a nonprofit corporation with more than 1,600 members and $37 billion in assets under management. Commonfund provides fund management services and investment advice to educational institutions, hospitals, foundations, and other nonprofits.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

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