Conference Chair

Kevin J. Heaney
Vice President, Constituent and Central Development Programs and Deputy Campaign Director
Oregon State University Foundation

Kevin Heaney is the vice president for constituent development programs and associate campaign director at the Oregon State University Foundation. He oversees the constituent-based development programs for the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Forestry, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Pharmacy, Science, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Linus Pauling Institute and the Oregon 4-H Leadership Development Program. In addition, he is part of the leadership team for OSU's first comprehensive campaign, "The Campaign for OSU: This Amazing Place, This Historic Moment."

Prior to joining the OSU Foundation, Heaney served in a variety of major gift and planned giving capacities at Georgetown University ("The Third Century Campaign"), Johns Hopkins University ("The Johns Hopkins Campaign: Knowledge for the World") and Harvard University ("The University Campaign").

He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati, a master's degree from Columbia University, and a juris doctorate from Boston College Law School.

Faculty

Mary Gresch
Principal
Mary Gresch & Associates

Mary Gresch serves as a consultant to universities on brand development, campaign communications and integrated marketing planning. The former associate vice president for strategic communications and marketing at Washington State University has enjoyed a 25-year career that has included work as a development officer, journalist and leader of marketing and communications.

Since opening her own practice in 2007, Gresch has specialized in using brand marketing to develop philanthropic cultures in higher education. Her consultancy deals with all aspects of communications leadership and management, including market research and message development, institutional brand marketing, fundraising communications and campaign planning, organizational and staff development, creative strategy and execution in all media, media relations and budget management. She is a frequent speaker on campaign and philanthropic communications strategy with CASE. Current clients include Oregon State University, Seattle University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Idaho, Rollins College and the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Prior to her work in higher education, Gresch was the director of public relations and publications at the Cate School in Carpinteria, Calif., and a development coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She serves on the national advisory board for the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, journalism department, where she earned her bachelor's degree, and is an active volunteer advocate for public education and community philanthropy in Idaho.  

Beth Herman
Principal
EBH Consulting

Beth Herman is a management and fundraising consultant/trainer/coach, helping nonprofitleaders think strategically, effectively lead themselves and others, and build powerful teams in order to strengthen their institutions. Bringing 26 years' experience in principal and major gifts, campaign management, staffing presidents, deans, and boards, and recruitment, training and coaching of staff, she provides talent management programs, strategic planning facilitation, volunteer training and other capacity building and fundraising services in partnership with selected firms.

Dedicated to the artful practice of large gift development, Herman helps advancement professionals find inspiration, build skills and minimize distractions in order to achieve their "highest, best use."  Throughout her career in higher education, she has composed her work—and guided that of her colleagues—for optimal productivity, ensuring ample time spent in purposeful contact with donors, where the greatest difference is made. 

As vice president for college advancement at Washington College (2004-2010), she led the team in donor visit and solicitation productivity, built a staff-driven advancement program, conducted project campaigns, doubled alumni engagement and established an unrestricted annual giving program. As vice president at Franklin & Marshall College, she helped a new president achieve record total gift income. From 1993-2003, she led the University of Puget Sound development program to enlist new alumni leaders and double total gift income during a $68.5m campaign (137 percent of goal.)  She served as director of development for the University of Washington's College of Forest Resources, director of annual giving at the University of Redlands and communications/ annual fund director at Charles Wright Academy.

Herman was honored in 2001 with CASE's Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching. She has chaired and taught many CASE conferences, including two years with the Summer Institute in Educational Fundraising, and has taught for the Institute for Charitable Giving and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is currently pursuing certification as a personal and professional coach with the Martha Beck Institute.

Monica Taylor
Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations
University of Delaware

Monica Taylor joined the University of Delaware as vice president for development and alumni relations in September of 2007. Previously, she served as executive director of external affairs of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In this role, she was responsible for alumni relations programming worldwide for Wharton's undergraduate and graduate alumni and managed the operations for the Wharton School's Campaign for Sustained Leadership.

Taylor's prior work experience includes development positions for the University of Pennsylvania, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee and Georgetown University's alumni and university relations office. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds a law degree from the James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University. Taylor is an active member of the Artisan's Bank Board of Directors.