Message From Your Chair

During this conference you will learn through interactive sessions which are informative but also generate discussions that bring out the best ideas from all attendees. Whether you are from a small school or large institution, this conference will provide you with the tools to examine your current techniques and practices and ensure your direct marketing program is aligned for success.

Tammie L. Ruda, Conference Chair
Executive Director of Annual Giving
Brown University

Tammie Ruda is the Executive Director of Annual Giving at Brown University. In this role, she oversees a robust Annual Fund program that includes class campaigns, direct marketing, student philanthropy, high-end annual giving and recognition programs, and a parents program. She serves as a member of the development office's senior staff, ensuring close collaboration between the Brown Annual Fund and other fundraising areas.

A member of the Brown University development staff since 1993, Tammie has held other positions within the Annual Fund as well as the directorships of prospect research and Advancement Information Services. Prior to joining the staff at Brown, Tammie worked in the Radcliffe College Development Office.

Tammie is the author of two chapters in Donor Relations: The Essential Guide to Stewardship Policies, Procedures, and Protocol (CASE, 1999) and is a frequent conference presenter. She previously served a three-year term as president of the Annual Giving Directors' Consortium. She received her bachelor's degree in History and Science from Harvard University.

Rebecca Bramlett
Associate Director, Annual Giving
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Rebecca Bramlett has over five years of experience in university development and annual giving. Originally from Alexandria, Va., she graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2001 with a B.A. in psychology and is currently working on a master's degree in higher education administration. In 2001 she moved to College Station, Texas, where she managed the marketing and operations of private student housing properties for students of Texas A&M University and Blinn College. In January 2005 she joined the Office of University Development's Carolina Annual Fund team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the phonathon manager. In August 2005, Bramlett took the position of assistant director of direct mail. In March 2006 she became assistant director of annual giving. In February 2008 she became the associate director of annual giving.

Bramlett has been a professional member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education since 2006 and represents UNC-Chapel Hill in the Annual Giving Directors Consortium. She co-chaired and presented at the 2009 Annual Giving Directors Consortium Associate's Conference and is chairing the same conference again in 2011. She has also presented at the Carolinas Annual Fund Conference, for Academic Impressions, and multiple UNC Advancement retreats and committee meetings. Presentation topics have included: annual giving trends and best practices; student giving and senior campaigns; minority alumni giving; e-solicitations, e-communications and social media; successful phonathon training; annual fund as a prospecting tool, the importance of your annual fund in overall development operations. Bramlett has also been featured as a contributor to supportingadvancement.com and Successful Fund Raising, a monthly report by Stevenson, Inc. in the feature: "Encourage Donors to Move Up to Next Giving Club Level".

Francine A. Cronin
Senior Assistant Vice President for Capital Projects and Advancement Communications
University of Rochester

Francine Cronin brings more than 21 years of experience working in the world of higher education fundraising to her role as senior associate vice president for annual giving at Emory University. She is active on the Development and Alumni Relations Leadership Team and the university's Administrative Council. In the more than 6 years that Francine has been at Emory, the Annual Fund has grown from $3.6 million in fiscal year 2002-03 to $10.2 million in fiscal year 2007-08. This represents an increase of 184%. During this same time period alumni participation has grown from 25 percent to 36 percent.

Francine's desire to work in the development and alumni relations field was sparked during her senior year of college, at the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she served as a committee member of the college's first-ever Senior Gift Campaign (Class of 1987). Upon graduation, she began her career at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), first as assistant director of the Telefund Program and then as director of the annual fund. While working full-time she attended night classes part-time at RIT and in 1993, she earned her M.S. in career & human resource development with a concentration in organizational development. Francine played an active role in RIT's $100 million five-year capital campaign, "Access to the Future".

After spending six plus years in a large private university setting, Francine moved back to her hometown of Utica, N.Y., and worked at a small public university-SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (SUNYIT). She served as director of development & alumni relations at SUNYIT for more than eight years until she moved to Atlanta in June of 2003 to lead Emory University's Annual Giving Program.

Allen Rosso
Director of Philanthropic Affiliation
University of Chicago

Allen Rosso has made a career in development for the past 16 years. In his current role as Senior Director of the Office of Philanthropic Affiliation at the University of Chicago, he manages the Annual Giving program for twelve schools and units, the development and programming volunteer network of the Reunion and Class Council program and the planning and execution of University signature events.

Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Allen spent 5 years at Vanderbilt University first as the Assistant Director of Development for the School of Nursing and then as Director of the Vanderbilt Fund.

From 1993 - 2000, he worked on numerous local, state and federal political campaigns across the country. He served in diverse roles including Finance Director, Campaign Manager, Research Director and Campaign Consultant.

Allen is a graduate of North Central State and Franklin University.