Conference Co-Chairs

Birgit Smith Burton
Senior Director of Foundation Relations
Georgia Institute of Technology

Birgit Smith Burton is the senior director of foundation relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. She began her career as a fundraiser more than 20 years in Buffalo, New York, where she was director of public relations for John Hill Enterprises and responsible for organizing special events including the successful Jim Thorpe Celebrity Golf Classic and the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon. In 1987 she established and ran the first campaign office for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in upstate New York.

In her position Burton organized comprehensive fundraising campaigns in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. She raised millions from corporations, foundations and individual donors during her eleven years as director. She drafted high-profile individuals to serve on advisory boards in the three cities and recruited the New York state governor to chair the statewide UNCF corporate campaign. She successfully launched major individual donor campaigns in eight cities across New York and quickly became an expert on special events by organizing over 100 including bachelor bids, galas, telethons, radiothons, golf tournaments and college fairs.

In 1998 Burton joined Foundation Relations at Georgia Tech and successfully raised (with the help of the FR team) $107M against a $40M goal during the university's "Campaign for Georgia Tech." She has been recognized by CASE as a Faculty Star and was selected by the Kresge Foundation as an advancement expert to provide advice and counsel to participants in the Kresge HBCU Initiative. She also served on the Design Team for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta's study of African American philanthropy in metropolitan Atlanta. She currently serves as president of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, sits on the boards of the A.E. Lowe Grice Scholarship Fund (Michigan), Robert Ferst Center for the Arts (Georgia), the National Visionary Leadership Project (Washington, D.C.), ALL-GA, an advocacy group for the arts in Georgia and chairs Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless board of trustees in Atlanta.

Mark Forrest
Associate Director, Clubs and Groups
The George Washington University

Mark Forrest has more than ten years of experience working in higher education in areas including student affairs, diversity and inclusion and alumni relations. He is currently the associate director of clubs and groups at the George Washington University, where his primary responsibility is connecting alumni to the universit—and to each other—through alumni affinity groups that are based on shared identity, shared interests or shared careers. In addition to alumni affinity programming, he administers the alumni association's grant program, serves on a variety of university committees and partners with numerous university departments to engage their respective alumni communities.

Forrest is an active member of ACPA: College Student Educators, International (ACPA) and CASE. He is the founding chair for the ACPA Task Force for Alumni Relations and Development, which highlights the intersection of student affairs and institutional advancement. Within CASE, he serves on the District II Opportunity and Inclusion Committee and serves as a conference chair.

He has an undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University, and a graduate degree from Michigan State University's Student Affairs Administration program. He is also working toward completing his doctorate in higher education administration at the George Washington University.

Angelique Grant Hutchinson
Assistant Vice President
Florida International University

Angelique Grant Hutchinson is the assistant vice president of development and assistant dean of medical advancement at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. In her current role, she is responsible for the overall advancement efforts of the college, which includes fundraising, external relations and alumni relations.

As the former executive director of development at the University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, she led a team of development professionals and managed the efforts for 24 medical divisions in the South Florida area—raising more than $96 million over her eight-year tenure. Hutchinson has worked in higher education at Princeton University, Washington State University, and the University of Miami.

Hutchinson has served in different capacities for several organizations including the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Invest in Our Children in Miami, the Children's Trust, ICABA-South Florida, Meals on Wheels, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Tallahassee, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She was appointed to the Princeton Borough Affordable Housing Board, the Princeton Young Achievers After School Program Board of Trustees, served as vice president of Women in Development of New Jersey, and also served as a consultant and grant writer for Jersey City's Team Walker After School Program, the Gospel Complex and the Dr. Bobby Jones International Gospel Retreat.

In recognition of her accomplishments during 18 years of philanthropic experience, she was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2010. Other awards include CASE's Virginia Carter Smith Award for Newcomers in Development and the African American Achievement Award, given by the WSU African American Graduate & Professional Student Association. In 2006, she was one of 20 national minority development managerial professionals selected to participate in the inaugural class of CASE's Minority Advancement Institute for Diverse Managers. Hutchinson was selected by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to participate in the 2010 Fulbright Seminar for U.S. Administrators in International Education, named one of the 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in South Florida in the July 2009 edition of Success South Florida Magazine, featured as a Lumina 10 in ICABA Honors South Florida 100 Most Accomplished Blacks Healthcare & Law, and selected as a 2009 Top Hat Woman of Achievement Award for Community Empowerment.

She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a master's degree in communication, specializing in public relations/media management, from Washington State University and a doctorate in higher education administration, specializing in institutional advancement, from Washington State University.

Keynote Speaker

Helen Smith Price
Assistant Vice President and Group Director
Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company

Helen Smith Price is an Assistant Vice President and Group Director, Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company. She also serves as the Executive Director of The Coca-Cola Foundation, managing the day-to-day operations and grant making. Helen leads a team responsible for global philanthropy and traditional community affairs in Coca-Cola's hometown markets. She is also responsible for the management of an $80 million annual budget and up to $300 million in Foundation assets.

Helen joined The Coca-Cola Company in September 1993 as the director, Corporate External Affairs. She managed community and civic affairs and served as the department's budget director. Prior to joining the Company, Helen worked nine years with BellSouth Corporation, in various financial roles, including manager positions in financial management, comptrollers and tax, and human resources. She is licensed in Georgia as a Certified Public Accountant and was a senior accountant in the Atlanta office of Arthur Andersen & Company, a public accounting firm.

Helen earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Spelman College and a master's degree in business administration from Atlanta University.

She serves on the boards of the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals, the Corporate Contributions Council of The Conference Board, Alliance Theatre, The Villages at Carver Family YMCA, and Cascade Community Services, Inc. Helen also serves on the Nominations Committee for the United Way of Greater Atlanta and the advisory board of the Morehouse College Leadership Institute. She is a former board member of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

Session Moderator

Rob Henry
Executive Director of Emerging Constituencies
Council for Advancement and Support of Education

Rob Henry has acquired extensive managerial and development experience during his 19-year professional career. Currently, he serves as the executive director of emerging constituencies with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. In this role, Henry provides leadership for initiatives designed to engage and serve selected CASE U.S. and international constituencies with significant emphasis to increase advancement staffing needs including diverse populations, student advancement and the career center.

Henry previously served as director of individual giving at Yale University, where he was responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive annual and special gift fundraising program, soliciting donors of more than$100,000, and managing the volunteer program for the School of Management. He has also served as assistant vice president of special and annual giving at the University of Connecticut Foundation, and began his development career at Michigan State University.

In each advancement position, Henry has significantly raised support and participation while simultaneously assessing the potential of the emerging market. This experience, coupled with his attention to fundamental infrastructure practices, has allowed him to offer training and development to international markets such as Ghana, South Africa, London, Australia and Mexico. This valuable feedback has translated into increased results, improved messages and enhanced efficiencies.

Henry's specialties include high-end asks (special/major gifts), budget management, staff motivation, infrastructure development and fundraising for diverse populations.

He was awarded the CASE Crystal Apple for teaching excellence in 2005. He holds a bachelor's degree in speech communication from Murray State University and a master's degree in communication and public address from Eastern Michigan University.