Message From Your Chair

Welcome to the field of alumni relations! Our profession is one of higher education's most exciting, challenging and satisfying careers. Whether you are looking for programming ideas, strategies for managing volunteers, how best to engage your alumni or streams of revenue to help pay for it all, this workshop will steer you in the right direction.

Conference Chair

Jeffrey M. Schanz
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Executive Director of the Rensselaer Alumni Association
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Jeff Schanz is currently the assistant vice president for alumni relations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and executive director of the Rensselaer Alumni Association. He joined Rensselaer in 2000 and served as associate director of alumni relations prior to his appointment to director of alumni relations in 2003 and director of alumni relations and annual giving in 2006. Under his direction, Rensselaer alumni programs have received 14 national and district awards from CASE for student programs, alumni communications, career assistance, volunteer relations and special interest groups.

Schanz is a regular speaker at professional conferences for CASE and has presented on a number of topics, including the importance of communities of practice, benchmarking in alumni relations and the role of special interest groups in alumni programs. He serves on the board of directors of the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors (PCUAD) where he maintains the group's assessment and metrics database. He is also longtime supporter of his alma mater, Marist College, where he is currently the president of the alumni association.

Schanz received a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration from Marist College, and a master's degree in educational administration and policy studies from the University at Albany.

Faculty

Raina S. Lenney
Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations
American University

Raina S. Lenney is currently the assistant vice president of alumni relations at American University, where she oversees all aspects of the alumni relations program, including board management; alumni weekend; regional, local and international programs; affinity programming; and student and young alumni programs. Lenney formerly served as senior director for alumni relations at The George Washington University, where she oversaw many aspects of GW's alumni relations program and implemented several special programs, including the first-annual Women and Philanthropy Forum.

Lenney received her bachelor's degree in theatre from Florida State University and her master's degree in women's studies from The George Washington University. After graduate school, she joined the GW Annual Fund, where she oversaw the direct mail program. She later spent two years working in development communications, before transitioning to alumni relations, where she spent the last four years prior to her current role at AU.

Todd McCubbin
Executive Director, Mizzou Alumni Association Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations
University of Missouri

Todd A. McCubbin is the executive director of the Mizzou Alumni Association and associate vice chancellor for alumni relations at the University of Missouri. McCubbin directs the operational and financial activities of the Mizzou Alumni Association. He manages a staff of 20 that provides services to more than 40,000 dues paying members and 251,000 alumni. More than 1,300 volunteers are actively engaged in the association's outreach efforts and the association proudly organizes the oldest and largest homecoming celebration in the country.

McCubbin's career in alumni relations began in 1995 when he was hired as the coordinator of alumni relations for the Mizzou Alumni Association. He was selected as Forman Fellow for the Council of Alumni Association Executives in 2000 and was selected for CAAE membership. He is a frequent presenter at conferences for CASE and the Council of Alumni Membership and Marketing Professionals (CAMMP).

He is a Mizzou alumnus, earning a master's degree in education in 1995. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Truman State University.

Nicole LeDuc Meehan
Director, Alumni Association
Loyola University Chicago

Nicole LeDuc Meehan has been director of the Loyola University Chicago Alumni Association since January 2007. She is responsible for overseeing a team of seven who create and manage an array of programs that engage Loyola's 135,000+ alumni. She is a past presenter at the Jesuit Advancement Association (JAA) annual conference and a member of the Executive Board for the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors (PCUAD). Recently, she began a three-year term with the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations.

Nicole holds her bachelor's degree and master's degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago.