Message from the Chair

Welcome to the field of alumni relations! Our profession is one of higher education's most exciting, challenging and satisfying careers. Whether you're new to the profession or expanding the scope of your responsibilities, this institute is the premier professional development opportunity and offers everything you need to move your career forward. What you learn and the people you meet at the institute will stay with you for your entire career. 

Whether you are interested in developing these sorts of programs, or looking to take your current program to the next level, this conference will offer you the latest trends and best practices, and the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other institutions.

The institute covers the broad spectrum of alumni relations responsibilities. You'll have a chance to explore how your particular work relates to other areas within advancement and within your larger organization. You will also learn about new developments and emerging trends, so that you will be poised to be a key player in your organization as it moves forward.

Along with the intense learning and faculty expertise, you'll also have the opportunity to meet other alumni relations professionals from institutions like yours and around the world; spend time hanging out in beautiful Burlington, home to quaint shops and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream; and enjoy a cool summer getaway!

On behalf of CASE and the alumni relations faculty, I invite you to join us for the 2012 Summer Institute in Alumni Relations. You won't be disappointed.

Institute Chair

Harold Brown
Director of Alumni/ae Affairs
Phillips Exeter Academy

Harold Brown Jr. was appointed director of alumni/ae affairs by his alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy, in 1991 after a 15-year career in banking. He currently directs a comprehensive alumni relations program that coordinates more than 130 events per year. The program includes: 13 pre-commencement reunions (over four weekends), more than 40 regional associations, including six international, an alumni travel program, alumni awards and continuing education for about 20,000 alumni.

In addition to serving as a presenter at many CASE conferences, Brown has served as a volunteer for CASE in a number of leadership roles, including secretary and trustee of CASE; member of the board of directors, CASE District I; and CASE-NAIS planning committee member. He is the author of the chapter "The Essentials of Alumni Relations" in Philanthropy at Independent Schools (Third Edition), a publication of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Faculty

Paul J. Clifford
Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations President of the East Carolina Alumni Association
East Carolina University

Paul J. Clifford is the associate vice chancellor for alumni relations and the president of the East Carolina Alumni Association at East Carolina University (ECU). He is responsible for directing a program that offers programs, services and communications to 120,000 Pirate alumni worldwide.

Prior to taking the post at ECU, he was the director of outreach at the University of Connecticut Alumni Association, responsible for chapters, affinity groups, school and college societies, community service and volunteer management. He was director of alumni relations at SUNY-New Paltz, prior to joining the staff at UConn. He began his career as assistant director of alumni relations for communications and student programs at James Madison University.

Clifford has received peer recognition for both individual achievement and outstanding programming. He served as the adviser to the James Madison University Student Ambassadors, the 1998-1999 SAA/SF District III Most Outstanding Organization. His alumni program at New Paltz received the 1999-2000 State University of New York Council for University Affairs and Developments Excellence Award in Alumni Programming and he was the recipient of the 2001 CASE District I Rising Star Award. In 2005, his programs were recognized by CASE District III with Special Merit Awards in Electronic Communications and Overall Alumni Programs. Most recently, CASE District III deemed his programs award worthy with the 2007 and 2008 Grand Award of Excellence for Overall Alumni Program. In addition, his program earned their first international recognition with a CASE Circle of Excellence bronze medal in the category of collaborative programs in 2008.

An active member of CASE, Clifford has been a presenter, faculty member and faculty chairperson at numerous conferences sponsored by the professional organization. He has published a number of articles in the Development & Alumni Report and was the co-editor of Alumni Clubs and Chapters (CASE Books; 2002.) He has also served on CASE's Commission on Alumni Relations. In January of 2008, Clifford was named to the inaugural class of 20 that was selected to participate in the Chancellor's Leadership Institute. The Institute is the most prestigious leadership training program at ECU designed for faculty and staff that are poised for future leadership roles.

Clifford is a 1996 graduate of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania where he was named the 2005 Young Alumnus of the Year.

Kelly Redder
Assistant Vice President
Rochester Institute of Technology

Katherine "Kelly" Redder is the assistant vice president of alumni relations at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She has been in the higher education field for 20 years.

Graduating with degrees in anthropology, archaeology, mathematics and forestry, she made the leap to a communications career by working at the New York State Commission for Independent Colleges and Universities. She has worked in the alumni relations field since 1990, holding positions at College of Misericordia, Ithaca College, University of Rochester and RIT. She notes, not with little irony, that at the time of her tenure, each institution was gearing up for a milestone. Redder has participated in 75th, 100th and 150th anniversary celebrations and most recently, on RIT's 175th.

A former member of the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations and one of the founding members of the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors (APCUAD), Redder enjoys interacting and benchmarking with other alumni relations officers across the country.

Adrienne A. Rulnick
Associate VP Alumni Relations and Development
George Washington University

Betsy Cannon Smith
Alumni Secretary and Executive Director, Alumni and Parent Programs
Amherst College

Betsy Cannon Smith is the alumni secretary and executive director of alumni and parent programs at Amherst College. A 1984 graduate of Amherst, she returned to work there in Alumni and Parent Programs in 1986 and has served the college in a number of positions within that office over 25 years; these responsibilities included alumni and parent programs, the annual fund, and the leadership gifts component of the "Amherst College Campaign."

As alumni secretary, she works with the committees and officers of the Society of the Alumni including the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council and the Alumni Trustee Nominating Committee. She also serves as the liaison to the Amherst College Board of Trustees for business such as trusteeship, honorary degrees and the medal for eminent service.

As executive director of alumni and parent programs, she manages a staff of 14. Amherst has an alumni body of more than 21,000 with over 50 Amherst Associations around the world. A significant network of association and class volunteers support alumni and parent programs.

Smith has served CASE as a member of the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations, and the CASE external Advisory Committee for Book Publishing; as an author for CURRENTS magazine and as a speaker at international and district conferences. She served on the faculty of the Summer Institute in Alumni Relations from 1999-2001 and in 2011.

CASE Crystal Apple award winner for excellence in teaching.