Strategic Talent Management: Leading and Managing Fundraising Talent in the New Normal

Faculty

Conference Co-Chairs

Christy Cates, Conference Co-Chair
Senior Executive Director, Strategic Organizational & Talent Management
University of California, Irvine

Christy Cates is the senior executive director of strategic organizational and talent management, and part of University Advancement’s senior leadership team. She has been in this position for over eight years and has 14 years of experience as a human resources professional in both the public and private sectors.  In her current role, Cates provides leadership for the human resources function for University Advancement.  In addition, she serves as an adviser and consultant to middle and senior management on organizational and strategic planning issues as they pertain to staffing management.

An industry leader, Cates is responsible for developing and implementing one of the first talent management programs in the higher education advancement area.  Prior to joining the University Advancement team, she worked for multisite corporations that employed between 800-4,000 employees in various western states. 

She earned a degree in political science from San Diego State University and is a member of SHRM and CASE.

Christine Rawak, Conference Co-Chair
Assistant Vice President for Development, Talent Management and Development
Operations
University of Michigan

Chrissi Rawak is the assistant vice president for talent management, finance and administration at the University of Michigan.  She is responsible for facilitating the overall strategy of talent and financial resources and programs in support of the fundraising goals at the university.  She has specific oversight for finance and administration and talent management teams, which includes Recruitment and Human Resources and Development Community Learning.

Rawak received her bachelor's degree in management and communications from the University of Michigan in 1992 and a master's degree in communications from Northwestern University in 2003.  Prior to coming to the Office of University Development in 2004, she was director of personnel and business resources in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development at Northwestern University.  She started at Northwestern University in 1996 as manager of personnel staffing, before being promoted to director.  Prior to her time at Northwestern, she was the assistant women’s swimming coach at U-M from 1992 – 1996.

Faculty

Thomas J. Mitchell
Vice Chancellor and President of the Foundation
The University of California, Irvine

Thomas J. Mitchell is vice chancellor and president of the Foundation at the University of California, Irvine. Under his direction, annual private gift/grant support to the university increased 157 percent over the last seven years, averaging $90 million per year. During the same time, the endowment has increased by 82 percent and the number of individual gifts breaks records each year, reaching 27,970 in 2009. He oversees the comprehensive $1 billion Shaping the Future Campaign, which is a joint venture by the university and the foundation.

He has helped the foundation recruit many of Orange County's most prominent business and community leaders to its board of trustees. Additionally, Mitchell's team of advancement professionals is also frequently recognized for the excellence and innovation of their programs. During his tenure, the team has been honored with 48 CASE awards. Mitchell also serves as a member of the CASE Institutionally Related Foundation National Committee, the Association of Governing Boards Leadership Forum Planning Council, and he chairs CASE's National Task Force on Investing in Advancement.

Brian Chapman
President, Philanthropic Analytics
Grenzebach Glier and Associates, Inc.

Brian Chapman, President of Grenzebach Glier Philanthropic Analytics, joined Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A) in 2006, bringing 20 years' experience as a consultant, entrepreneur, and government official. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the firm's Benchmarking Peer Analysis, Performance Analytics, and DonorScape Prospect Analysis services.

Brian most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services. In that capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of an agency with more than 2,000 employees and a $4 billion annual budget. As Chief Operating Officer, Brian was responsible for the State of Illinois' information technology, telecommunications, human resources, employee benefits, procurement, facilities management, legal, fleet, and audit functions. Over the course of a three-year period, Brian and his team were responsible for the largest public sector shared services implementation in United States history, saving more than $529 million. This work received awards from numerous academic and industry organizations.

Prior to his work with the State of Illinois, Brian was Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, a leading international management consultancy. Working both in the United States and Europe, he successfully served dozens of nonprofit, public sector, and private sector clients. His nonprofit work focused on strategy, board development, data analysis, and operations.

Before joining McKinsey, Brian was a founding executive of FTD.com, a leading Internet retailer. As vice president of strategy and business development, he was deeply involved in the creation and execution of a business strategy that led to a successful initial public offering and multiple consecutive quarters of profitability.

Brian also served as managing director of VIA International, a boutique consulting firm working in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Prior to that, he was a managing consultant with Towers Perrin, a prominent international consulting firm.

Brian holds a degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He serves on the board of several nonprofit organizations, and is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from nonprofit board governance to public sector operations transformation.

Jon Derek Croteau
Senior Consultant
Witt/Kieffer

Jon Derek Croteau's experience in higher education and not-for-profit organizations encompasses assessment, fundraising and campaign planning, administration and human capital management. Based in Boston, he is a senior consultant with Witt/Kieffer's education and not-for-profit practice. He has conducted numerous executive searches and human capital assessments for universities, colleges, healthcare organizations, foundations and other not-for-profit groups.

Croteau has worked with universities around the country, performing a wide range of duties from recruitment to fundraising to succession planning. Most recently, he served as assistant vice president for campaign planning and operations for Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to that, he served as assistant vice president for advancement services/director of organizational development and human capital management. In the division, Croteau oversaw expansive growth by recruiting nearly 100 staff and executives. In addition, he developed a learning and professional development curriculum, developed core values and competencies, career paths, management training program, and overhauled the entire performance management system. While at Carnegie Mellon, he served as an adjunct professor at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management.

Throughout his career, Croteau has helped define and create human capital management programs and designed and delivered new on-boarding and training practices for staff. He has directed gift cultivation and solicitation strategies, worked closely with volunteers and trustees, and developed key relationships with senior executives to promote the vision and mission of institutions.

Prior to his work in advancement, he worked for Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a global human capital consulting firm. He has published and presented on educational advancement and human capital management topics. He is the author of The People First Approach, A Guide for Recruiting, Development and Retaining the Right People and is on the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Educational Advancement.

Croteau serves as vice chairman of the Emerson College Alumni Association Executive Board of Directors, is on the Board of Ambassadors for The Home for Little Wanderers, and is a mentor for Point Foundation.

Donald R. Gray
Retired Vice President for Principal Gifts
University of Wisconsin Foundation  

Donald R. Gray recently retired as vice president for principal gifts at the University of Wisconsin Foundation, where he was one of a team responsible for guiding the university's $1.5 billion "Create the Future" campaign.

Previously, he was responsible for overseeing the development programs for most of the professional schools and colleges at the university, including medicine, law, business, nursing, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, the graduate school and the hospital.

One of Don's primary responsibilities at the UW Foundation was the design and implementation of a comprehensive training/orientation program for all new UW Foundation employees. This 22-session program, spanning a three-month period, included detailed analysis and discussion of the overall development process, with individual sessions on each phase of the Cycle of Successful Development. In addition, all development services were included, as were fun and educational components highlighting the university's and foundation's values, histories and organizations.

At various times in his life, Don has been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa (Malawi and Lesotho), a research chemist, an associate professor of chemistry, and the dean of the two-year University of Wisconsin Campus in Richland Center. He has been a frequent speaker for CASE and has served on the faculty or chaired national conferences, earning CASE's Crystal Apple Award for outstanding teaching. He has co-chaired the popular CASE Development for Deans conference since 1994. Don was recognized for his service to the profession by the Institute for Charitable Giving when he was awarded their 1997 Major Gift Laureate for Lifetime Achievement.

He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a doctorate in chemistry.

Peter Hayashida
Vice Chancellor, University Advancement
UC Riverside

Peter A. Hayashida was appointed vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of California, Riverside on July 1, 2009. He oversees fundraising, alumni and constituent relations, event management and protocol, and strategic communications for UCR, a doctoral research university that serves as a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world.

From 2000 until 2009, Hayashida served concurrently as assistant vice chancellor for UCLA External Affairs and executive director of The UCLA Foundation, a volunteer-governed, 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation. At UCLA, he provided executive leadership for special events, stewardship, prospect management and donor research. He was also responsible for advancement-wide strategic and resource planning, budget, organizational development, human resources and administrative services.

Prior to his current position, Hayashida spent seven years at the UCLA Alumni Association, where he served as associate executive director for finance and administration and, prior to that, as director of the association's volunteer-driven scholarship program that provided merit- and need-based awards to UCLA students. His higher education career began in student services.

Hayashida earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies from UCLA and a master's degree in business administration from California State University, Northridge. He currently serves on the board of directors of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, a $50 million social service agency in Los Angeles.

Julie E. Pelzl
Vice President, Human Resources
University of Minnesota Foundation

Julie Pelzl, vice president, human resources, has been with the University of Minnesota Foundation since 1997. Her primary human resources focus has been on talent management, strategic planning and consultation, rewards and recognition strategy, executive compensation, and leadership development for the foundation.

Prior to joining the foundation, her career had been in human resources in the Twin Cities area since 1987, serving in generalist and management roles in several different industries, including computer technology, banking and healthcare.

Pelzl is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and World@Work. In her role on the University Human Resources Academy, she was instrumental in launching a university-wide HR Mentor Program and developing a comprehensive HR Leadership competency model for use in selection, career planning and strategic alignment. She has also served on the Student Mentor Advisory Committees of the University's Carlson School of Management and the College of Liberal Arts, and mentors undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota.

Pelzl has been a presenter at various human resources and CASE conferences on topics such as talent management, performance management and compensation strategy.

She received an master's degree in business administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

Amy Rueda
Director of Talent Management
UCLA Development

Amy Rueda was appointed Director, Strategic Talent Management for UCLA's Development organization in September 2008. In this capacity she is responsible for the department's strategic staffing, training and retention programs, including significant recruitment efforts, long-term succession planning, and professional development.

Ms. Rueda has significant experience in all facets of executive search. For more than 15 years she has exclusively focused on conducting searches for public and private universities and colleges, national non-profit and governmental organizations, art institutions, and several academic and community medical centers.

Her extensive career as a recruitment professional in executive search includes serving as a Senior Consultant, Associate Director and an Associate for multiple top ten national and international retained search firms including Heidrick & Struggles, Witt/Kieffer and A.T. Kearney. Ms. Rueda is specialized in conducting assignments for clients in higher education and healthcare with a functional sub-specialty in the field of development.

Prior to her experiences in higher education and executive search, Ms. Rueda began her career in the public sector, having served as Consultant to the California State Legislature.

As a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Ms. Rueda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Zachary Smith
Senior Director of Strategic Talent Management & Initiatives
Director of Development, Health Affairs
University Advancement
UC Irvine

Zachary A. Smith serves in a dual role as senior director of strategic talent management, university advancement and director of development, health affairs at the University of California, Irvine. He is responsible for building UCI's internal "executive search firm" style recruitment program, developing initiatives for professional development and retention of advancement staff, and conducts organizational research for strategic planning purposes. In addition, Smith carries a fundraising portfolio for UC Irvine's School of Medicine.

UC Irvine's talent management program has been recognized at both the district and national levels through CASE, winning two silver medals (district and national) and one gold (district). Smith authored the feature article in the March, 2008 edition of CURRENTS, "Branching Out: Recruiting the right people to educational fundraising makes all the difference."

Previously, he worked at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as director of development, while completing his doctorate in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration.

Rhea Turteltaub
Vice Chancellor, External Affairs
UCLA

Rhea Turteltaub was appointed Vice Chancellor, External Affairs at UCLA in March 2008. As Vice Chancellor, she oversees a diverse, yet integrated department with a staff of over 500 that includes Development, Alumni Relations, University Communications, Government & Community Relations, Advancement Services, Finance & Information Management and the UCLA Foundation.

She previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Development with management responsibility for one of the most successful development programs of its kind. With a development staff of 250, the campus has averaged more than $400 million in annual private support over the past 3 years. The University's Campaign UCLA, completed in 2005 generated a record-setting $3.052 billion.

Rhea began her UCLA career in the Office of Planned and Major Gifts. Over the last twenty-six years, she served in varying capacities in annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, research, alumni and donor relations, regional development and campaign planning. Prior to arriving at UCLA, she held leadership positions at Otis College of Art and Design and The University of Chicago, as well as campaign positions at the University of California at Berkeley, and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she also earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Science.

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Corporate Presenters

Cynthia Harriss
Former President of Disneyland and Gap Inc.

Cynthia Harriss is an exceptional operator and leader with a proven track record of developing and inspiring great teams and organizations. She has extensive experience in the retail and entertainment industries and has been responsible for multiple management and operational roles in high-growth companies, such as The Walt Disney Company and Gap Inc.

Cynthia served as President of Gap Brand, where she led all aspects of the business in North America, including Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity and GapBody. Assuming this role in May 2005, she oversaw the brand's 1,335 North America stores and 45,000 employees.

She was charged with developing a strategy and comprehensive turnaround plan to rebuild and renew the iconic Gap brand, including improving the product, store environment, marketing and real estate portfolio.

During her tenure with Gap, Cynthia built a team of key leaders with broad retail expertise, crafted a product strategy designed to develop classic, iconic Gap items with elevated quality and appeal, developed a new store experience in design, visual presentation and customer service and created inventive, integrated marketing programs to reignite passion around the Gap brand, including the award-winning campaigns for Product (RED) and the Audrey Hepburn Black Pant.

Cynthia also served as President of Gap Inc. Outlet, responsible for nearly 250 outlet stores across the United States, in 2004. She developed a multi-year growth strategy and oversaw the outlet chains for each of the company's divisions: Banana Republic Factory Stores, Gap Outlet, including GapKids, babyGap and GapBody, and Old Navy Outlet. During this time, Gap Inc. Outlet significantly exceeded all financial expectations.

In 1999, Cynthia was the first woman to serve as President of the Disneyland Resort division of The Walt Disney Company. She was responsible for the management and long-term growth of the division, which included Disneyland and California Adventure parks, three Disney hotels, as well as the retail, dining and entertainment center, Downtown Disney. During her tenure, Cynthia led the transformation of Disneyland from a one-park tourist site to a comprehensive travel and resort destination, including developing and opening Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Grand California Hotel and managing the $1.4 billion expansion and completion of the complex.

Additionally, in preparation for the Resort's growth, Cynthia focused great attention on creating a dynamic leadership team and developing guest-centric training programs for the cast. With a personal commitment and advocate of community service, she created a strong and valuable relationship with the community, City of Anaheim and Orange County through a variety of volunteer programs, donations and awards dedicated to helping children and families in the area.

Cynthia also served as Senior Vice President of Stores for The Disney Store, where she led the organization's growth from 140 North America stores to 460 stores in 11 countries.

Before joining Disney in 1992, Cynthia spent 19 years with Paul Harris Stores, a specialty apparel retailer for women. She served in a variety of roles throughout her tenure, including key leadership positions with responsibilities for merchandising, production, design, product development and marketing. She was accountable for the Company's expansion and growth from 40 stores to nearly 400 stores and was a key member of a successful Chapter 11 reorganization management team.

Cynthia serves on the Women's Leadership Board for Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Board of Advisors for the Paul Merage School of Business, University of Southern California/Irvine and Board of Trustees for the Laguna Beach Playhouse. Previously, she served as a board member for the Children's Hospital of Orange County and South Coast Repertory. She received the International Distinguished Leadership Award and the 2000 Tree of Life Award for outstanding community service from the Jewish National Fund. Additionally, Cynthia has been recognized by Who's Who of American Women and Community Leaders of America.

Susan B. Parks
Founder and CEO
WalkStyles, Inc.

Susan Parks is founder and CEO of WalkStyles, Inc., a company devoted to helping people live active, healthy lifestyles. WalkStyles is a leading provider of lifestyle wellness programs. The company's innovative ICount^TM is a turnkey solution for employers to engage all their employees in healthier lifestyles. In addition, employees can easily enlist their family and friends so their healthy behaviors extend beyond the workplace. The Shop@WalkStyles provides products and services to support active lifestyles.

Prior to the launch of WalkStyles, Parks held the number two position at Kinko's where she was responsible for all 1,100 locations and 18,000 employees. She also was a senior executive with Gateway and USWest, leading multibillion dollar organizations. In those corporate years, to stay mentally and physically strong, Parks began logging 10,000 steps during the course of each day. Parks used her personal experience and passion for wellness to found WalkStyles.

On April 15, 2008, Parks completed her nationwide WeWhoWalk® tour, a 50-week event, leading five mile walks in all 50 state capitals to raise awareness about healthy living and to fight childhood obesity. She was joined by civic leaders, governors, congressmen and city residents in each city.

"I Count" 10 Simple Steps to a Healthy Life, Parks first book, has just been published.

Parks cofounded the Women's Philanthropy Fund with Orange County's United Way and serves on the National Women's Leadership Council for the United Way of America. She serves on the local boards of the United Way, Susan G. Komen, Girl Scouts and WomanSage. She is on the advisory board for the Merage School at UCI and is also on the board of a public home builder.

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 This faculty member has earned a CASE Crystal Apple award in recognition of excellence in teaching at 10 or more conferences, workshops, and institutes.