Conference Chair

Jeffrey Schanz
Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations and Executive Director, Rensselaer Alumni Association
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Jeff Schanz is the assistant vice president for alumni relations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and executive director of the Rensselaer Alumni Association. Under his direction Rensselaer alumni programs have received national recognition from CASE, including more than a dozen Circle of Excellence and District II Accolade awards for student programs, reunion and homecoming programs, special interest groups, career assistance and volunteer relations programs. He was named the 2012 Professional of the Year by CASE District II.

Schanz has worked in higher education for more than17 years having served as director of alumni relations at his alma mater, Marist College, as well as president of the Marist Alumni Association and alumni representative to the Marist College Board of Trustees. He is the presiding officer of the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors (PCUAD).

He earned a doctorate in education administration and policy studies from the University at Albany.

Faculty

Allison Dykes
Vice President for Alumni Relations
Emory University

Allison Dykes is vice president for alumni relations in the division of Development and Alumni Relations, at Emory University. She joined Emory in 1997 as director of regional programs, a role in which she developed and managed a university-wide alumni volunteer leadership program in major U.S. cities. From 1999-2002, she was the association's executive director for programming and operations. In that role, she planned and managed the new building completion and all policy development associated with the Miller-Ward Alumni House, which opened in 2000. She also initiated and managed a process for strategic planning for programming and volunteer leadership development still used by the Emory Alumni Association. She was named associate vice president in 2002.

Dykes oversees and leads the management and operations for alumni relations, including 28 staff members responsible for university-wide alumni leadership and program development, benefits and services, communications, campus relations and the management of the Miller-Ward Alumni House. Under her leadership, the Emory Alumni Association has redefined its role and mission to focus on leadership development and volunteer management for the 118,000 strong alumni community. The Emory Alumni Association is recognized for its work defining and measuring alumni engagement. Dykes serves on the senior staff of the division of Development and Alumni Relations, which successfully completed a $1.6 billion fundraising campaign at the end of 2012.

She received the Emory University Award of Distinction in 2012. She is an active member of the Emory community, having served on a multitude of committees. She was an appointed member of the President's Commission on the Status of Women (2000-2007) which she has chaired, along with the commission's Women in Leadership Committee. She currently serves on the Religious Life Advisory Council. She also serves on the board of the Tuition Plan Consortium and the Executive Committee of the Association of Private Colleges and University Alumni Directors (PCUAD).

A 1992 graduate of the University of Georgia, Dykes received a bachelor's degree in French and a Certificate in Global Policy Studies.

Nancy Merritt
Director, Alumni Outreach and Reunion
Lehigh University

Nancy Merritt has served as the director of alumni outreach and reunion at Lehigh University since 2011. Previously, she led Lehigh's student and young alumni programs for six years.

During her time as director of student and young alumni programs, Merritt advised or co-advised various organizations including the Class Officers, Association of Student Alumni, Senior Class Gift Committee and Young Alumni Council. She implemented enhancements to school traditions like the First-Year Student Rally, Founder's Day, and Young Alumni Reunion in order to create a better experience and garner more participation, while also creating new student traditions. She also proved successful in establishing cross-campus collaborations to generate opportunities to educate more students about the Alumni Association.

Merritt's roots with student and young alumni programs have influenced her current role as director of alumni outreach and reunion, as well. She continues to collaborate with various staff members to find ways to engage students and young alumni in other Lehigh traditions and organizations, such as reunion and various affinity groups.

Merritt holds two degrees from Lehigh University, a bachelor's degree in journalism and communications and a master's degree in political science.

Scott Mory
Associate Senior Vice President and Campaign Director
University of Southern California

Scott Mory is the University of Southern California's (USC) associate senior vice president and campaign director. His primary responsibilities are to manage the day-to-day activities of the "Campaign for USC," including tracking campaign progress, developing campaign communications and events, and engaging campaign volunteers. In addition to his campaign responsibilities, he oversees USC's alumni relations programs.

Mory joined USC in August 2007, and until January 2013 served as associate senior vice president for alumni relations. He was responsible for advancing the mission of the university by engaging a community of more than 325,000 alumni through programs, services and communications, and working closely with the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. Prior to joining USC, Mory had a similar role at the George Washington University.

He is a frequent presenter at CASE conferences and was a member of CASE's Commission on Alumni Relations. He also served on the executive committee of the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors and is a member of the Council of Alumni Association Executives.

Mory holds a bachelor's degree from the George Washington University and a juris doctorate from the George Washington University Law School. Prior to joining the advancement profession, he served as a federal judicial law clerk, and was an associate of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.

Guest Speakers

Armin Afsahi
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs and Executive Director, UCSD Alumni Association
University of California, San Diego

Armin Afsahi is the assistant vice chancellor for alumni affairs at the University of California, San Diego and also serves as the executive director of the UCSD Alumni Association, an organization that serves 116,000 alumni and 24,000 students.

A UC San Diego alumnus of Revelle College, Afsahi is a seasoned advancement executive with over 17 years of private and public sector experience in institutional advancement, strategic management, business development, marketing, technology and operations gained in public and private universities, as well as technology, education and consulting firms. He is longstanding member of the UC San Diego community and a former member and officer of the UCSD Alumni Association Board of Directors.

In his previous roles, Afsahi has provided creative engagement, alumni development and fundraising services to the UC San Diego and to Georgetown University. Serving on the senior advancement teams at both institutions, he has demonstrated leadership in working with academic, administrative and volunteer leadership in the areas of alumni engagement, campaign planning, organizational alignment, strategic business initiatives, board management,and corporate development. Previously at UC San Diego, he served as the senior director for external relations and helped craft strategic initiatives for the $1 billion "Imagine What's Next" campaign. In this role, he developed the blueprint for a new corporate relations and fundraising model, and led multiple business functions. At Georgetown, he worked closely with the vice president for advancement and university leadership to provide direction for constituent engagement strategies and participated in the planning and early implementation phases of a $1.5 billion campaign.

Afsahi earned a bachelor's degree in communications from UC San Diego and a master's degree in business administration from the University of San Diego.

Geoffrey Seber
Director of Student and Young Alumni Programs, Office of Alumni Relations
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

As director of student and young alumni programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Geoff Seber is responsible for managing programs to connect students with alumni and the overall strategy of Rensselaer's young alumni programs.

Since 2003, he has mentored and advised the Red & White Student Organization, a 70-member organization recognized by CASE ASAP as Organization of the Year in 2009 and 2012. In addition, he advises weR: The Spirit of Rensselaer Society, an emerging spirit organization founded in 2012 to embrace the unique characteristics of school spirit at Rensselaer. Under Seber's leadership, both organizations hosted the CASE ASAP District 2 Conference in March on the Rensselaer campus.

CASE Crystal Apple Award winner for excellence in teaching.