Cathleen Parsons-Nikolic is associate vice president of operations at Villanova University. In this role, she oversees the management of the university's alumni database, annual fund, gift and records administration, information technology, prospect research and management, among other responsibilities. Parsons-Nikolic previously served as assistant vice president of development operations at Temple University. Prior to her career in advancement, she worked for Oxfam U.K.-Ireland, an international relief organization. Parsons-Nikolic is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia and has a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. An active member of CASE, Parsons-Nikolic is co-chair of CASE's Institute for Senior Advancement Services Professionals conference, which takes place April 22-24 in San Diego.

You have been part of the Villanova advancement staff for about a month now. How do you like your new job so far?

It is an exciting time at Villanova. The university welcomed a new president in 2006, successfully completed a comprehensive campaign in 2007 and hired a new vice president of university advancement in 2008. In addition, strategic and campus master plans are well under way.

The advancement office is very fortunate in that we have received a lot of support from the administration-which is very notable in this difficult economy. As a result, I hope to work with senior staff and the rest of our team to refine and strengthen our advancement program and look for creative opportunities to grow support.

What are some of the milestones that were achieved during your seven years at Temple?

Temple was a great place to work, and under the leadership of Senior Vice President Stuart Sullivan, the university has made great strides. Currently, the university is on track to reach its largest fundraising goal-US$350 million-in December. The goal was raised last year from its initial total of US$300 million due to its amazing success.

Other milestones include:

• Increased rated prospects from about 2,000 to 25,000
• Converted to a system-driven approach for all reporting needs
• Codified policies and procedures for the gift processing function
• Refocused annual-fund efforts through a more analysis-driven approach
• Enriched relationships with other Temple offices (treasurers, bursar, human resources, registrar)

Talk about your career prior to advancement. What led you to this field?

Prior to my switch to development, I was working on humanitarian relief efforts for Bosnian war refugees. I worked for Oxfam, an international relief organization, to coordinate the delivery of supplies for more than 200,000 refugees. Oxfam worked with Handicap International, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders and other nonprofit entities located within Serbia to coordinate the daily needs of this refugee group.

The work was rewarding and intense. And even though I loved it, I wanted to move closer to my family so I chose to work in the nonprofit sector within the United States.

Because I believe that many of the humanitarian concerns in the world can be prevented through access to educational opportunities, I felt that the move to higher educational development was a great balance between my two interests. I was fortunate that I had a boss at the University at Buffalo, Ronald Emihovich, who saw potential in me-even though I didn't have a background in higher education-and gave me a chance.

Where do your ideas come from?

The first thing that comes to my mind is my time in the pool. I try to swim at least once a week and find that this time alone provides the best opportunity for me to review issues that the office may be having. When I am stressed or puzzled, or overwhelmed, I swim.

I also get my ideas from various conferences that I attend. I am always happy to come back from conferences with pages and pages of to-dos. I think it is the best source of new work for any office.

What special skills does this work require?

Patience, attention to detail, willingness to rethink the "way it was always done," interpersonal skills, and a lot of patience!

What do you like best about advancement?

We are fortunate in that our field has so many opportunities for support both inside and outside our organizations. If you worked at Boeing, you wouldn't be able to call someone at Lockheed to ask them how they did x, y and z. Most of us, however, have those interactions on an ongoing basis with our peers. I also love the missions of higher education. We are so lucky to spend our work days striving to enrich the lives of our students and the communities surrounding our schools.

How has CASE membership influenced your career?

Eight years ago, I gave my first CASE conference presentation at a district conference in Toronto. I have been involved in CASE ever since that time. I find the organization full of wonderful staff and volunteers who are all willing to support other colleagues.

I have never contacted a volunteer who was not willing to review a policy, pass on job openings or just answer a quick question. Also, the speaking opportunities that CASE and its districts provide are an excellent way to test a new idea, refine your presentation skills, and to meet peers at other institutions.

This article is from the March 2009 issue of BriefCASE.
Please share your questions and comments with Pam Russell via e-mail at russell@case.org or by telephone at +1-202-478-5680.