Faculty

Message from Chair

The goal of this conference is to energize you professionally, to allow for a continual exchange of ideas and resources, and to inspire you to think proactively about the future challenges facing alumni relations.

Come prepared to share ideas, gain insights, struggle with complex issues, offer solutions, and ask hard questions of and obtain support from leaders in the field.

Meet the Speakers

Sherri Schmidt, Conference Chair 
Associate Executive Director, NDSU Alumni Association
North Dakota State University

Schmidt has over 21 years of advancement experience. At North Dakota State University, there is a unique cooperative working relationship between the Development Foundation and Alumni Association (both privately incorporated 501 (c) 3 organizations) which is unique at many public institutions. She brings a strong perspective and insight into the importance of collaborative ventures between “friend raising and fundraising” goals and programs. 

Wendy Greenfield
Executive Director, Alumnae Association
Bryn Mawr College

Since marketing continues to be an important topic in alumni relations as we work to gain the attention of graduates, Greenfield brings a wealth of marketing experience to this conference. She was a marketing executive in New York for 20 years at some of the largest advertising agencies and marketing companies, helping clients build brands. 

Jack Miller
President
The Miller Group

Miller has over 40 years of experience in higher education advancement and philanthropy management and is nationally recognized as a strategist in university advancement, working with both public and private universities. He has been at the table with many alumni relations organizations working to deal with today’s challenges and future opportunities of alumni relations. He brings a deep understanding of “what is happening in the field” along with ideas for the future.    

Peter Rooney
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Oglethorpe University

Rooney, who has been in the advancement profession for 24 years, brings a strong background in the independent and private school sectors due to his expertise in capital campaigns and building/developing an alumni relations program to complement fundraising efforts. 

Christine Kajikawa Wilkinson
President
Arizona State University Alumni Association

With our need to understand young alumni and future alumni, Wilkinson brings an insider’s view about current students’ perspectives due to her prior 13 years as vice president for student affairs. She also brings great insight about athletics and the alumni relationship, since she served as the university’s interim athletic director on three separate occasions. 

Guest Speaker

Robert Shoss
Founding Member
Performance Enhancement Group, Ltd. (PEG)

Shoss is a founding member (1992) of Performance Enhancement Group, Ltd. (PEG), an organizational development consulting firm specializing in helping companies measure things that are often considered unmeasurable. PEG works with companies and alumni organizations of all sizes and in all industries, measuring such things as customer satisfaction and employees’ perceptions of organizational support.

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