Faculty

Jason F. Simon, Conference Chair
Immediate Past Associate Executive Director, Alumni and Student Relations
California Alumni Association
University of California, Berkeley

Jason Simon recently served as the associate executive director, alumni and student relations for the California Alumni Association (CAA), a nonprofit alumni association with 95,000 members and more than 20,000 volunteers per year. Simon was responsible for the leadership of a division of 11 FTE and 15+ student employees and managed a $2.2 million operating budget for alumni and student relations and a $1.8 million scholarships budget.

Simon also managed the Freshmen Year Experience program, advised the Student Homecoming Team, and organized the Council of Alumni Relations on the UC Berkeley campus. He was an appointed representative on the UC Berkeley Student Affairs Leadership Team.

Prior professional experience includes serving as the coordinator for student activities at Collin County Community College in Texas and as a member of the Student Union staff at the Rhatigan Student Center at Wichita State University.

Simon has made numerous presentations at various professional conferences throughout North America, and he has been published in several publications, including CURRENTS.

In 2006, he was selected as a Forman Fellow from the Council of Alumni Association Executives. His research focused on collaborating with student affairs to improve alumni and student relationships on campus.

Simon earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey. He then earned his master’s of education degree in higher education and student affairs administration from the University of Vermont. While at the University of Vermont, he worked in the Wellness, Graduate College, Administration & Facilities, Orientation and Parent Relations, and International Education offices through various assignments and internships.

Kim Hanauer
Director, Young Alumni & Student Programs
Duke Alumni Association

Kim Hanauer is the director of young alumni and student programs for the Duke Alumni Association (DAA).

Hanauer’s role at the DAA is two-fold: First, to manage on-campus programs for both the undergraduate and graduate students. DAA programs are designed to engage students with alumni and educate them about how to remain a part of the Duke family after graduation.   Second, she works with Duke’s young alumni regionally; creating programs that will keep them involved with the university, foster alumni relationships in new cities, manage the 5th and 10th reunions, and develop the future leaders of Duke’s alumni body.

Before returning to Duke, Hanauer was a program coordinator at Youth Tech Entrepreneurs in Malden, Mass., for two years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy from Duke University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in liberal arts at Duke.

Shellie Henry
Director of Student Programs
Iowa State University

Shellie Henry is the director of student programs at Iowa State University. She coordinates student membership recruitment and retention and oversees all programs and initiatives for students sponsored by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, including Student Alumni Association, Cyclone Alley, and the Student Alumni Leadership Council.

Previously, she served as the assistant director for membership and marketing for five years, where she managed the alumni membership database, marketed and promoted the Student Alumni Association program, and managed merchandise sales and the daily operation of the  affinity programs.

Shaun Keister
Vice President of Development Outreach
Iowa State University Foundation

Shaun Keister is the vice president for development outreach at the Iowa State University Foundation, where he leads a team of 40+ staff responsible for the annual giving program, alumni donor information services, communications, donor relations, marketing, media relations, and development communications. He also serves on the senior management team of the foundation, charting the direction and future of the organization. The ISU Foundation is in the quiet phase of a major comprehensive campaign that will raise in excess of $750 million by 2010.  
He has worked with more than 50 organizations focusing primarily on annual giving program consultations. Previously, Keister worked with the annual giving programs at Florida State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

Keister, a 2005 CASE Crystal Apple Teaching Award recipient, is a CASE speaker and chair for national conferences for fundraising professionals. He is also a consultant to a variety of universities and nonprofit organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree and doctorate degree from Iowa State University.

Guest Speaker

Mentha Hynes-Wilson
Director of Student Life, Whitman College
Princeton University

Mentha Hynes-Wilson is the director of student life for Whitman College, Princeton University’s newest residential college. Functioning as the chief student services officer for the college, she serves an essential role in the strategic and assessment plans of programs and policies which extend learning beyond the classroom and maximize student opportunities for personal development.

Hynes-Wilson previously served as the associate dean of multicultural affairs and student affairs at Smith College. Her profound commitment to educational equity led her to design and implement highly-successful initiatives to make Smith a more diverse and welcoming community for people of all backgrounds.

Active in a number of educational and civic endeavors, she holds professional memberships in associations including the American Association of University Women, American College Personnel Association, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. She earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.