Dr. Vita Pickrum joined Delaware State University in 2008 and serves multiple roles including as the Vice President of the Division of Institutional Advancement, the President of the Delaware State University Foundation, and as of January 2020, Chair of the 12th President’s Transition Team. She is responsible for overseeing all private fundraising for the University, alumni relations, development, and donor relations. Under her leadership, both private fundraising and alumni participation have substantially increased. 

Dr. Pickrum has established strategic public and private partnerships that have yielded significant financial support for the University.  She serves on the President’s Administrative Council and is the staff lead for the Delaware State University Board of Trustees’ Innovation and Sustainability Committee. Also, Dr. Pickrum oversees the management of the University’s Endowment Investment Managers.  Dr. Pickrum is the founder of the HBCU Philanthropy Symposium – currently celebrating its 10th year.

In 2017, the Delaware Alliance of Nonprofit Agencies (DANA) and the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) elected Dr. Pickrum to each of their Board of Directors, and she recently was appointed for second terms on each organization’s Board. 

In 2018, Dr. Pickrum received an appointment to the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Board of Trustees, after serving on the Commission for Philanthropy and the National Committee for Institutionally Related Foundations.  Of particular note, Dr. Pickrum was recognized with the 2018 Professional of the Year Award from CASE District II, out of 700 professionals.

In 2020, Dr. Pickrum was appointed to the Association of Governing Boards Council of Foundation Leaders.  In this same year, Dr. Pickrum was elected as the Vice-Chair of the newly established CASE Committee for College and University Foundations representing over 800 community colleges and Universities.  

Her professional career includes working for a United States Senator, owning small businesses, working in Higher Education, and consulting to non-profit organizations.

Dr. Pickrum earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Delaware State University in May 2016 and has a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard University and numerous achievement certificates. 

Kathy Schmidlkofer has been president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation since March 2014. The Foundation is dedicated to raising and managing private gifts from individuals and organizations to build greatness at the University of Minnesota. Under Schmidlkofer’s leadership, the Foundation has achieved record levels of fundraising as part of Driven, the University’s $4 billion system-wide campaign. The Foundation also actively manages the $2.5 billion dollar philanthropic endowment as well as manages an extensive student housing and commercial property portfolio with master planning underway to develop a commercial and innovation district to serve the needs of the University.

Before joining the Foundation, Schmidlkofer was executive vice president and a founding leader of GREATER MSP, a public private partnership dedicated to growing the economy of the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Prior to that, she held a variety of senior finance roles over a 25-year career at General Mills.

Schmidlkofer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later completed her Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Schmidlkofer serves on the board of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Community Foundations, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, and is a member of the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable.

George Watt joined the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) as a senior fellow in July 2017, with a focus on AGB’s support of institutionally-related foundations. In this role, he assists and advises on programs and research supporting the work of public university foundation boards, including AGB’s annual Foundation Leadership Forum, which brings together hundreds of board members and CEOs from across the country for a three-day program focused on governance practice, endowment management, and fundraising leadership. Prior to joining AGB, Mr. Watt served as executive vice president of institutional advancement at the College of Charleston (SC) and executive director of the College of Charleston Foundation. Mr. Watt came to the College of Charleston from the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, where he served for nearly nine years as the joint president and chief executive officer. Mr. Watt previously held executive positions with First Union Corporation’s Enterprise Solutions Group, as well as IBM Consulting Group’s North American Financial Services practice. He is a 1973 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds the retired rank of Captain, U.S. Navy.

A UCT alumnus, Dr Ally started his career as a history teacher at the John Bisseker Senior Secondary School in East London. He obtained his Masters at Rhodes University and a Doctorate from Cambridge University, both in History. He then worked as a senior history researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand where he served on the Senate and Council. He is currently responsible for UCT's development and fundraising endeavours and is tasked with ensuring that the fundraising strategies yield adequate resources to achieve the university's mission at a time when higher education funding streams face significant risks. Before joining UCT, Dr Ally worked at the Ford Foundation as the Programme Officer for Southern Africa, managing their governance and civil society work in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He has also held the position of Country Representative and Executive Director of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in South Africa and worked for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Dr Ally served on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Human Rights Violation Committee, chaired by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Nathalie Fontana has held executive management positions in nonprofit organizations for two decades, of which over 15 years as a specialist in higher education fundraising at prestigious institutions in Europe.

On October 1, Nathalie Fontana has re-joined the University of Oxford's Development Office as 'Associate Director Principal Gifts (Europe)'. In this role, she will establish the first Europe-based office by developing and expanding Oxford’s European major donor programmes.

Nathalie already worked for Oxford’s Development Office from 2013-2017, first as Head Development Student Support and then as Head Development Principal Gifts. Other stops in her career include leadership positions at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT Berlin), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich).

Nathalie has been a volunteer with CASE (Council of Advancement and Support in Education, case.org) for many years, is a board member of the Swiss-American Society (swiss-am.net), the Swiss Friends of Oxford University (oxfordfriends.ch) and a regular speaker at higher education advancement conferences worldwide.

Nathalie holds degrees in business, arts and nonprofit management, and fundraising.

Luna is currently the Director of Development at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. 

She has a longstanding record of achievement in development work having started her career at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She then led the annual giving programme at the London School of Economics, following which she was appointed the Director of Annual Giving and Corporate Partnerships at London Business School. More recently, she established and led a successful Development and Alumni Relations programme at the University of West London.

Flo Bill is driven by the belief that organisation’s great causes are advanced best when fundraising teams are supported to fulfil their potential.

As a More Partner combining a decade-long experience of leading major gift fundraising programmes, with qualifications as an internationally accredited Business and Personal Coach, she helps charities, universities, and schools advance their ambitions and develop effective leaders and practitioners across the Advancement spectrum.

Flo is recognised for her thoughtful design and engaging delivery of workshops on various areas of fundraising, well-being, team culture and diversity and inclusion. She draws on the coaching principles of self-improvement and personal autonomy so that participants are equipped with greater skills and confidence and can flourish in their roles.

Flo has delivered Masterclasses and CEAC sessions for CASE Europe for many years. As a practitioner, she established mid-level, Major Gift, legacy, and stewardship programmes at Birkbeck, University of London, where she scaled a modest fundraising programme up to campaign readiness. Her voluntary roles have included Special Advisor to the Board of the infamous Union Chapel in North London.

Flo lives in the Peak District with her family where she is currently attempting to home-school her 7-year-old and thanks the heavens every day that Nursery is still open for her youngest!

Professor Tumani Corrah is the UK Medical Research Council's foundation Director of Africa Research Development and the first Emeritus Director of the MRC Unit, The Gambia. For over thirty years, he has pursued three passions: improving outcomes in patient care in challenging environments; research into diseases that impact the developing world disproportionately; and building human capacity in health research in West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.

Tumani Corrah played a significant role in the establishment of the Medical School in The Gambia and as Unit Director, developed health research capacity for hundreds of Africans. As a clinician, he established the first endoscopy unit in The Gambia. He also maintains strong links with the Methodist Mission's medical and dental work in rural villages in The Gambia, where he continues to raise funds, share his medical expertise and direct the vision of the medical mission's work.

His role as the MRC's pioneer Director of Africa Development is the latest incarnation of his quest for growing a new generation of outstanding African health researchers working in Africa. He is leading a new charity, the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) that gives much-needed support to bright, early postdoctoral African scientists at the most vulnerable point in their careers. The charity aims to provide the foundation for these young scientists and clinicians to compete and win grants, enabling them to continue their health research careers in Africa. Since its inception in 2015, AREF has witnessed a growing number of its alumni winning significant awards that will help to propel their careers in research of relevance to African populations.

During his long career at MRC Unit, The Gambia, Tumani Corrah rose through the ranks from ward clinician to Director of one of Africa's leading research institutions. a position he held through many challenges for over ten years.

He retains active research interests in Tropical and Infectious Diseases, including tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. He holds a PhD from his studies on tuberculosis which included the ground- breaking science of the introduction of immunotherapy as an adjunct treatment for tuberculosis in The Gambia.

An expert on research governance, he was a long-standing member of The Gambia Government/MRC Joint Ethics Committee, including 4 years as Chairman. He is a joint recipient of a Gold Medal awarded by the International Medical Informatics Association and serves on the committees of numerous international bodies including the Wellcome Trust, WHO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the EU.

Tumani Corrah continues to place his experience as a scientist, MRC Unit Director clinician and his professional links with governmental and non-governmental organisations globally at the service of African research.

Philip Sohmen is the deputy chairman of YK Pao School in Shanghai, a pioneering not-for-profit school named after his grandfather Sir YK Pao, the renowned Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist.  YK Pao School was one of the first schools to allow Chinese students and international students to study together side by side, offering a unique bilingual educational program pioneering an international approach to delivering the Chinese curriculum alongside a focus on whole person education and character development.  The School serves over 1500 primary and secondary age students across three campuses.

Enrique Gonzalez-Salgado is the Associate Vice President for Philanthropy in the Division of External Relations and Institutional Advancement at Scripps College. More specifically, he oversees planned giving, principal gifts, major gifts, annual giving, foundations, corporate and government relations.  Enrique is passionate about access to higher education due to opportunities made available to him. He began his career in philanthropy seventeen years ago, serving as the director of a state-funded, pre-college academic preparation program that encouraged students to seek careers in math, science, and engineering. 

Prior to coming to Scripps College, Enrique served as director of development at several higher education institutions, including California State University, Los Angeles, California State University, Fullerton, California State University, San Bernardino, and Harvey Mudd College.

Angelique S.C. Grant, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, and Principal at The Inclusion Firm is a seasoned industry leader with more than 27 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. As a Senior Consultant, she provides counsel on diversity, equity and inclusion practices, fundraising, and nonprofit strategies. Her services include inclusive strategic thought partnership, building and leading effective, diverse teams, recruitment and retention strategies, diversity audits and assessment, and cultural awareness training. She is a certified unconscious bias trainer and certified diversity recruiter, has been an active speaker for countless industry associations over the years, and has chaired and served as faculty for several conferences across the country.

Dr. Grant recently compiled, as co-author, this expertise into the first comprehensive book on DEI in advancement: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: A Guide to Strengthening Engagement and Fundraising Through Inclusion (CASE 2020). It serves as a guidebook for nonprofit teams seeking to move from awareness of DEI to action and sustained behavioral change. It features interviews with philanthropy leaders across all nonprofit sectors, as well as the "DEI Maturity Model," which she developed.

Throughout her career, Dr. Grant has successfully managed teams and exceeded fundraising goals in several multi-million dollar campaigns, and two separate billion dollar campaigns. Previously, she served as an Assistant Vice President of Development and Assistant Dean of Medical Advancement, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. Her extensive experience in higher education advancement has also included roles at Princeton University, Washington State University, and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.

Dr. Grant is a proud Miami, Florida native and a Fulbright Scholar who holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration specializing in Institutional Advancement from Washington State University. She has a M.A. in Communication, specializing in Public Relations and Media Management from Washington State University, and a B.S. degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University.

She is the founder of the South Florida Network of Blacks in Philanthropy and serves on numerous boards, including Our Fund (LGBT) Community Foundation, the African American Development Officers (AADO) Network, and the Advisory Committee for Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC). She has been recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in South Florida by Success South Florida Magazine, a Lumina 10 in ICABA Honors South Florida 100 Most Accomplished Blacks Healthcare & Law, and selected as a Top Hat Woman of Achievement Award for Community Empowerment.

Laurel McCombs brings over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and a passion for the role philanthropy can play in changing the world to her work as a consultant, partner, and trainer. Laurel works closely with clients on a variety of topics, including strategic planning, donor management, board development and more. She has delivered well-received sessions at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference, CASE-NAIS, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, and several local development professional associations. Prior to joining The Osborne Group, she worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America where she coordinated capacity-building support to agencies across the country.  Laurel has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and lives in Portland, OR. 

Patty Hill-Callahan leads advancement for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the seven health sciences colleges, including strategy and execution of fundraising, alumni engagement and philanthropic communications. Her responsibilities include the Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, robust programs in Sports Medicine and Neurology and the hospitals. Patty and her team raised more than $1 billion of the university’s $3 billion But for Ohio State campaign, the success of which was celebrated in fall of 2016.

Before joining Ohio State, Patty served as associate vice president for Principal Gifts at Johns Hopkins University. In that role, she led strategic relationships with donors at the $5 million level and above across the institution. That principal gift cohort accounted for achieving 60 percent of the university’s total campaign goal. Earlier in her career, Patty served at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she directed a development program that raised more than $50 million a year.

Patty speaks nationally on such topics as the creation of grateful patient programs and best practices in principal gift fundraising.

Kathryn Van Sickle is a passionate fundraiser, community builder, and storyteller. Currently, she is a major gift officer at Columbia University, and living in New York City. Kathryn is a regional officer representing the University Development team in a central capacity. She is responsible for building and managing a portfolio of major gifts prospects in the northeast region as well as in Philadelphia and Chicago. During her tenure at Columbia, she earned a masters in strategic communications.

Prior to working at Columbia, Kathryn started her career at her alma mater, Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut. She spent her time there working in the annual fund with the leadership giving society. When she is not raising dollars traveling in her current role, she is recording and editing her podcast The Development Debrief. 

As an executive coach, organizational development consultant and educator, Rachel works with global executives across multiple industries and has coached more than a thousand leaders to successfully respond to strategic business challenges through expanding their behavioral repertoire, developing and communicating a clear and compelling vision, and more effectively motivating their team or division. She is a core faculty member of the Columbia University Coaching Certification Program and the Gestalt Organization and Systems Development Center.

She takes a systems approach to leadership development and understands that a leader's behavior is both a function of individual personality and the larger organizational context. She has extensive experience using multi-rater feedback with clients and helps leaders step back from their habitual mindsets and behaviors to build awareness and reflect on their style and impact on others. She coaches individual leaders as well as dyads and teams.

Ciporen received her doctorate in adult learning and leadership and her master's degree in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a Board Certified Coach through the Center for Credentialing and Education.