Speakers
Opening Keynote
Chris Lowery
Chris Lowery was appointed in 2022 to serve as Commissioner for Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education, the coordinating agency charged with ensuring the state’s postsecondary education system is aligned to meet the needs of students and the state. Prior to joining the Commission, Lowery was senior vice president, workforce, careers and adult strategy at Ivy Tech Community College where he provided overall leadership of Ivy Tech workforce and career initiatives and organization. Before working in higher education, Lowery led public policy and engagement for Hillenbrand, Inc. and served as an aide to former Indiana Governor Robert D. Orr and then-Senator Dan Quayle.
As Commissioner, Lowery is committed to increasing college completion by improving the college-going rate, engaging adult learners and ensuring students of all ages understand the value proposition of higher education. He collaborates with policymakers, higher education leaders and community partners to maintain college affordability and guarantee quality higher education is delivered and tied to career relevance as the Commission continues its efforts to realize the state’s goal of at least 60 percent of Hoosiers with quality education and training beyond high school.
Currently, Lowery is on the Board of Trustees of the Sagamore Institute think tank where he previously served as chair. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of Directors of AgriNovus Indiana and Shepherd Community. He’s also a member of the Advisory Council for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
Lowery was Chair of the Career Coaching and Navigation Action Team for Governor Eric Holcomb’s Workforce Cabinet. He has served on various other boards of directors including Gleaners Food Bank, the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation, the Indiana Council for Continuing Education, the State Workforce Innovation Council, the Distinguished Alumni Council of the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public Affairs and the Batesville Community School Corporation. He is a regular speaker in Indiana and nationally on topics ranging from the future of higher education, the economy and workforce preparedness to innovation, leadership and social impact investing.
Lowery holds the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from Indiana University and a Master of Science in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Presentation:
Chris will discuss the Commission’s work around higher education in the State of Indiana with a focus on improving accessibility, especially for adult learners, and the importance of the new framework for our students who are part of the 21st Century Scholars program.
Speakers
Dana S. Cummings, CFRE
Dana S. Cummings is a higher education fundraising and advancement leader with nearly two decades of experience, and currently serves as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Franklin College. In her role, Dana oversees all development, alumni engagement, and communications functions for the institution. In her time at Franklin, Dana has led the team to several back-to-back record-breaking fundraising years, including a successful conclusion to the $10 million Science Campaign, multiple successful 24-hour giving day campaigns, and unprecedented levels of fundraising reached in unrestricted giving for three consecutive years. Dana is an alumna of DePauw University, majoring in anthropology and receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999. She also went on to receive a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree in 2005 from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2014 from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Currently, Dana is a doctoral student in Creighton University’s EdD program, and is scheduled to defend her dissertation in 2024. Dana and her husband live on 20 acres outside of Franklin, Indiana, with their three children, where they happily raise Katahdin sheep and chickens.
Presentation:
Lived Experiences of Women Working in Higher Ed: What Does the Research Tell Us?
Why aren't there more women in leadership positions in higher ed? And what can we do about it? It turns out that many of the issues keeping women from advancing within the sector are pervasive, but fixable. During this session, Dana Cummings, doctoral student, will share current findings from her research on the topic, pulling back the curtain a bit on reasons for so few women in leadership positions within higher education, and will offer important suggestions for institutions who are interested in developing a culture where women not only survive, but thrive.
Michelle Johnson
Michelle Johnson currently serves as Director of Alumni Engagement at the Ball State University Foundation. With over 17 years of experience in the alumni engagement field, she holds a diverse background in areas such as volunteer management, special event planning, student and young alumni engagement, affinity programming and leadership development. In her current role, she oversees strategy for all regional alumni chapters plus tier 1 events including Homecoming and high-level athletics events across the country. Prior to her stint at the Ball State Foundation, Michelle worked in the Ball State athletics department, at the NCAA, United Center and Loyola University Chicago. Michelle is a two-time graduate of Ball State University, earning both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Sport Administration. She lives in Yorktown with her husband and 12-year-old daughter and enjoys spending the majority of her time outside of work watching her daughter play volleyball and softball.
Presentation:
Alumni Engagement Panel: Regional Alumni Strategy & Communication
A panel of professionals from some of the top institutions in the state will participate in a moderated panel about how their institutions have approached regional engagement of their alumni. Questions around the strategy and communication tactics employed for regional engagement will be discussed.
Eric Hafner
Eric Hafner has worked with the Indiana University Alumni Association since 2016, leading alumni initiatives in domestic geographic markets and managing a nationwide network of volunteers. He also facilitates diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion initiatives within the association. In addition to his work with IUAA, Eric is a Certified Strengths Coach and has previous experience working in housing and residence life, student activities, retail leadership and training, visual merchandising, management, and event planning. A proud alumnus of IU, Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Business from the Individualized Major Program. He also holds a Master of Music in Music Business and Entertainment Industries from The University of Miami and a Master of Education in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University. Throughout his career, Eric has sought to create positive and meaningful experiences that promote inclusion, belonging, and connectedness.
Megan Peabody
Megan Peabody currently serves as Associate Director in the Office of Community Engagement at Butler University. In this role, she serves as the liaison between University Advancement and a diverse group of volunteers in Alumni Communities across the U.S., as well as planning and coordinating successful events that bring together alumni, parents, friends, and University administrators. Previously, she was the Assistant Director for Bulldog Club Events for three years and used her extensive experience in conference and meeting management to engage supporters of Butler’s successful athletic teams. Megan graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the Darla Moore School of Business. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and young family, and enjoys spending time at their lake house, when she isn’t helping to plan weddings.
Pamela Davidson
Pamela Jones Davidson, J.D., is President of Davidson Gift Design, Bloomington, Indiana, a consulting firm specializing in all aspects of gift planning and training. She is also Emeritus for Thompson & Associates, offering estate planning services to nonprofits. She was with Indiana University Foundation for 11 ½ years, leaving as its Executive Director of Planned Giving and Associate Counsel, quadrupling expectancies.
Ms. Davidson has a B.A. from Indiana University and graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis in 1979. She has been an examiner in the Estate and Gift Tax Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and practiced law in Indianapolis.
Ms. Davidson was the 1999 President (now, Chair) of the National Committee on Planned Giving (now, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, “NACGP”), on its board for six years, and a Leadership Institute member. She has served on many Boards in her community.
Presentation:
Simpler Gift Plans All Charities Can Understand and Successfully Promote, Most without Administration
This session will provide a “Cliff Notes” of the most likely planned gift options that all charities can understand and promote with most of its prospects. This list can be used by staff, Board and volunteers to actively encourage prospects to consider how to best use assets that either now or in future will be a problem to dispose of or distribute, within an oftentimes highly advantageous charitable plan. Beneficiary designations of a part or one or more qualified retirement plans will be featured, as will be other lifetime options both revocable and irrevocable.
Domenic Centofanti
Born and raised in Southeast Michigan, Domenic joined the Division of Marketing & Communications at Ball State University in 2014 as a university photographer. Prior to coming to Ball State, Domenic spent more than 25 years photographing a vast array of subject matter. His work has been published all over the world and in dozens of national print magazines, including Cosmopolitan, ESPN, Forbes, People, and Sports Illustrated, while working as a contributing photographer for Getty Images. Domenic has won several awards from the Michigan Press Association and University Photographers Association of America as well as two Addy Awards from CASE for his video production work.
From 2000-2009, he taught art and photography in the classroom and served as principal for five years before returning to what he loves most, being a full-time visual storyteller. Currently, Domenic manages a small team of video professionals which includes mentoring a student videographer and editor within the Division of Marketing & Communications while creating marketing and promotional videos for the university. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Media at Ball State University and resides in Muncie, IN with his wife Danielle and their yellow lab Raegan.
Presentation:
Telling Your Story Through Video Creation
Senior videographer and editor, Dominic Centofanti discusses how Ball State University tells their story through means of video production and visual storytelling with visual examples and insightful interaction and discussion.