Brandon Buzbee joined the University of North Texas (UNT) as Vice President for University Advancement in August 2022. Under his leadership, UNT has achieved record-breaking fundraising success, reinforcing its position as a top-tier public service university. Brandon leads the university’s comprehensive fundraising efforts, including major and annual gifts, corporate and foundation giving, private endowment development, and the UNT Alumni Association. 

Prior to joining UNT, Brandon spent six years at the University of Denver, where he served as senior associate vice chancellor of global networks and campaign director. He also held various leadership roles at the University of California, San Diego, including executive director of industry engagement and regional advancement. In these roles, he led teams responsible for on-campus student employment, off-campus internships, and full-time employment while coordinating corporate fundraising and engagement opportunities.

Beyond his professional work, Brandon is passionate about leadership development, fostering collaboration across teams, and building a strong culture of philanthropy. He is dedicated to creating mission-driven teams that drive meaningful outcomes for students and the university community. Brandon has been a long time CASE volunteer most recently serving on the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations. He has chaired and served as faculty at numerous CASE conferences and deeply values the community of professionals CASE brings together.

Lindsay has dedicated her professional life to raising funds for non-profit organizations, ranging from the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center in Charleston, SC, to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. Since joining the CU Boulder team in 2020, Lindsay has excelled in using creative techniques to structure charitable gifts and helped donors achieve their philanthropic goals while making a meaningful impact. As a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, Lindsay brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role and enjoys collaborating with donors to find mutually beneficial solutions that foster lasting change. 

Jamie McMahon, CFRE serves as the chief executive officer of the Community College of Allegheny County’s Educational Foundation in Pittsburgh, PA and has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, nonprofit management, strategic planning, and board development. In his current role he has overall management responsibility for the college’s related foundation, is responsible to the foundation’s board of directors, oversees annual fundraising, builds philanthropic relationships with alumni and community donors, and administers the foundation’s endowment. During his tenure, the foundation received the three largest gifts in its history, as well tripling the annual amount of scholarship aid awarded to students. He partnered with the college’s president to complete the Pioneering Pittsburgh's New Workforce campaign, which ran from 2017-2023 and raised $90M from all sources, on a $65M goal, in support of workforce development initiatives and student needs at the college.

Mr. McMahon was formerly advancement director for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, where he worked with the Board of Trustees on annual and major gift fundraising projects, as well as for both Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Museum of Art during his tenure. Prior to that, Mr. McMahon was a director of development with the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also spent a number of years as a fundraising consultant for Ketchum (now Pursuant Ketchum), where his clients included leading nonprofit organizations throughout the United States whose fundraising and campaign goals ranged from $3M to upwards of $550M. Additionally, he is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where he teaches fundraising and philanthropy in the Master of Arts Management program.

Well known as a philanthropic leader and mentor, Mr. McMahon has presented at numerous regional and national conferences with organizations including CASE, AFP, and the American Association of Community Colleges. He currently serves as incoming president of the board of directors of the Western PA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and served a term as treasurer in the past. Previously, he chaired the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Socially Responsible Investing of the Episcopal Church USA and currently serves on its national Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility. Additionally, he served as vice-chair of the board of directors of the Tracing Center on the Histories and Legacies of Slavery and as a board member of Forward Movement. 

Mr. McMahon holds an A.B. in English from Dartmouth College, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and is completing a doctorate in higher education management at the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds the Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) certification from CFRE International, the only internationally recognized baseline professional credential for philanthropic fundraising executives. 

Zack Smith currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Leadership Strategy and Engagement at his alma mater, UC San Diego. He works directly with the Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Chancellor to advance strategic university initiatives through transformational relationships and philanthropy. He leads a team of passionate development experts who are responsible for the development and facilitation of multi-faceted strategies and personalized stewardship processes for donors and prospects who are the university’s most capable and generous donors in considering transformational gifts to support the campus’ highest priorities.

Smith previously served as the Vice President of University Development and Alumni Engagement at Cal Poly. At Cal Poly, he led a team of more than 70 individuals to advance Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" mission. He also served as the CEO of the Cal Poly Foundation. 

Smith served as the Executive Director of Development for the Jacobs School of Engineering at University of California, San Diego. Smith led the efforts of the external relations staff at the Jacobs School which includes major and principal gifts, donor relations, stewardship, and events. Smith worked directly with the Dean of the School to provide strategic direction for a comprehensive major and principal gifts program as the University completes the next comprehensive campaign. Smith served in a similar role at his alma mater, the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego.

At the Palomar Health Foundation, Smith served as the Senior Director of Development where he oversaw a team of fundraising professionals dedicated to the advancement of Palomar Health, California’s largest public health care district. Prior to this position Smith served as the Director of Major Gifts within the Palomar Health Foundation where he had the primary fundraising responsibility for the divisions of Orthopedic Medicine, Cardiovascular Care, Men’s Health, Rehabilitative Care, and Neurosciences.

Smith also served as the Associate Director of Major Gifts and Donor Relations at California Western School of Law. There, he built the school’s first comprehensive major gifts program. Smith successfully created a breakthrough in fundraising, leading to the school’s most successful years of philanthropic support in the school’s history at that point.

At Portland State University, Smith started as a telefund caller and was quickly promoted to various posts in the Office of Annual Giving and eventually a Major Gifts role.

Smith cultivated his passion for higher education at Portland State University, where he earned a B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice, while Minoring in Civic Leadership. Smith was a member of the PSU Wrestling Team and competed in the PAC 10 Division during which time, he was honored as an All-Academic PAC 10 wrestler. He went on to earn his MBA at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego.

Adam Jacobs is a seasoned biotech executive and multi-sector entrepreneur with a proven track record of building mission-driven organizations at the intersection of innovation, health, and impact. He currently serves as President of Xzōm, Inc., where he leads corporate strategy, operations, and investor engagement with a focus on advancing novel science and translating it into real-world solutions.

With over 15 years of leadership experience, Adam has co-founded and scaled several ventures including Fortis Fitness & YOGALUX and The Jacobs Scheriff Group—an advisory and investment firm focused on growth-stage companies driving societal good. His portfolio includes early investments in AI-powered health platforms like Mustard, as well as consumer and sustainability-forward brands such as re—inc.

Adam’s deep engagement in both the private and nonprofit sectors reflects his passion for ecosystem building and values-aligned leadership. He serves on the Cornell Tech Council, the board of directors for Tour Engine, is Vice-Chair of the JCC, and formerly was Chair of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and advisory committees for Jewish Family Service and the San Diego Symphony. He is also a member of The Philanthropy Workshop and the Forbes Business Council.

Adam holds a BS in Applied Economics and Management and Minor in Communication from Cornell University where he also served as the starting catcher and captain of the baseball team. He then went on to play professional baseball through the United States and Australia.

Adam holds a reputation for combining strategic vision with operational rigor, with expertise in business development, fundraising, organizational growth, and stakeholder alignment. He is driven by a belief that innovation in biotech and health must be grounded in purpose, inclusivity, and scalable impact.

Irwin Mark Jacobs was born in New Bedford, MA in October 1933.  He earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Cornell University in 1956 and a Master of Science and Doctor of Science degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1957 and 1959, respectively.  From 1959 to 1966, Dr. Jacobs served as assistant, then associate professor of electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1965, he published with Jack Wozencraft the first textbook in digital communications Principles of Communication Engineering which remains in use today.

 In 1966 he moved to San Diego with his wife Joan and 4 sons to become a founding professor of computer science and engineering at the then new University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In 1972, he resigned from UCSD, to become full time Chairman and CEO of LINKABIT Corporation, a company he cofounded with Andrew Viterbi and Len Kleinrock of UCLA in October 1968. At Linkabit, he led the development of several pioneering products which drove an annual growth of greater than 45%, all profitable.  One was SatNet which extended the ARPANET to Europe and in 1977 was one of three networks participating in the first demonstration of the Internet protocol. A second was the Dual Modem, the first satellite terminal that performed all communication and crypto functions on a single microprocessor, designed by Linkabit with 32 instructions and perhaps the first reduced-instruction-set (RISC) computer.  It was called Dual in that it incorporated a program to communicate with the Lincoln Laboratory LES 8 and 9 experimental satellites and another to provide stratregic communications for all three services.  A third project was the design and manufacture of the first Very Small Aperture Earth Terminals (VSATs) providing store and warehouse connectivity for Walmart and supporting credit card use at most gas stations. Another was the VideoCipher® satellite-to-home TV system developed for HBO which then became an industry standard. Another was perhaps the first consumer-sized TDMA wireless phone developed under a contract with International Mobile Machines, a company which later became Interdigital, LINKABIT merged with M/A-COM in August 1980, and Dr. Jacobs served as executive vice president and a member of the board of directors until his resignation in April 1985. It has been claimed that over 100 San Diego communications companies trace their roots to Linkabit.

On July 1st, 1985, he co-founded Qualcomm with 7 others from Linkabit. As CEO through 2005 and Chairman through 2009, he led the growth from startup to Fortune 500 Company, now with approximately 50,000 employees worldwide.  The first commercial product was the OmniTRACS Satellite Communications System which provided continent-wide communications and position location for the trucking industry in the Americas and Europe. With the cash flow from OmniTRACS, Qualcomm pioneered the development and commercialization of CDMA wireless technology, competing with TDMA in the 2nd generation of cellular technology, but becoming the basis for all 3rd generation cellular networks which at its peak provided voice and broadband Internet access and GPS position location worldwide for over 6 billion customers.  Qualcomm is the world’s largest semiconductor supplier for wireless products and a leader in introducing 4th generation and now 5th generation cellular technology.

Dr. Jacobs is now Founding Chairman and CEO Emeritus of Qualcomm. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute from 2006 to 2016 and as Chair of the National Academy of Engineering from 2008 to 2012. He has served on the UCSD Foundation Board of Trustees, the UC San Diego Health System Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management for 10 years starting with its formation in 2000. 

In 1994, for his development of CDMA, Jacobs was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Clinton.  He is the recipient of 11 Honorary Doctorate degrees and has been elected to the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Irwin and his late wife Joan were active philanthropists.  They were early signers of the Giving Pledge and have provided major support to the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering, UCSD Jacobs Medical Center including donating the Jeff Koons Party Hat Orange for the entrance lobby, Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute on Roosevelt Island, San Diego Symphony, including the new Rady Shell in Jacobs Park and the recently completed renovation of Jacobs Music Center, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Central Library, Jacobs-Cushman Food Bank, High Tech High Charter School System, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Community Center, Second Chance, New Bedford Public Schools, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, Joan and Irwin Jacobs buildings for the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and USD Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education, and in Moldova The Jacobs Kishinev Jewish Campus. Together, they have received the Philanthropy in the Arts Award from The National Arts Awards, the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and the Gold Medal in Arts from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.