Faculty
Chair
Jen McGrath
Jen McGrath is the Deputy Executive Director of Donor Engagement and Communications for Resource Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.) Her team creates and implements strategies to support donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship while showcasing and building the MIT story of philanthropy.
Jen has been working in development for more than 25 years with experience in nonprofit, small liberal arts college, and large university settings. In addition to her work in donor relations and communications, she has served in reunion campaign, annual giving, and corporate and foundation relations-related roles.
As a past conference presenter for CASE as well as the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) Jen has addressed topics of particular interest to both new and seasoned professionals. She was a member of the ADRP Board of Directors from 2015-2020, serving as President of the Association 2018-2019.
Faculty
Skylar Beaver
Skylar Beaver is Chief Advancement Officer at The Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, Florida, where she leads the advancement team overseeing development, marketing, and communications for the independent PreK-12 school and directs the school's comprehensive campaign.
Previously, Skylar served as Director of Development at The Lawrenceville School, where she played a major role in the school's record-breaking $475M+ campaign. Her experience spans nearly 18 years in educational advancement, including leadership roles at The Spence School, Washington and Lee University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, with expertise in annual giving, major gifts, alumni engagement, and international fundraising.
Skylar is a CASE Laureate and CASE Crystal Apple Award-winning speaker and teacher. In addition to her institutional work, she serves as an Advancement Search Consultant with RG175 and maintains an independent fundraising consulting practice. Beaver holds a BA in Sociology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a Master's degree in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from SUNY Brockport
Reggie Bustinza
Reggie Bustinza is the Executive Director of Operations and Alumni Relations with the Northern Illinois University Foundation. He has been at NIU for seven years and in alumni relations for 17 years. Currently, he manages all areas of alumni engagement and operations including data services and systems, IT, communications, alumni relations, donor relations, and alumni travel.
Starting his career at his alma mater, Bradley University, Reggie originally worked with affinity groups and chapters before diving deep into the world of data management and engagement metrics. He loves working with alumni and donors, and while he carries a small major gift portfolio, he is passionate about building networks and organizational management.
Reggie loves playing guitar and singing, playing basketball, and his 22 year old parrot, Bosco.
Casey Peterson
A 2003 graduate of St. Lawrence, Casey serves as the Assistant Vice President/Chief Philanthropy Officer. In this role, Casey works closely with President Morris on strategic planning around the principal gift program, presidential travel, and events. She collaborates with the Vice President on division-wide strategic fundraising initiatives and works with alumni, parents, and friends on their philanthropic plans to support the University.
Casey joined University Advancement in November 2015 as a Senior Associate Director of Major and Planned Gifts. Prior to St. Lawrence, Casey spent nearly 12 years working in advancement at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS). During her tenure at HWS, Casey served in a variety of roles including Director of Annual Giving, Director of Development for Athletics, and most recently, Senior Director of Leadership Giving.
In addition to her B.S. in Economics and Mathematics, Casey also earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from St. Lawrence in 2004. A former Saints ice hockey player, Casey remains active helping to coach her son and daughter’s hockey teams.
Jake Strang
Jake Strang is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Individual Giving, University Programs at the University of Pittsburgh. In this role, he focuses on the donor experience and pipeline from the first annual gift through the first major gift. Jake leads the donor experience officers (DXO), central major gifts, and alumni annual giving teams. He is a resource for Pitt’s regional campuses, Athletics, and has primary responsibility for the operations and staff of Panthers Forward, Pitt’s signature student debt relief program.
Prior to joining Pitt, Jake was at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. While there, he led comprehensive giving programs including reunions, volunteers, graduating class gift, and leadership societies. In addition to these responsibilities, he also was responsible for alumni marketing including newsletters, social media, webinars, and the semi-annual Tepper Magazine. Jake also worked at Columbia University. While there, he served on the core team for the first five Columbia Giving Days and led direct marketing for multiple annual funds across the university. Before joining Columbia, he was a program center manager with Ruffalo Noel Levitz. While with RNL, he managed the on-site telefunds for Columbia University and the University of South Carolina.
Jake holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina in marketing and management and a master’s degree from Columbia University in non-profit management.