Faculty
Meet Your Chair
Liz Reilly
Liz Reilly is Director of Philanthropy and Donor Relations at the University of Edinburgh; she joined the team in January 2015. Liz moved from Seattle, where she was Director of Development for Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, a health care provider (with strong advocacy and educational programmes) serving patients in 30 clinics across three states. While there, Liz received the national Planned Parenthood Fundraiser of the Year Award. Liz has also been a campaign director, a fundraising consultant, and a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching at a secondary school in Malawi.
Liz's own giving tends to focus on expanding access to education; this has also been a theme in some of her volunteering, including her current roles as Philanthropic Advisor to the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation and as board member on UNICEF UK's Scotland Advisory Board. Liz is also the Chair of the CASE Europe Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising.
Faculty
Adrian Punaks
Adrian joined More Partnership in January 2022 as a Partner, and alongside More's community of experts he now works with a range of organisations across sectors globally to help them achieve their philanthropic ambitions. Before More he led all Advancement activity at University College London (UCL) since 2011.
With extensive leadership experience, he has over the last twenty years developed a deep understanding of effective practice across every aspect of fundraising and supporter engagement, as well as experience of nurturing and leading large, high-performing teams. At UCL he helped to drive one of Europe’s largest and most successful fundraising campaigns.
As Executive Director of Development at UCL, he led advancement activity in a department of 85 people, incorporating fundraising, alumni relations, communications and development operations, and was integral to the design and delivery of the UCL's £600m campaign, which closed early in 2020 having exceeded the target and achieving over 260,000 volunteering hours. Critical to this success was the way in which Adrian built trusted relationships with institutional leaders, senior volunteers, global philanthropists and high-profile academics and clinicians.
Adrian began his career at Birkbeck, University of London, where he helped establish the College’s first development function. He continued to build his career in individual and major giving at Imperial College London, before returning to Birkbeck in 2007 to lead the highly successful development and alumni relations teams.
In 2010, Adrian was awarded the inaugural Iain More Award which recognises the outstanding achievements of a development professional. He has also contributed extensively to insights and training across the philanthropy sector, not least through this work with CASE – including in his current role on the CASE Commission on Philanthropy (2021-23) and through the Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising (including three years as Chair).
Lorna Somers
An accomplished and successful fundraiser, Lorna spent the past 35 years at McMaster University where she has been engaged in securing some of the largest charitable gifts in Canadian history. She led two university-wide, comprehensive campaigns, both with a focus on volunteer and academic participation. She has also structured and led targeted campaigns for McMaster's Museum of Art and Faculty of Health Sciences, the University's Student Centre, and secured support for numerous endowments establishing scholarships, bursaries, chairs, and professorships. An accomplished and successful fundraiser, Lorna spent the past 35 years at McMaster University where she has been engaged in securing some of the largest charitable gifts in Canadian history. She led two university-wide, comprehensive campaigns, both with a focus on volunteer and academic participation. She has also structured and led targeted campaigns for McMaster's Museum of Art and Faculty of Health Sciences, the University's Student Centre, and secured support for numerous endowments establishing scholarships, bursaries, chairs, and professorships.
An internationally recognized teacher and facilitator in the fields of Higher Education and Institutional Advancement, Lorna has shared her expertise with educational, cultural and charitable organizations around the world. She is the recipient of numerous international awards for excellence in teaching and leadership, and is a sought-after speaker and coach on business, social and dining etiquette, frequently working with students to improve their confidence and knowledge as they launch their careers.
Lorna's volunteer leadership has been extensive and global with a three-decade commitment to the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). Her contributions have included various volunteer roles as national and regional chair, conference chair, Board Trustee, Director, special advisor, and CASE Laureate.
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy is Director of Development at the National Theatre where he leads a department of 32 (plus 5 in New York) which raises £14 million per year across individuals, corporates and trusts and foundations.
He returned to the NT after an eight year stint in higher education at Birkbeck, University of London, where he was Director of Development and Alumni. Motivated by Birkbeck’s unique position as an evening university with social mobility at its core, Chris and his department were responsible for growing Birkbeck’s philanthropic ambitions and helping develop a culture of philanthropy within the College.
After studying French and German at the University of Manchester, Chris began his career by spending three years at Richmond Associates where he recruited senior-level development staff to leading organisations in the higher education, arts and charity sectors.
Chris attended the Spring Institute in 2008 and since then has spoken frequently at CASE events including the annual conference and chairing the Major Gifts Asking Workshop.
Kurstin Finch Gnehm
Kurstin Finch Gnehm is a senior fundraiser with experience leading across major gifts, individual giving, legacies, and advancement services. She currently works as the deputy director of philanthropy at the Royal Academy of Music, the U.K.’s top conservatoire, where she looks after individual giving, stewardship, legacies and events. Previously, Kurstin served as regular giving manager for Imperial College London, where her team recently won a CASE Award and the 2016 London Marathon award for most money raised per charity runner. She has also worked in the fundraising team for two of the U.K.’s ancient universities, the University of Aberdeen and the University of St Andrews, where she served as part of the 600th anniversary campaign team. Kurstin started her fundraising career at Linfield University in the United States and holds degrees from Linfield, Oregon State University, and the University of Iowa, where she has also taught communication and gender studies classes. She has a seat on the Learning and Development Committee at the Institute of Fundraising and co-chairs the fundraising track of the CASE Europe Annual Conference. Areas of expertise include data-driven fundraising, regulatory change, and stakeholder management, and Kurstin regularly writes and speaks about fundraising for the IDPE and CASE Europe.
Dee Brecker
Dee is a qualified executive coach and fundraising consultant. Prior to setting up her own consultancy, Dee held senior leadership roles in high-value philanthropy and communications in leading UK universities (including King's College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science); domestic and international non-government organisations; and the public sector (National Health Service charities, Department of Health, local government). She is an experienced public speaker, panel member, and chair, who speaks on diversity, inclusion, and equity in fundraising.
As a qualified executive coach, Dee focuses on fundraising professionals and their teams. She specialises in supporting professionals of colour as they navigate their careers and women as they move into new or leadership roles.
Dee has a bachelor's degree from the University of Bristol, a master's degree from University College London, and a professional qualification in marketing (CIM). Dee has been a trustee for CASE Europe and a member of faculty for CASE's Europe Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising in 2022 and 2023.