Speakers
Meet the Speakers
Simon Barker
Simon Barker is the managing partner of Blue Moon Consulting Group (BMCG), a higher ed consultancy providing insight, counsel, and experience to help colleges and universities effectively manage significant issues, crises, and change. He’s supported school administrations and boards in their response to leadership transitions and reorganizations, protests, academic scandals, sexual assault, DEI issues, data breaches, and workplace violence as well as a range of other social, political, and ethical issues. Prior to founding BMCG in 2014, he held senior roles at Edelman, Visa, and Marsh & McLennan. Simon has his MBA from Cornell and an MA in Japanese Studies from Ehime Daigaku. He lives in Denver, CO.
Simon’s book, “Preventing Crises at Your University – The Playbook for Protecting Your Institution’s Reputation” was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in November 2021.
N. Geoffrey Bartlett, PhD
N. Geoffrey Bartlett, PhD is the Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving and adjunct instructor in higher educational administration at the University at Buffalo. Geoff has nearly 25 years of fundraising experience in higher education and cultural organizations. His research interests include donor motivation, organizational culture and philanthropy in higher education. He has presented widely at both practitioner and academic conferences, including the RNL 2020.
Jane Chafer
Jane Chafer is Vice President of Membership, Marketing, and Communications at CASE. She joined the CASE team in November 2022.
She began her career in 1985 with a marketing sponsorship for ECC Limited, based in St Austell, U.K., and completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Studies at Bradford University, with a six-month internship in Milan. From there, she moved to Mars confectionery and BT, where she held various senior marketing and communication roles with responsibility for integrated customer-facing campaigns.
Joining the University of Sheffield, U.K., in 2004 as Director of Marketing, she rebranded the University and led a programme to embed customer service within the organisation, whilst increasing international students by 40% in just one year. Chafer also represented the university at five international conferences. Chafer joined Plymouth University, U.K., in September 2009, completing her MBA degree in 2010 at Ashridge with a dissertation on marketing services at Plymouth. She held the role of Director of External Relations until December 2013, and was responsible for stakeholder engagement, communications, development, alumni, and marketing Operations. In 2013, she was appointed a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Chafer joined the executive team at the University of Exeter, U.K., as its inaugural Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs in February 2014. During her nine years at Exeter, she grew and developed the concept of integrated advancement.
Chafer got her first taste of non-executive work on the Board of Sheffield City Trust. Now, her non-executive work is for Plymouth Argyle Football Club, a league one team in the U.K.
Ryan Chreist
Ryan oversees CU Boulder’s outreach efforts to engage more than 250,000 alumni worldwide through the Forever Buffs initiative, helping to build affinity and engagement, and finding ways to harness their pride and loyalty to create advocacy and involvement. He oversees a staff of 20 and leads all alumni operations, communications and events planning. Prior to joining the Alumni Association in 2013, he worked in the Office of Admission where he oversaw the recruitment of prospective students in the U.S. and internationally, the implementation and integration of IT systems used in admissions and processing of all undergraduate and graduate applications. He worked for the CU System offices from 2007 to 2010 as a member of the Student Information System implementation team and led the design team responsible for the new admission application, customer relationship management system and recruitment portal. Ryan was a 2012 recipient of the Alumni Association’s Robert L. Stearns Award, which recognizes members of the faculty and staff for extraordinary achievement in one or several of the following areas: teaching, service to the university, work with students, research or off-campus service. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver. His dedication to the community extends well beyond the university. Since 2002, he has served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with the Louisville Fire Protection District. Ryan spends what limited free time he has exploring the outdoors in Colorado and beyond with his wife Liz (an alum of CU) and their two kids, Sara and Tyler.
Jenny Cooke Smith
Jenny Cooke Smith is the Senior Director of CASE Insights Solutions at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, CASE and specialises in analysing advancement trends, interpreting comparison benchmarks, and helping people understand the "stories behind the data". Prior to joining CASE, Smith spent 15 years in a variety of positions within Blackbaud’s Target Analytics, most recently leading donorCentrics™ benchmarking cohorts, providing opportunities for institutions and organisations globally to review and discuss direct marketing and annual giving trends. She joined CASE in 2019 to help members find value through using data and is most proud that through projects like CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics, institutions can begin to answer questions such as ‘we know engagement leads to giving, but how do we show it?’. Smith is currently co-teaching a course on CASE’s Global Reporting Standards and researching the latest trends on alumni engagement globally, enjoying opportunities to present again in-person, and working individually with CASE member institutions to develop strategies using CASE data and benchmarks.
Mo Cotton Kelly
“Mo,” as she is called by family, friends, and colleagues is the senior vice president for stakeholder engagement and chief of organizational operations (SVP-COO), with responsibility for driving operational and capital campaign strategy, overseeing key administrative functions, and guiding a culture of inclusivity for the UConn Foundation. Mo oversees the departments of alumni relations, marketing and communications, annual giving, stewardship, and board engagement.
Mo was recruited to join the UConn Alumni Association as the Executive Director and Assistant Vice President for alumni relations in 2014. Mo brought with her a national reputation for strong leadership built over two decades in higher education advancement. Mo is known for her ability to lead across departments while building collaborative relationships to enhance the experiences of staff, students, alumni, and friends.
Mo believes that mentorship and sponsorship of not only her staff and colleagues but also those from other institutions is incredibly important. She gives of her time and talent as much as she can and is currently an active member of the Case Board of Trustees. She has been on the faculty for the Case Minority Institute (MAI), Senior Alumni Relations Institute and was a member of the 2018 Case Summit planning committee.
Previously she was executive director of Bowling Green State University’s Alumni Association. Mo received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BGSU.
Mo has more than 26 years of experience with higher education institutions in the university advancement field where she has developed exemplary leadership, created strategic plans, cultivated organizational change, and is known nationally as a leader in the industry.
Sue Cunningham
Sue Cunningham is President and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), which supports over 3,000 schools, colleges and universities worldwide in developing their integrated advancement work (alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing operations). As CASE President and CEO, Ms. Cunningham provides strategic and operational leadership for one of the largest associations of education-related institutions in the world with members in over 80 countries. She started her leadership role at CASE in March 2015.
While at CASE, Ms. Cunningham has engaged CASE in two strategic planning processes. The first, which engaged thousands of CASE volunteers, resulted in Reimagining CASE: 2017-2021, and created an ambitious framework for serving CASE’s members and championing education worldwide, which included a comprehensive restructure of CASE’s volunteer leadership and governance structure. Building on the strengths of this plan, she led a recalibration exercise that resulted in Championing Advancement: CASE 2022-2027. This Plan articulates a clear strategic intent: that CASE will define the competencies and standards for the profession of advancement, and lead and champion their dissemination and application across the world’s educational institutions.
Among the key initiatives that have developed under her leadership include the redesign and delivery of a new global governance structure. In addition, CASE acquired the Voluntary Support of Education survey and created CASE’s Insights, CASE’s global research and data efforts. CASE published the first global and digital edition of CASE’s Global Reporting Standards and Guidelines, which operate as the industry-leading Standards for the profession, and launched the first global Alumni Engagement survey in addition to annual fundraising surveys. CASE created an ambitious competencies model across all advancement disciplines and a related career journey framework; opened the CASE Opportunities and Inclusion Center which focuses on equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging; and has reinvigorated a global advocacy agenda to communicate the value of education. Ms. Cunningham serves as a Trustee and Secretary for the University of San Diego, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. She is a member of the Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) Board of Directors, Chairs their Governance Committee, and sits on the Executive Committee. She is a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat steering committee, the International Association of University Presidents Executive Committee, and the International Women’s Forum. She has recently been named to the new, US-based Council of Higher Education as a Strategic Asset. She is the author of ‘Global Exchange: Dialogues to Advance Education’.
Prior to her appointment to CASE, Ms. Cunningham served as Vice-Principal for Advancement at the University of Melbourne where she led the Believe campaign resulting in surpassing its original $500 million goal; and the Director of Development for the University of Oxford where she led the development team through the first phase of the largest fundraising campaign outside of the United States (at the time): Oxford Thinking, with a goal of £1.25 billion. She served as Director of Development at Christ Church, Oxford and as Director of External Relations at St. Andrews University.
Before working in education, Ms. Cunningham enjoyed a career in theatre, the arts and the cultural sector. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2012, Ms. Cunningham received the CASE Europe Distinguished Service Award, and has received the coveted CASE Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. Cunningham was awarded a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from Middlesex University, and is a graduate of the Columbia University Senior Executive Program.
Greta Daniels
Greta Daniels is a fundraising professional with more than a decade of experience in philanthropy. She has extensive expertise in donor engagement strategies, university advancement and development, and annual giving. In her current role, she works with colleges and universities to maximize donor giving through data-driven omnichannel campaigns that meet immediate fundraising goals while also increasing long-term donor pipeline. Previously, Greta served as director of development at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences—a groundbreaking, nationally recognized research facility. Her efforts helped the school cultivate more philanthropic engagement with alumni, families, friends, and organizations domestically and abroad. Prior to that position, she was the director of annual giving at Point Park University. There she oversaw all aspects of annual fundraising at the university including direct mail campaigns, campus phonathon program, leadership outreach and cultivation, stewardship communications, and corporate outreach and sponsorship. Greta hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from New York University and achieved her CFRE in 2016.
Kathi Dantley Warren
Kathi Dantley Warren has 25 years of advancement leadership experience at higher education and academic medical institutions in $1B+ campaigns. Most recently, she served as vice president for development and alumni relations at Rice University where she launched a $2B campaign, the largest at a private institution in TX. At Rice, she also led a team of 150 with responsibility for principal and major gifts, gift planning, alumni relations, corporate and foundation relations, presidential events, donor relations, annual giving, marketing and communications, and advancement services.
Under her leadership, Rice set new fundraising records in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and also broke a record for giving to the Rice Annual Fund, while steadily growing annual fund participation. In 2020, she led Rice to securing its first nine-figure gift, followed by a second in 2021. She established new standards for organizational excellence within the development and alumni relations division by implementing a division-wide annual planning process and instituting a slate of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Prior to Rice, Dantley Warren served as senior executive director of development at the Duke University Cancer Institute, where they successfully completed a $200 million campaign. From 2010 to 2014, she served as assistant dean for alumni affairs and development at Cornell University’s College of Engineering, where she developed and implemented the college’s first alumni affairs and development strategic plan and alumni engagement plan and increased annual revenues from $22.7 million to more than $56 million.
She spent eight years at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, ultimately serving as campaign director, and was a major gift officer at The Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
Dantley Warren earned a masters degree in cellular and molecular biology from Duke University and a bachelors in biology from Hampton University. Originally from Northern Virginia, she is an avid sports enthusiast and dog-rescue advocate who also enjoys travel, cooking and painting.
Benjamin R. Fiore-Walker
Benjamin R. Fiore-Walker, Ph.D. (He/Him) is originally from Southampton, PA in suburban Philadelphia. Ben received a Ph.D. in neuroscience (psychobiology) from the University of Virginia, and has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. His research area of focus was in the development of brain circuitry as they relate to epilepsy and autism.
Ben comes to his position as the senior director for the Opportunity and Inclusion Center (OIC) after close to 25 years working in the diversity space. Before coming to CASE, Ben was the manager of the Office of Diversity Programs at the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, DC, where he had a broad mandate to develop strategies to build out relationships and initiatives from across the society in order to help ACS live into its core value of diversity, equity, inclusion and respect. Before ACS, he served as a senior managing director for diversity and inclusion at Teach for America (TFA), where he was responsible for devising and quantifying diversity metrics for TFA for the development of initiatives to diversity staff and corps member populations. Prior to TFA, he spent 19 years at the Georgetown University School of Medicine where he was the Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion. This work has taken Ben into many elementary and middle schools in underserved areas of the D.C. metro region, where he uses neuroscience to get kids excited about STEM fields and higher education.
Ben has written on and studied diversity climate in higher education and the workplace and is a firm believer that diversity & inclusion matters. Ben believes that even though heterogeneity is the key ingredient to success—with diverse teams being more productive and creative than non-diverse teams, it’s all for not if the members of those diverse teams don’t feel their differences are celebrated or valued. We need both, diversity and inclusion to reach our full potential.
Teresa Flannery
Teresa (Terry) Flannery is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she directs the divisions of Education; Membership, Marketing and Communications; Data, Research and Technology; and Strategic Partnerships. Terry is a strategic, innovative, and collaborative higher education leader with more than 35 years of experience in a wide range of functions, including advancement, admissions and enrollment management, and student affairs. She has worked at large, medium, and small institutions, both public and private.
One of the leading university marketing professionals in the world and recognized in 2018 as “International Brand Master,” Flannery has led some of the most successful brand campaigns in all of higher education. She is also a consultant, speaker, and author of How to Market A University: Building Value in a Competitive Environment, a new book published by the Johns Hopkins University Press in their series for higher education. In cooperation with several leading higher education marketing agencies, Flannery launched an asynchronous master course based on the book.
Before coming to CASE, Flannery held the chief marketing officer role at three institutions, as Interim Vice President for Marketing and Communication at Stony Brook University, as Vice President of Communication at American University, and as Assistant Vice President at the University of Maryland.
Flannery maintains an appointment as a Policy Fellow at American University’s Center for University Excellence. She has been a fellow in the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership and served for a decade on the CASE Board of Trustees, including as Chair.
Flannery holds a BA in English (American Literature) and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Education (College Student Personnel), all from the University of Maryland.
Ben Golding
Ben consults with many of the nation’s leading healthcare organizations, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations on donor-centric development practices that drive transformational philanthropy. He passionately elevates organizations’ mindsets toward philanthropy utilizing his experience and the extensive research that Advancement Resources conducts. Among his key partners are Make-A-Wish America, United Way Worldwide, Oregon State University, MedStar Health, Intermountain Healthcare, DePaul University, University of Cambridge, Utah Valley University, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, and The University of British Columbia.
Ben enjoys sharing his insights with his peers and has been honored to introduce Advancement Resources’ breakthrough concepts at a number of conferences and events for national associations and healthcare systems, including NHS Charities Together, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Minnesota Planned Giving Council, and Northwest Development Officers Association.
Sergio Gonzalez
Sergio M. Gonzalez joined Brown University as Senior Vice President for Advancement in 2017. He oversees all advancement areas across the institution, including development, alumni relations, corporate and foundation relations, international advancement, the Brown Sports Foundation, and the Brown Annual Fund. He leads the $3 billion Brown Together campaign which exceeded its $3 billion goal early and is now aiming to raise $4 billion. Before coming to Brown, Gonzalez served as Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs at the University of Miami from 2001-2017. He was the architect and leader of two successful fundraising campaigns that together raised more than $3 billion.
Prior to joining the University of Miami, Gonzalez served in multiple roles in Miami-Dade County government, including Chief of Staff for the Miami-Dade County Executive Mayor, Director of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, and Executive Director of the South Florida 1999 Super Bowl Host Committee. Gonzalez is chair of the Board of Trustees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He also chaired the CASE U.S./Canada Regional Council. Gonzalez also chaired an annual CASE conference for Latin American university presidents and advancement practitioners over a number of years, and speaks frequently on the advancement profession to diverse audiences in the US and abroad. Gonzalez has a long history of civic service both in Miami and since coming to Providence. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and has served on the Board of Directors of UnidosUS, the largest national Hispanic advocacy and civil rights organization.
Other past board service includes Belen Jesuit Prep School in Miami, the Orange Bowl, Breakthrough Miami, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. In Providence, Gonzalez served on the board of the Trinity Repertory Theater and currently serves on the board of the Wheeler School.
Mary Gresch
Mary is Senior Vice President for University Advancement at the University of Washington, overseeing the marketing and communications, development, alumni and stakeholder engagement and advancement operations functions.
Mary’s career has been defined by a brand and mission-focused approach to building integrated strategy and structures for University Advancement — uniting the disciplines of communications and marketing, alumni relations and development to serve the University’s public mission and aspirations with the greatest possible impact. She serves on the University’s Race and Equity Steering Committee, and believes deeply in building shared equity leadership and in University Advancement’s role in building community internally and externally.
Prior to her appointment as Senior Vice President, Mary served as Vice President for Communications and Chief Marketing Officer for the University of Washington since 2013. Prior to joining the UW, she was the principal at Mary Gresch & Associates and served in communication capacities at Washington State University — including as the Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing and Director of Foundation Communications. Prior to her tenure at WSU, Mary was the director of public relations and publications at the Cate School in Carpinteria, California, and a development coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Mary has also been active in CASE for many years, and currently serves as chair of the national CASE Advisory Committee on the Value of Higher Education.
Ritesh Gupta
Ritesh Gupta has channeled nearly two decades of reporting to craft an evocative, cinematic POV which blends together the worlds of documentary and narrative. An emerging new voice only four years into his directing career, his signature style taps deep within his subjects and material to create an experience for the audience through the work which brings to the surface visceral raw emotions.
His most recent collaborations in the world of branded content and entertainment have produced some of the most talked-about work in the past four years, including the global hit “This Buds for 3″ for Budweiser on NBA star Dwyane Wade.
His background has spanned mediums from television to film, Super Bowl commercials to digital content. He is a graduate of Florida State University.
Rahaf Harfoush
Rahaf Harfoush is a Strategist, Digital Anthropologist, and Best-Selling Author who focuses on the intersections of emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture. Her research centres on the human impacts of artificial intelligence, algorithms, social networks, and big data. Her latest book, entitled “Hustle & Float” (February 2019) reveals how the collision of disruptive technologies and centuries-old beliefs about work, is creating an untenable tension for workers in the idea economy, and what organizations need to do to help their creatives thrive.
Brian Hastings
Brian Hastings serves as president and chief executive officer of the University of Nebraska Foundation, an organization that grows relationships and resources that enable the University of Nebraska to change lives and save lives. He has served in this role since 2012.
Hastings has broad experience, ranging from annual giving to principal gifts, including various senior leadership roles. Prior to joining the University of Nebraska Foundation, he served The Ohio State University as senior associate vice president and campaign executive director, assistant vice president for principal gifts, and assistant vice president for development. In his last role there, he worked with university and volunteer leadership to plan and implement Ohio State’s $3 billion comprehensive campaign. Additionally, Hastings previously led the annual giving program at the University of Dayton, Ohio’s largest private university, where he helped double the alumni participation rate in four years. He is proud of having started his university advancement career as a student caller at Ohio State.
Hastings is a longtime volunteer and leader with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He serves on the CASE Board of Trustees, the US/Canada Regional Council, and is chair of its Commission on Philanthropy. He also serves on the District VI Cabinet and has been a faculty member for various CASE conferences and institutes. He recently co-chaired a task force that updated the global reporting standards for the profession.
Hastings is a first-generation college graduate and lifelong Midwesterner. He and his wife, Sharon, have two children and reside in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Karen T. Isble
Karen Isble joined Kalamazoo College as Vice President for College Advancement in September 2020, where she guides the College’s fundraising, alumni engagement, and marketing and communications efforts.
Karen previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Campaign Director for the University of California, Irvine, leading the planning and execution of the university’s $2 billion comprehensive campaign, Brilliant Future, which launched in 2019. Prior to UC Irvine, Karen served as Assistant Vice President for Development at the University of Michigan. In that role, she oversaw prospect development and the information and technology infrastructure, covering 3 campuses, 36 schools, colleges, units, and the academic medical center. She played an integral role in the planning and execution of the university’s $5 billion+ Victors for Michigan campaign.
Karen began her career in arts administration, serving for seven years as Administrative Director of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and in various roles at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Goodman Theatre. She currently serves on the board of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
She is a former board member of Apra, having served as president in 2013-14. She has been a speaker and author, regionally and nationally, with Apra, CASE and AFP, among others.
Karen holds a bachelor's degree in music from Harvard University and a master's degree in voice performance from the University of Michigan.
Willie Jude II
Willie brings a dynamic background in university leadership to UW-Parkside. Most recently, he served as vice president for student affairs and associate vice president for institutional advancement at Fisk University. In previous roles as executive director of philanthropy at Lincoln University and as associate athletics director for advancement at North Carolina Central University, Jude led staff, volunteer foundations, and the campus community in raising funds and creating partnerships to advance student success. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and he holds a bachelor of science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a master of education from Washington State University.
Michael Lavery
Michael is currently serving as Interim Vice President of Membership, Marketing, and Communications at CASE. He is the founder and CEO of Brand & Reputation an international management consultancy firm working across education, health, culture and non-profit sectors . Starting his career working with global brands in the private sector, he then worked in higher education leadership for 12 years as Executive Director (External Relations) at Teesside University and Director of Communications and Marketing at Durham University. In these roles, he chaired various HE MarComms groups and was an adviser to the House of Lords. Michael is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR). He is a previous track chair and member of the CEAC planning committee and served on the European Board of Trustees of CASE between 2014-2019 and is now a member of CASE’s European Regional Council. He has served on CASE’s Global Board and Executive Committee since 2017. He was presented with CASE’s distinguished Laureate and Crystal Apple awards in 2019 in recognition of his volunteer leadership and teaching contributions, respectively.
David Lively
With 27 years of experience in higher education advancement, David Lively has directed successful development strategies across five comprehensive fundraising campaigns. Lively joined Northwestern University in January 2012 and in his current role manages "We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern," a $5 billion University-wide fundraising campaign. Additionally, he oversees a team of 60 development professionals responsible for principal gifts, regional and international major gifts (including offices in New York and San Francisco), and gift planning.
Lively earned a bachelor's degree in history from Southern Methodist University, a master's degree in history from Colorado State University, an MBA from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, and a certificate from the Management Development Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. In April 2017, he authored Managing Major Gift Fundraisers: A Contrarian's Guide (published by CASE).
Jacob Mchangama
Jacob Mchangama is the founder and director of the Copenhagen based think tank Justitia. Jacob has written and commented extensively on free speech and human rights in international media outlets including the Economist, Washington Post, BBC, CBS News, NPR, CNN, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, Politico as well as academic and peer-reviewed journals. He is the producer and narrator of the podcast “Clear and Present” Danger: A History of Free Speech and the critically acclaimed book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media” published by Basic Books in 2022. Jacob is an experienced public speaker and has given talks and participated in debates at numerous high-level conferences and fora including the Doha Forum, OSCE, European Parliament, Chatham House, Columbia University, NYU, Stanford, Syracuse University, The British Library, The Bilderberg Meeting, RightsCon, Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, Brookings Institution, Web Summit, Oslo Freedom Forum and MozFest, and frequently appears on TV and Radio.
Jacob Mchangama reveals how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide in his book, “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media.” Watch this video for a preview.
Barbara Miles
Barbara Miles has worked as an Advancement leader and teacher in five countries, and she is a dedicated supporter of CASE as an agent for advancing education worldwide.
Barbara was the inaugural Vice-President (Advancement) at the Australian National University, building teams, structures and processes to significantly elevate the university’s Advancement capabilities and establish a strong foundation for future achievement.
As Vice-President, Development and Alumni Engagement at the University of British Columbia, Barbara led what was, at the time, the most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in Canadian history (2008-2015). The campaign raised $1.624 billion and engaged 130,000 alumni over the life of the campaign, exceeding both its targets on time and on budget.
Prior to joining UBC, Barbara was Associate Vice-President for Development and Campaign Co-Director at the University of Florida where she shared responsibility for planning and implementing UF's $1.5 billion campaign (2005-2012), was lead fundraiser for the Florida Philharmonic, New World Symphony (Miami) and the Florida Grand Opera, and was a high school teacher of Music and French in the UK and in the Bahamas.
Barbara was the District VIII Trustee on the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Board of Trustees (2015-2018). She also served on the CASE Global Governance Steering Committee and, in 2020, was awarded the John Lippincott Award for Global Advancement and Support of Education by CASE.
Barbara earned degrees in Music and Education at the University of Southampton, UK, and the University of London, Goldsmith's.
Andrew P. Monk
Andrew is an experienced fundraiser and leader having worked across charity, heritage and health causes over the past twenty years. Andrew moved into university advancement when he joined the University of Bath in 2012
He moved to the University of Bristol in 2017 and took over as Executive Director in March 2020. He leads the University's Development and Alumni Relations Office of nearly 60 staff and his team works to foster life-long relationships with their 180,000 alumni in over 190 countries around the world. Bristol has seen a rapid growth both of income (350% growth over five years), as well as the establishment of a comprehensive engagement and volunteering programme embedding alumni in initiatives across the institution.
Christine Pina
Christine began her career as an admissions officer at Dartmouth College, where she focused on first-generation and student of color recruitment. After earning her Ed.M. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), she transitioned to educational fundraising, working as a major gifts officer at The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, and her secondary school alma mater, St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. A Connecticut resident since 2002, she returned to higher education as the director of major gifts at her college alma mater, Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where she oversaw the major gifts, planned giving and prospect research functions. In November of 2011, Christine became the vice president of institutional advancement at the University of Hartford, where she and her team grew the philanthropic and engagement program.
Christine loves working, once again, in an all-girls’ school as the chief advancement officer at Miss Porter’s School. Though a native of Cape Cod, most weekends you can find Christine and her husband Alex sitting in a very cold rink where they watch their goaltender son Arthur play hockey.
Jesse Pisors
Jesse Pisors has over 25 years of education administration experience, including leading advancement and marketing and communications divisions as vice president at two universities. He recently began serving as Vice President for University Relations and Advancement at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, following a successful tenure at another Texas, public university, University of Houston-Victoria, in a similar role.
During his time at UHV, he played a leadership role in the University of Houston System's successful $1 billion campaign and helped set multiple fundraising records. He served on the boards of the Victoria Rotary Club, the Victoria Rotary Foundation, the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and United Way of the Crossroads, as well as others.
Prior to his service at UHV, Dr. Pisors served as executive director of development and alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and as senior director of development and alumni relations at his alma mater, Oral Roberts University. He was headmaster of a private school, Instituto Las Américas De Parral, in Mexico for several years and is fluent in Spanish. Previously, Dr. Pisors served as assistant director for public relations at Oral Roberts University.
Dr. Pisors is a CASE District IV cabinet member and has presented at several CASE conferences and served in other voluntary roles with CASE.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Education in School Administration from Oral Roberts University. Jesse holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from Texas Tech University where his dissertation focused on the fundraising experiences and perceptions of first-time presidents of public universities.
Ben Plummer-Powell
Ben joined LSE in February 2018. Ben serves as one of nine members of the university’s leadership team, has strategic oversight for philanthropy, alumni engagement, corporate engagement, international strategy, and global academic partnerships, and leads on the most significant philanthropic opportunities, travelling extensively overseas. Since joining LSE, Ben has created and overseen the launch of LSE’s Shaping the World philanthropic and volunteering Campaign, with an initial goal to raise £350m. In 2021-22 LSE raised nearly £95m. Ben is also a senior inclusivity champion for LSE and more widely.
Outside of LSE, Ben is Chair of the Ross Group and is a Board member for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE Europe) and this year is serving on the CASE Global Advancement Leaders’ Summit Planning Committee. Prior to LSE, Ben worked at Oxford University for eight years, overseeing the University’s fundraising teams, where the Oxford Thinking Campaign grew from £800m to £2.7bn. Prior to Oxford, Ben spent 10 years at Warwick University, initially in international marketing and recruitment, then overseeing philanthropy, alumni and corporate engagement at Warwick Business School and serving the wider University leading on international philanthropy in East Asia.
Having secured a scholarship to attend a private secondary school, and having received funding for undergraduate and graduate study, Ben is a passionate advocate of social mobility and the role of education for the betterment of society.
Jen Rettig
Jen leads the development of BMCG’s crisis readiness assessment methodology and supports clients through the development of crisis management exercises, business resiliency, crisis and communication plans, and facilitated crisis management planning sessions. She also directs stakeholder research and creates proactive messaging platforms including issue-specific micro and “dark” sites. Over the past eight years, Jen has supported our client response to a variety of issues and crisis events including racial and sexual harassment, whistleblower claims, academic freedom issues, protests, and terrorism.
Prior to launching BMCG, Jen was a Senior Marketing Manager for Math Solutions, a division of Scholastic where she developed nationally recognized marketing campaigns. She has her MBA from Cornell.
Rachel Sandison
Rachel Sandison is Vice Principal, External Relations at the University of Glasgow. As a member of the University’s senior management team, Rachel's responsibilities include strategic leadership for domestic and international student recruitment; marketing, brand and reputation; undergraduate and postgraduate admissions; international affairs and partnership development; fundraising & alumni relations; and widening participation. She is also the University’s Refugee & Asylum Seeker Champion.
Rachel is a chartered marketer and a CASE Global Trustee. She is a member of the Universities Scotland International Committee and sits on a number of sector advisory boards. She is also the University of Glasgow’s senior leader for the Universitas 21 network, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and the CIVIS European University Alliance.
Christina Sebastian
Christina Sebastian is Senior Executive Director, Donor Relations and Broad-based Marketing at Columbia University, a position she has held since 2017. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Annual Fund Programs team, comprised of fourteen members, who are responsible for the direct marketing efforts across campuses, including Columbia’s graduate and undergraduate schools, and special projects, as well as the signature 24-hour fundraising event, Columbia Giving Day, which annually raises more than $20 million dollars and is in its 10th year. In addition, Christina leads the central Donor Relations and Stewardship team of nine, who are responsible for recognizing, engaging, soliciting, and stewarding University donors and prospects.
Christina has more than 22 years of institutional advancement experience. She began her career as a student phonathon caller while completing her BA at Penn State. While earning her MBA, she started her professional advancement career at the University at Albany within its central Annual Fund and then at the School of Education as its director of development. Christina spent eight years at Albany Law School, moving from the Major Gifts team to become the director of Alumni Affairs, where she helped forge new relationships and collaborations between the Development and Alumni Affairs offices. Prior to joining Columbia, Christina was the director of Fordham University’s annual fund, where she implemented new initiatives including the Fordham Fund brand, student philanthropy committee, student giving, young alumni leadership giving levels, and a consistent giving society, recognizing those donors who have given to the University 20 years or more.
Gia Bazil Soublet
Dr. Gia Bazil Soublet has 26 years of successful development and nonprofit experience and currently serves as the Vice President for Strategic Impact Investment Funding at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), a major philanthropic initiative set to elevate the critical work of UNCF. In this role, she works with the Office of the President and oversees gift acquisition for UNCF’s strategic priorities, which includes prospect management and managing a team of senior fundraising professionals.
Before joining UNCF, Dr. Soublet served as Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) where she increased fundraising by 125% in two years and doubled the alumni giving percentage. Prior to that, Dr. Soublet served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Xavier University of Louisiana. Under her leadership, the University enjoyed fundraising increases yearly and she is credited with establishing a corporate partners program, expanding the planned giving program, establishing a presidential funding initiative, and overhauling the stewardship operation, resulting in significant growth in donor retention. Prior to Xavier, she served as Director for Corporate and Foundation Relations at Dillard University, where she started her career in higher education as a Major Gifts Officer. Prior to Dillard she worked in several roles at United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area before eventually serving as the Assistant Vice President for Campaigns. During her tenure at United Way, Dr. Soublet won numerous national participation and goal achievement awards as the director for the Combined Federal Campaign.
Dr. Soublet holds a Doctorate in Urban Higher Education Administration from Jackson State University, a Master of Business Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Xavier University of Louisiana. Additionally, Dr. Soublet earned Certification in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Nationally recognized for her success in fundraising and nonprofit management, she has presented for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and United Way conferences on various topics including major gift acquisition, grant writing, donor participation, board development, diversity and inclusion, and ethics in fundraising. She served on the Board for the New Orleans AFP chapter from 2020 to 2022.
Dr. Soublet is also the principal for Soublet Consulting Group (SCG). SCG has worked with universities and nonprofits locally and regionally to achieve their organizational objectives and it is committed to helping nonprofits of all sizes plan for self-sustainability. Services include board training and development, strategic planning, program audits, development operation audits, fundraising strategies and plans, capital campaign readiness and planning, and ethics and diversity training.
Brent Swinton, MPA, CFRE
Brent brings more than 20 years of fundraising experience in higher education and the non-profit sector. He possesses a rare combination of first-hand experience in major gift fundraising, development operations and strategic communications and his career has been dedicated to helping mission-based organizations achieve their strategic goals. Before joining Bowie State, he led fundraising at the national headquarters of Advancement Project and the Children’s Defense Fund. Previously, he was assistant vice president for institutional advancement at Notre Dame of Maryland University and senior director of advancement services at Howard University. Brent is also credited with training hundreds of grassroots organizations to sustain themselves financially through the Compassion Capital Fund, the cornerstone grant program of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Serge Sych
Serge was named Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement at Corvinus University of Budapest in March 2023. Prior to this, he held several leadership roles at Central European University (CEU), including serving as Vice President for Enrollment Management, Career Services, and Alumni Relations, as well as Vice President for Alumni and Corporate Relations. He has graduate degrees in history, international relations, comparative law, as well as Doctor in Education.
Serge served on the CEU Response Team (2017-18) which received CASE Circle of Excellence Award in Crisis Management category in recognition of its engagement and communication strategies in response to the attack on the University's academic freedom. Between February 2022 and March 2023, Serge had been leading the work of the CEU Emergency Response Team for Ukraine, coordinating humanitarian, academic and philanthropic efforts for CEU community members affected by the war in Ukraine.
Serge was Co-Founder and Chair of the EAIE (European Association for International Education) Alumni Relations Expert Community, as well as an elected member of the EAIE General Council. He has been a senior faculty trainer and course leader at the EAIE since 2010. Serge is the recipient of the EAIE Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice.
Serge served on CASE Europe Board of Trustees and CASE Europe Regional Council (2016-2023).
Matthew Ter Molen
The vice president for institute advancement is responsible for oversight of the division of advancement, including strategy, services, and infrastructure; alumni relations, engagement and communications; and development, focusing on, individual, corporate, foundation, and international advancement initiatives through philanthropic support of the Institute.
Matthew J. Ter Molen has more than 30 years of expertise in development and fundraising. Most recently, he was the Chief Advancement Officer and Senior Vice President at Syracuse University, where he served for more than eight years. In this role, he oversaw all alumni relations and development activities, including the planning, launch, and execution of the $1.5 billion University-wide campaign "Forever Orange," which raised more in private philanthropy than at any other time in Syracuse University history. Prior to Syracuse, Ter Molen held a range of positions at Northwestern University, the most recent being the Associate Vice President and Campaign Manager. Ter Molen's career began at the University at Chicago in their annual giving office.
Ter Molen holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Miami University in Ohio, and served in the Peace Corps in Honduras for two years prior to the start of his career in fundraising.
Alison Traub
Alison joined the University of Cambridge in 2013 as executive director, development and alumni relations. She is responsible for carrying forward the University’s philanthropic agenda, which includes leading the £2billion fundraising Campaign for the University and Colleges of Cambridge as well as expanding and enhancing alumni relations. In 2019, Alison led the team and secured the largest single gift to a UK organisation by a UK national, a £100m gift from the Claudia and David Harding Foundation.
Alison has worked in higher education advancement for 30 years, previously holding senior roles in the USA. Alison led a $3bn campaign for the University of Virginia where she was associate vice-president for development. Prior to this she completed a $25m six-year campaign two years ahead of schedule as director of development for the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where she oversaw an increase in giving from $1m to $11m annually.
Alison began her relationship with CASE as a CASE Student Scholar at the 1987 District I Conference, has subsequently spoken at a number of CASE conferences, and served on the CASE 50 Steering Committee. In addition she has been serving on the faculty of the Big Ten Fundraiser Institute since 2018.
Dale Wright
Dale Wright serves as associate vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). In this role, besides managing a small portfolio of donors and prospects, he provides vision, strategic leadership, mentoring, and coaching to a portfolio of chief advancement officers and deans and academic and university leaders.
Prior to this position, he served at UIUC as the associate dean & chief advancement officer for The Grainger College of Engineering with responsibility for the strategy and operations in fundraising and constituent engagement. As campaign director for the college’s $550M goal, as part of the "With Illinois" $2.65B campaign (original goal of $2.25B), he led the college in exceeding the goal by 21%. Additionally, the college secured 25% of the overall campaign total.
Over the last 20+ years, Wright has held a variety of alumni and fundraising engagement roles in higher education. He has guided several deans, academic leaders and university leadership through the campaign planning process and execution, over three $1B+ comprehensive campaigns. He is an experienced principal and major gift fundraiser, mentor, and leader, designing engagement programs to help teams and volunteers meet philanthropic goals.
Wright is an active CASE volunteer, having served on district and national committees, and presently as a faculty member/speaker at CASE conferences and other CASE educational programs. Wright also holds membership in organizations such as the African American Development Officers Network, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is involved in other non-profit work, including serving on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the American Legion Boys State of Missouri (Missouri Boys State). He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Missouri (Mizzou).