Faculty
Jeffrey Schoenherr
Jeff Schoenherr has 25 years of experience in higher education and health sciences advancement, serving increasing greater roles at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. In his current position at West Virginia University, Jeff leads all aspects of medical and health sciences development for a growing team, with a focus on alumni and grateful patient fundraising.
Formerly as an assistant vice president, he helped to manage principal giving at The Ohio State University, guided fundraising efforts for the university's Discovery Themes, and oversaw specific areas of central development.
As vice president at Emerson College, he created best practices in alumni, parent and donor relations and developed a strategic plan, which was leading the college to its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign. Under his leadership, the college experienced three consecutive record-breaking years of fundraising and engagement.
At Harvard Law School, he managed all aspects of alumni relations, the annual fund, major gifts and gift planning, leading a staff of 25 professionals. For 10 years at Johns Hopkins, he directed a team responsible for regional and international major gifts, which helped the university successfully complete the $3.74 billion "Knowledge for the World Campaign." Among other responsibilities, his team successfully engaged alumni, parents and friends for the university and departments of medicine, and hosted regional campaign outreach events.
Schoenherr started his career at the University of Michigan, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science, working in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as an engagement director for the alumni association, and in development for the Ross School of Business.
Floyd Akins
Floyd Akins is vice president for university advancement at the University of Toledo. Prior to his role at UToledo, Akins served as associate vice president for advancement at Michigan State University, where he oversaw constituent fundraising, individual giving and prospect development and corporate and foundation engagement. Prior to joining MSU he was a senior consultant with Aspen Leadership Group, an executive search and consulting firm specializing in nonprofit and philanthropic leadership, where he consulted with prominent organizations in higher education, the arts, community services, and institutes to recruit and retain talented advancement professionals.
Previously Floyd was an assistant vice chancellor for development for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In this role, he provided leadership and managerial support for UT’s Regional Major Gift Officers and Corporate and Foundation Engagement Team. He also helped develop the framework for and oversaw the creation of UT’s principal gifts program. He has been a strong advocate for diversity in advancement and higher education at all levels throughout his professional career and was the Co-Chair of UT’s Council for Diversity and Interculturalism.
Floyd has raised numerous multi-million-dollar gifts and managed staff in several billion-dollar campaigns. Before joining UT, he served as The Ohio State University’s Senior Associate Vice President for University Development and Vice President of the OSU Foundation and previously was Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts at the University of Iowa Foundation. Other positions include Executive Director of Development in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa and Director of the Capital Campaign at Grinnell College. In addition to his fundraising positions, he held numerous positions at both Grinnell College and the University of Iowa that included admissions, public relations and multicultural affairs.
He currently serves as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor to Aspen Leadership Group. He has been an active speaker for CASE since 1998 and has chaired several conferences on major gift fundraising in both the US and Canada. He lives in Columbus, OH and received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and his master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Jeff Liebermann
Jeff Liebermann is the assistant vice president for main campus development at the University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA). In addition to his role as a major gifts officer, he is responsible for overseeing Iowa's fundraising programs in the College of Law, university non-collegiate programs and the regional development team.
He joined the UICA in 1998 as an associate director of development for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), then in 2005 became the executive director of development for CLAS. At Iowa, he has worked through two $1+ billion comprehensive campaigns, including four building projects. Prior to the UICA, he served as the director of alumni programs at the University of Iowa Alumni Association (1995-1998) and the assistant director of alumni relations at the University of Northern Iowa (1989-1995).
Liebermann has a deep background in CASE service, including serving as the chair of the board for CASE V, five years on the faculty of the CASE Summer Institute in Alumni Relations, three years on the CASE V conference committee, participation on numerous CASE conference faculties, and presenting educational sessions at the CASE IV, V and VI conferences. He received the CASE Crystal Apple Award for excellence in teaching in 2016.
He received his bachelor's degree in public relations from Northern Iowa and his master's degree in journalism from Iowa.
Pamela Witter
Pamela Witter, BA, MBA, CFRE is a sought-after, nationally-published author, speaker, higher education administrator, and small business owner. The youngest appointee to the President's Executive team, Witter serves as VP for Development and Community Engagement for Trocaire College in Buffalo, NY, but her influence expands far beyond the reach of the region. Her award winning work in fundraising, marketing, and leading high performance teams commands international attention.
Witter was featured recently in Advancing Philanthropy Magazine (a global publication of the Association of Fundraising Professionals) in a column on discovering your personal best leadership and serves as a regular columnist for AFP Global. In an interview with the Chronicle of Philanthropy, she contributed to a special insert entitled Fixing the College Fundraising Crunch, and her book Five Strategies to Increase Annual Fund Revenue was highlighted in the national Wiley Journal "Fundraising Success." Witter has raised millions of dollars for non-profit missions. She has inspired staff to smash through marketing metrics and coached best-in-class teams.
Katie Acuff
Katie Acuff earned a bachelor's degree in international economics and finance from the Catholic University of America. As a senior in college, she served as a member of the president's staff and was identified for a position in the annual fund office upon graduation. While working full time, she earned her Juris Doctorate in the evening program at CUA's Columbus School of Law. After climbing the ranks in the annual fund office and finishing her law degree, she eventually worked in a major gifts role.
In 2010, Tulane University—then rebuilding its development operation post-Katrina—recruited Acuff to serve as the senior director of development for its undergraduate college. In 2013, she became director of principal gifts and was named an associate vice president shortly before Tulane publicly launched its comprehensive, $1.3B "Only the Audacious: The Campaign for an Ever Bolder Tulane" in 2018. In her role, she oversees the strategic pursuit of principal gifts across the university, prioritizes the development work of the president and other senior university officials, and maintains her own frontline portfolio. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration at Tulane.
Walter Kimbrough
A native of Atlanta, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough was his high school salutatorian and student body president in 1985, and went on to earn degrees from the University of Georgia, Miami University in Ohio, and a doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. He has enjoyed a fulfilling career in student affairs, serving at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University, and finally Albany State University in 2000 where he became the Vice President for Student Affairs at the age of 32. In October of 2004, at the age of 37, he was named the 12th president of Philander Smith College. In 2012 he became the 7th president of Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Caleb Roberts
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Caleb has worked at Tulane University since 2012. He began his Tulane career as a development officer at the Law School before working on the regional major gifts team focusing on Southern California and Florida. In 2017, he became senior director of development at the A. B. Freeman School of Business. Prior to Tulane, he lived in Richmond, Virginia working as a development officer for the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation. Caleb holds a bachelor degree in Corporate Communications from Austin Peay State University. He also holds a Master of Arts in English from Tulane University. Caleb currently sits on the boards of Young Leadership Council and The NOCCA Institute.