Join Us in Baltimore!
Have you heard that our annual Conference for Community College Advancement is moving around the country? This year, we’re in Baltimore, Maryland, from Oct. 16-18. Next year we will shift to the central part of the U.S., and then back to the West Coast in 2026. We will continue to rotate in the future to make this conference more accessible to all of our members.
While we are so grateful to our California hosts, especially the members of the Network of California Community College Foundations, for their hospitality over the past 12 years, our members in other parts of the country have found it challenging to afford the trip. Hopefully, attending this special gathering is—or will be—a reality for all of you soon.
You may know of Baltimore as “Charm City,” but I just learned that one of its slogans is “Baltimore: A Great Place to Grow.” As you review the sessions available at this year’s conference, especially the pre-conference session for community college advancement newcomers, you’ll notice the planning committee has done a fantastic job of giving our attendees plenty of opportunities to grow their professional network and knowledge. If you are a community college grants professional, check out the one-day conference just for you on Oct. 17 (those attending CCCA may attend any of the grants sessions).
The CCCA planning committee, led by Chair Kenneth Cooper of Las Positas College and Vice Chair Diana Pollard from Dutchess Community College, represents community college advancement professionals from across the country as well as across the field of advancement. Susie Stinson of Bossier Parish Community College, Mandy Heil of Arizona Western College, and Hopkinsville Community College’s Rena Young are back on the committee after serving on it in 2023 with Diana and Kenneth. New committee members include Billy Dunbar of Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City; Alamo Colleges Foundation’s Richard Farias; and Allen Sharpe from Midlands Technical College.
Our Community College Grants Professionals Conference is being led by Hagerstown Community College’s Becky L. McDermott and Hillsborough Community College’s Shannon Olmstead. Committee members are Tora Wright from the College of Southern Maryland, Niurka Ferrer from Hillsborough Community College, and Howard Community College’s Sarah Angerer.
While CASE handles the logistics, these experienced and generous volunteers take the time to select the sessions (presented by more volunteers!), invite keynote speakers, and give our conferences that “I’m back with my summer camp friends” joy. Plus, we’ll have lots of fun dine-arounds and Baltimore-only activities (did somebody say duckpin bowling?).
CASE understands the expense of attending an in-person conference may not be in your budget this year, so your colleagues on the Center for Community College Advancement Advisory Board are planning a variety of webinars for FY25 focused on leveraging workforce development partnerships, strategic alumni fundraising, and a few other topics you’ve suggested. Watch your email for information about these, and make sure to review the Quick Studies for Community Colleges—just go to learn.case.org, login, and search for that title. You’ll find six 30-minute sessions just for you.
In our next newsletter, I’ll tell you more about our Federal Funding Task Force! Good luck with the Fall 2024 kick-off at your colleges!
About the author(s)
Meg Natter joined CASE in 2023 and serves as Director of Community Colleges and Foundations within the Membership, Engagement, and Volunteerism division. For over 20 years, Meg worked at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey, U.S., in several leadership roles, including Dean of its Humanities Institute, Assistant Professor in the English and Women’s & Gender Studies departments, and Executive Director of the college’s foundation. Her advancement career includes five years as Senior Development Officer at Ocean Medical Center in New Jersey, where she focused on major gifts, and she earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential for six years.
In her role at CASE, Meg collaborates with the members of the Community College Leadership Committee to address the needs of community college advancement professionals as well as the College and University Foundations Leadership Committee to focus on programming for CASE members who manage foundations. Meg is a CASE@Campus instructor specializing in creating a culture of philanthropy at community colleges, and is one of the CASE staff members leading the annual Conference for Community College Advancement, the Conference for College and University Foundations, and the Federal Funding Task Force meetings.
