The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is pleased to announce that DeAnna Carlson Zink and Ginny DeSanto are recipients of the 2026 CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award.
The award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality, and effectiveness of their foundations. The Commonfund Institute, which underwrites the award, is the research arm of Commonfund, which provides investment management services to nonprofit organizations and other institutions.
Since 2014, DeAnna Carlson Zink has been the Chief Executive Officer of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation. In 2025, she led the UND Forever campaign to exceed its $500 million goal 20 months early and championed the increase to a $625 million target. She was also instrumental in the North Dakota Spirit Campaign which concluded in 2013 after raising $324 million. Zink holds a bachelor's degree in management and communications from the University of North Dakota. She serves on the boards of Center for Innovation Foundation, Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges Council of Foundation Leaders, North Dakota Xcel Energy Advisory Board, and Sanford Health Plan. In 2023, she received Prairie Business Magazine’s top 25 Women in Business award. For CASE, she sits on the College and University Foundation Leadership Committee and has served on the planning committee for the Conference for College and University Foundations since 2021, including chairing the conference in 2024.
Ginny DeSanto is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Arizona State University’s ASU Enterprise Partners. She has led the nonprofit through a period of significant growth, from a base of total assets at $506 million to current total assets of $2 billion, with annual revenue growing from $101 million to $442 million. She also led ASU’s foundation through several restructurings, including new financial reporting and processing that occurred as a result. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Arizona State University. For CASE, she is a CASE Laureate, volunteered for the Colleges and University Foundation Leadership Committee from 2012 to 2021, serving as its chair from 2018 to 2020, and chaired its 2023 Conference for Chief Business Officers & Chief Development Officers.
“DeAnna Carlson Zink and Ginny DeSanto exemplify the very best of foundation leadership and CASE volunteerism,” says Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of CASE. “Through their commitment to their work, they have strengthened their institutions and expanded opportunities for countless students. Beyond their extraordinary professional achievements, they have been steadfast champions of the advancement profession, generously giving their time and expertise to CASE and the broader education community. We celebrate their leadership and impact.”
Zink and DeSanto will receive their awards on April 9, 2026, during the CASE Conference for College and University Foundations in Seattle.
About CASE
CASE—the Council for Advancement and Support of Education—is a global, not-for-profit membership association with a vision to advance education to transform lives and society.
CASE is the home for advancement professionals, inspiring, challenging, and equipping them to act effectively and with integrity to champion the success of their institutions. CASE defines the competencies and standards for the profession of advancement, leading, and championing their dissemination and application with more than 97,000 advancement professionals at 3,100 member institutions in 80 countries.
Broad and growing communities of professionals gather under the global CASE umbrella. Currently these include alumni relations, development services, communications, fundraising, government relations, and marketing. These professionals are at all stages of their careers and may be working in universities, schools, colleges, cultural institutions, or other not-for-profits. CASE uses the intellectual capital and professional talents of a community of international volunteers to advance its work, and its membership includes many educational partners who work closely with the educational sector.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CASE works across all continents from its regional offices in London, Singapore, and Mexico City to achieve a seamless experience for all its stakeholders, particularly its members, volunteers, and staff.