Dear friends,

I am thrilled to announced that effective July 1st, Stu Fortener will assume the position of Executive Director, Regional Development. Reporting to me, Stu will provide strategic leadership for all of Regional Development. In this capacity, Stu will manage the various Sr. Directors of Regional Development and be responsible for outlining a vision, strategy, structure, and best practices for individual giving at Notre Dame. Stu will invest in best practices, provide inspiring leadership and management to ensure the individual leadership prospect pool for all regions is cultivated to its greatest philanthropic potential, outline a vision for consistent execution of the Sr. Director role, and focus on strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of giving across the regions.

For the past five years, Stu has provided exceptional leadership of our West region, ultimately leading the region to unprecedented levels of philanthropic revenue to the University. Prior to his tenure with the West region, Stu served as Director of Academic Advancement for the Mendoza College of Business, working with both Carolyn Woo and Roger Huang on the strategic direction and priorities of the college.

Stu joined the University of Notre Dame in 2010, after a successful career with Temple-Inland, a Fortune 500 building products and packaging company. In his role as General Manager, he led the sales and manufacturing functions for operations in Raleigh, Kansas City and Chicago. Prior to his operations assignments, Stu was Manager of Marketing Strategy for the company. In the role, he developed sales and marketing plans for all core businesses, and coordinated the Strategic Partnership program with key national accounts. He served on the company’s Leadership committee acting as a mentor for newly appointed senior managers. Prior to Temple-Inland, Stu worked for Marathon Oil Company as a Marketing Representative and a District Manager. He also interned at Procter and Gamble as an Assistant Brand Manager. Stu received his B.A. from Bowling Green State University in 1990 and his M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1997.

Stu and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons (Luke and Kyle), and are extraordinary members of the South Bend community. I couldn’t be more pleased that Stu’s leadership will continue to elevate the trajectory of our team, and am grateful for his partnership.

Please join me in congratulating Stu!

In Notre Dame,

Micki