It is my pleasure to welcome Michele Berente to University Relations. Michele will serve as Associate Director on the Cavanaugh Council and President’s Circle team. Michele’s first day is Tuesday, November 1.

We are excited about the impact Michele will have on our team. Michele’s experience in non-profit fundraising, events, and accounting along with her commitment to the mission of Our Lady’s University will help advance our team’s work and culture. Michele and her family moved to South Bend four years ago to join the Notre Dame family when her husband, Nick Berente, began his role as Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, in the Mendoza College of Business.

Please join me in welcoming Michele to the UR team!

Mary Jane Añón

It is my pleasure to welcome Steve Horstmann to the Gift Management team as the Gift Management Program Coordinator. Today is Steve’s first day, and his primary role is gift preparation. He will also be assisting colleagues and donors with questions through the departmental phone line and email.

Steve earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Central Michigan University. Steve comes to us with experience in sports ticketing, business sales, mortgage lending, and real estate.

Please join me in welcoming Steve to UR!

Alyssa Strbjak
Program Director, Gift Management Communications

 

Team,

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I share two new hires within the Regional Development team, both reporting directly to me.

First, I would like to congratulate and welcome Pablo Martinez as the new Global Advancement Program Director. In this role, Pablo will lead our fundraising efforts with our international donor population. He will carry a portfolio of international leadership prospects, as well as build a comprehensive program to identify, cultivate and steward donors around our international needs and priorities. He will also work closely with Notre Dame International and the Keough School of Global Affairs.

Pablo has been a valued member of the Development team for 11 years, leading many initiatives and programs within Annual Giving. Starting in the Phone Center, and spanning Undergraduate alumni giving, matching gifts, reunion giving and Notre Dame Day, Pablo most recently served as a Leadership Annual Giving fundraiser prior to leading the Sorin Society and a team of fundraisers this past year and a half to record years in unrestricted production. Pablo is a 2011 Notre Dame graduate.

Next, I am thrilled to welcome back to my team Mary Fisher, who will serve as the Senior Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives. In this role, Mary will work to improve operational efficiencies throughout Regional Development. She will manage a variety of internal and external communications, as well as ongoing and emerging strategic initiatives, while serving as an advisor and thought partner to me. Additionally, she will assume responsibility for all communications, events, and activities associated with the Hesburgh Women of Impact program after a thoughtful transition with Grace Prosniewski.

Prior to joining Development as my administrative assistant in August 2010, Mary had spent two years working in employer development within the University’s Career Center. She joined the team now known as Stewardship & Donor Relations in October 2011, and has served in numerous capacities during the past 11 years, including managing the University’s endowment reporting and acknowledgment processes, planning and executing a variety of stewardship and cultivation events, and serving as the interim leader of the team for the 18-month duration of the Notre Dame Trail. Most recently, Mary partnered with frontline fundraisers to develop and execute individualized stewardship plans for the University’s top benefactors, and collaborated further with RDs to create strategic engagement touchpoints for other key donors and prospects. Mary is a 2008 Notre Dame graduate, and subsequently earned her MNA from Mendoza in 2015.

Please join me in congratulating both Pablo and Mary on their new roles!

Sara Liebscher

Good Afternoon,

The room numbers on the 11th floor Grace Conference rooms have been updated in Google calendar. The room to the right as you exit the elevators previously listed as1101, will now show up as 1100. The conference room on 11 north which was previously numbered 1100 will show up as 1160.

If you have future/recurring meetings scheduled in either of these rooms, you don’t need to do anything, the room numbering was automatically updated in Google Calendar.

Signage has been added to 1100 and 1160 with the new numbering.

Thank you!

It is my pleasure to welcome Ashley Moeller to the Development Administration Team as a Regional Associate (RA) in Gift Planning. Ashley’s first day will be Monday, October 31.

Ashley brings a wealth of institutional knowledge from her time working with the Office of Information Technologies since 2019, in which she worked as an executive administrative coordinator. Prior to that, she was the learning and development coordinator for Bader Rutter in Wisconsin.

Ashley received her Bachelor of Arts from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a major in Communications. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys watching everything sports and Bravo, going to breweries and wine tastings, and spending time with her dog, Willa.

Please join me in welcoming Ashley!

Jen Koebel

Hi team,

I’m thrilled to share that Kate Mueller will be the new Academic Advancement Director for Notre Dame Research, The Graduate School, and the IDEA Center. I am grateful that Kate will be taking on these areas in times of great transition and opportunity.

In her role as AAD for the Law School, Kate developed a novel funding priority and strategy around Religious Liberty, and effectively partnered toward closing the Law School’s largest gift ever. She also helped drive over $80M of collaborative production over three record-setting years. This incredible success continued her 13 years of experience here at Notre Dame through a variety of roles, including as Managing Director of the Center for Social Science Research which collaborates on interdisciplinary research projects across all of Notre Dame’s Colleges and Schools. She will continue to serve as a Concurrent Professor of Law.

With her in-depth knowledge of the University, her experience in on-boarding new leaders, and her ongoing commitment to the mission of being a force for good in the world, she is the perfect fit for this role, especially as we bring in new leaders and develop new priorities in these three dynamic areas.

I am personally relieved to be handing these roles over to someone with great expertise. Kate will officially take on her new AAD responsibilities on Monday, November 21, but will be transitioning work over the next few weeks.

I will be posting the job description for AAD for the Law School in the coming weeks.

Thanks so much,

KO

The Gift Planning Strategic Operations team is thrilled to welcome Thomas Speranza as a Development Associate. His first day with us will be Monday, October 31st.

Thomas will work with Carolyn Hardman in the administration of our Charitable Remainder Trust and Life Insurance Programs and assist the Operations team with realized estate gifts. Thomas received his degree in Accounting from Purdue University Northwest. In his free time, he is an active member of the South Bend Chamber Singers.

Please stop by the Office of Gift Planning to welcome Thomas to UR!

RaeLee Rea
Sr Director, Gift Planning Strategic Operations

The JHC MVP (Most Valuable Pairings) program is under way for the 22/23 academic year. Here is the list of the benefactors participating this year: JHC | MVP. Please click here to view the email invite. We have space for a few more mentors, if you have a JHC member not listed, feel free to reach out to them! If you have any questions, connect with Shannon Longo, slongo1@nd.edu.

Dear Colleagues,

On Friday, November 4, 2022, the Badin Guild will host our Clemson Reception from 4-6 PM at Downes Club in Corbett Hall. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Maria McKenna ’97, the Faculty Director of the Transformational Leaders Program and the AnBryce Scholars Initiatives, will be our special guest speaker for this event.

Please see the list of registered attendees for detail on benefactors who are registered for this event.

If you have questions regarding this event, please contact Laura Walker.

Dear Colleagues,

We have posted a position for a Tier 3 or Tier 4  (depending on experience) Director, Regional Development on the New York Metro team. A sizable portion of this important portfolio will include a number of existing leadership donors who were assigned to Jesse Meyer prior to his departure in September. Applicants will be expected to have demonstrated success in their current roles and should be intent on cultivating long-term relationships with these generous members of the Notre Dame family. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to have a conversation with your manager. The posting will close at midnight on Monday, October 31.

Thank you,
Sara Liebscher

Dear Colleagues,

The third fall renewal mailing (renew #3) dropped in mailboxes starting Thursday, October 20 to all our unrestricted and giving society benefactors. As a reminder, this mailing is sent to all assigned and unassigned benefactors whose annual giving is less than $25,000, asking them to renew their previous calendar year gift by their respective fund owner. This mailing is being sent to over 22,000 households and will be followed by email reminders in the weeks to come. If you have any questions regarding our renewal strategy, please reach out to the appropriate fund (Sorin, Rockne, Law, etc.) owner on the annual giving team and they can assist.

Thanks!
Annual Giving Team

Our friends from the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) would like our help in driving attendance to an event they are having next week, featuring ND alum Thom Browne.

 

A message from the NDIAS:

We want to pack Washington Hall for the Tuesday evening event. At the moment, we have 100 RSVPs, but want at least 150 more. We are doing another marketing push on Monday so hopefully people will respond post-fall break. Thom has an entourage of journalists, a documentarian, the CEO of Thom Browne, Inc. family and staff coming. If you could encourage students you know, colleagues, etc. to come that would be greatly appreciated.

Tickets are free but an RSVP is required. 

The University has been blessed with Dawn Smith’s drive, grit, and humor for 13 years—especially in the last year as she’s served in Development.

Today, we celebrate Dawn’s promotion to Senior Administrative Assistant, Annual Giving effective October 24, 2022! In this role, Dawn will manage incoming communications from benefactors, maintain the team’s budget, and provide administrative support to the turbocharged Annual Giving team.

A South Bend native, Dawn and her husband, Gary, are parents to Lexi (married October 8, 2022!) and grandparents to two grandsons, Declan and Greyson. Fun fact: Dawn’s maiden name was Smith, too!

Please give Dawn a high-five in recognition of her achievement!

– Brandon Tabor and Grace Prosniewski

 

It is my pleasure to welcome Bailey Smith to the Regional Development team as a Development Coordinator (DC). Bailey’s first day will be Monday, October 24th.

Bailey brings a wealth of institutional knowledge from her more than three years with Mendoza College of Business, in which she provided support for the Department Chair and the ITAO Faculty. Prior to that, she was a construction and events coordinator for Granite Ridge Builders in Fort Wayne.

Bailey attended Manchester University and met her husband Ian there. They reside in Osceola with their two sons, Adler (4) and Reiner (1). In her spare time, if she is not playing superheroes with Adler or building blocks with Reiner, she enjoys reading and baking!

Please join me in welcoming Bailey!

Deena Chamberlin

Dear Colleagues,

I am excited to share that Jessica Dennis is joining our For Good Administration team as Senior Program Director effective October 24. In this role, Jessica will serve as a key point of contact as she advises, manages For Good projects, develops and implements innovations in the initiative, liaises with OPAC on For Good gift press releases, and provides oversight of For Good events.

Jessica comes to us from the IDEA Center where she most recently served as their Financial Business Manager. Prior to that role, she worked for ESTEEM focusing on operations and student experience. Jessica is a 2013 graduate of Notre Dame with a BA in Sociology. She and her husband, Lex, live in South Bend. Jessica has a deep understanding of and commitment to the mission of the University, and we are thrilled that she is bringing her passion and skills to be a force For Good.

Please join me in welcoming Jessica to Development and UR.

Sincerely,
Michelle

Please welcome Maya Sison to the Marketing Operations, Annual Giving team as our Data Analyst. Her first day was Monday, October 17. Maya has ten years of data analytics experience in one of the top telecommunication companies in the Philippines. There she monitored business performance of products and transformed consumer behavior data into actionable, data-driven insights.

In her new role, Maya will build populations and segmentation for solicitations, stewardship, and other Annual Giving communications. She will additionally handle the assessment and processing of our Giving Society acknowledgements, as well as the assessment of our recurring giving data. We’re so thankful to have her on the team.

Please join me in welcoming her to Notre Dame!

Lauren Dolzan

Colleagues,

Please join me in wishing Chau-Ly all the best as she departs the Notre Dame family to start a new career working as a Salesforce Senior Business Analyst with the federal government.

Chau-Ly joined us following undergrad at Notre Dame in 2016, and those who have worked with Chau-Ly know her as a dedicated person of high character who could be relied on to deliver on every project. She is passionate about her work and has made a huge impact with her strategic mindset, insight, and creative ideas to deliver business solutions and working on the DEIU committees.

She has been a tremendous team member and an invaluable resource and we will miss her immensely! Chau-Ly’s last day will be Friday, Oct 28.

Please join us in gratitude and congratulations to Chau-Ly as we say farewell for now!

Information Technology and Services Team

UR Family,

It is my pleasure to share that Kate Strieker has been promoted to Development Associate – Events, within the Sorin Society team. In her new role, Kate will continue to offer exceptional stewardship and service to all Giving Society members, but will shift to leading all of our Giving Society and Annual Giving Events. Kate will also be the lead for our JHC, ADC, SORIN 175 and Dean’s Leadership Circle members as we continue to offer best in class stewardship to our most generous annual benefactors.

In the short time that Kate has joined our team, she has proved an invaluable team member – from jumping into Notre Dame Day in her first week, to overtaking projects and tasks outside of her role – Kate’s promotion is well deserved. I am excited that many of you will continue to work more closely with Kate in her new role. Coming off the back of running the Chicago marathon no less, please join me in congratulating Kate!

Many thanks!

Pablo

Dear Colleagues,

I am thrilled to announce that Tucker Kable will be joining the Data and Strategic Analytics Reporting team as a Business Intelligence Professional starting November 1st. Tucker will focus on Business Object Reporting and new Tableau Dashboards for the UR Development Department.

Tucker has been with the University of Notre Dame since 2016 in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC). In his previous OPAC position as a Data Scientist, he supported Notre Dame’s central communications department with regular and ad hoc Tableau reporting for digital asset performance data including web traffic, media monitoring, email, and social media. He provided for-hire analytics support to on campus partners including Notre Dame Graduate School, College of Science, President’s Office, Notre Dame Athletics, and Human Resources.

We are grateful that Tucker has chosen to join us and excited about the skills he will bring to our team.

Please join me in welcoming Tucker to the Development Department!

Wayne Harpenau

Director, Data and Strategic Analytics

The World Health Organization recognizes World Mental Health Day on October 10th every year.

The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’. Our world is reeling under the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, wars, displacement, and the climate emergency, all of which have consequences for the well-being of world citizens. There is however some good news.
There is increasing evidence that the prevention of mental ill health is possible by using both general and targeted evidence-based interventions.

This World Mental Health Day, help end the stigma around asking for help through the following:

Talk Openly About Mental Health

Educate Yourself And Others

Be Conscious Of Language

Encourage Equality Between Physical And Mental Illness

Show Compassion For Those With Mental Illness

Choose Empowerment Over Shame

Be Honest About Treatment

Let The Media Know When They’re Being Stigmatizing

Don’t Harbor Self-Stigma

Dear UR Team –

Please join me in wishing Heather Sadrzadeh all the best as she departs from the NDAA to focus on her family.

Heather has enthusiastically served the volunteer leaders of the Affinity Groups since October 2018. I am deeply grateful for her service and know she will be missed by so many. Heather’s creative ideas, unfailing optimism, and infectious positivity were some of her hallmarks. She brought many talents to this role including an amazing eye for design and her photography skills which served to elevate the visual brand of the affinity groups. Most of all, Heather’s exuberance, humor, and deep care for individuals led to strong bonds with external constituents and staff alike.

Heather’s last day will be Friday, October 7th. We will be in touch regarding what I imagine will be a doughnut-themed going away party, but for now, please take a moment to wish her the best as she wraps up her work with us.

Best,

Angeline

Dear Team,

I’m excited to announce that Brigid Jackson will become our new Eck Visitors Center Customer Service Representative starting October 12th. As many of you know, Brigid worked with us in the past as part of our EVC and Reunion staff.

Brigid earned her Bachelor of Science in General Business from Indiana University South Bend. In her free time she enjoys traveling, cooking(especially Italian recipes), anything Disney, her dog Toby, and her big family (She is Erin Thornton’s sister).

Please join me in welcoming Brigid to the team.

Amanda

Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in October! We hope you have a scary good year!

10/3 – Brandon Tabor
10/4 – David Chaudoir
10/4 – Ellen Kirol
10/5 – Sheri Egendoerfer
10/6 – Kimberly Bakle
10/7 – Kevin Frost
10/8 – Maureen Dunkley
10/10 – Denise Moulds
10/10 – T.J. Pillari
10/11 – Ashley Gerard
10/11 – Tom Scrace
10/12 – Chris De Trempe
10/12 – Katie Eckrich
10/13 – Julie Seniff
10/13 – Mary Fisher
10/14 – Dezha Moore
10/15 – Jim Gosz
10/16 – Angeline Johnson
10/17 – Javonte Lipsey
10/17 – Katherine Cinninger
10/19 – Allison Slabaugh
10/20 – Brad Goff
10/21 – Dawn Smith
10/21 – Darius Walker
10/24 – Andrew Yocum
10/24 – Heather Sadrzadeh
10/25 – Helen Rajkumar
10/27 – Leah Corachea
10/27 – Mary Jane Añón
10/28 – Anne Wieber
10/28 – Tommy Chase
10/30 – George Duke
10/30 – Kasey O’Connor
10/31 – Iliana Contreras
10/31 – Jason Scarlett
10/31 – Kaitlyn Winkle