Team,
I’m thrilled to share with you that we have hired Caitlin Kleinsmith as Dolly’s Senior Coordinator. She will begin with us on February 12. Caitlin comes to us from Meridian Title Corp. and her career includes experience in customer service, accounting, planning, and administrative processes.
She’s married to Bruno Martinsky has a seven-year-old stepson Caden, and a miniature poodle named Bentley. They reside in South Bend.
Please join me in welcoming Caitlin.
Thanks,
Mark Witucki
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I write to share the news that Vahid Sadrzadeh will be leaving Notre Dame to pursue new opportunities that will allow him to spend more time with his family, including his father in California who is battling Parkinson’s. His last day with the University will be next Friday, February 2nd.
Vahid has been a valued member of the NY Metro team in his nearly three years of service to the University. During his time with Development, he has brought a number of benefactors to closer engagement with the University, and we are grateful for all he has done to advance the mission of Notre Dame.
Please join me in thanking Vahid and wishing him well in his future endeavors.
All the best,
Joe
With almost two weeks of gift processing under our belts, the Gift and Data Management team will be using Friday, January 26th as an opportunity to assess lessons learned, work on individual backlog items, and ensure processes implemented will be sustainable as we ramp up for fundraising initiatives coming in the next few weeks. We will not be processing gifts or pledges on Friday but will have coverage of our 1-5150 phone line and givegift@nd.edu email. We will return to our regular processing on Monday January 29th.
Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday, we started sending our 2023 Giving Statements electronically. The initial send was a subset of the overall population of 22,000+, which was comprised of payroll deduction donors, ND DAF donors, and a small sampling of donors that give through multiple pipelines (ie. stock gifts, IRAs, etc.)
The subject line is 2023 Charitable Giving Tax Statement: University of Notre Dame, and the sender was the University of Notre Dame using the givegift@nd.edu.
We anticipate all electronic copies to be sent by EOD today, January 23. All hard copies will be sent before Wednesday, January 31.
If your benefactors have questions, please encourage them to search by the subject line, sender, and/or send date (1/22 and 1/23).
FAQs and other pertinent information regarding 2023 cumulative giving letters can be found here.
Thank you,
Alyssa Strbjak
Please join me in welcoming Michael Stark to the ND Development team as a Regional Director on the Northwest Team! Michael’s first day will be Monday, January 22.
Michael is a 2009 Notre Dame alumni from the Mendoza College of Business, where he earned a BBA in Marketing. That wasn’t enough for Michael, so he later went on to earn his J.D. and M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago; remarkably, he completed law school during the day while completing his MBA work at night in 3 years. In doing this, Michael pioneered Loyola’s MBA/JD program. Michael has worked extensively with not-for-profits and tech startups with a particular focus on social impact. In his career as a fundraiser, entrepreneur, investor, and community leader, Michael has championed creative people, ideas, and organizations with the potential for transformative impact globally.
Michael grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, a 3rd generation Notre Dame alumni on both sides of his family! Michael’s family was one of the first to adopt a child from China when it opened up the West and subsequently took in 50+ foster children from all over the world. Through this experience, he has learned that everyone has a story to tell and something to contribute. Michael is grateful for what Notre Dame has meant to his family and the presence the University has been in his life.
Outside of work and family, Michael’s hobbies and interests include traveling, reading, basketball, legos, art, podcasts, and public speaking. He is, most importantly, a dedicated father to Stella (5) and Jude (2.5).
Please join me in welcoming Michael to the team!
Sean
Welcome, Abi Batkoff!
I would like to welcome our newest regional director, Abigayle “Abi” Batkoff, to the SouthBest team. Abi is a Double Domer, graduating with her BS in Science-Business and Theology minor in 2021 and her MBA in 2022 with a concentration in Business Analytics. While on campus, she was the captain of the Notre Dame Cheerleading team. Since graduating, Abi has worked at FTI Consulting as a Healthcare Consultant in Chicago, where she has worked on revenue cycle management and integration management projects. Abi’s first day will be Monday, January 22, and will be working with families in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Please join me in welcoming Abi, her fiance, Charles, and her dog, Lulu, back to Notre Dame!
Best,
Shelby
Please join me in welcoming Morgan Anthony, who will serve as a Regional Director of Development on the Southern team! Her first day will be Monday, January 22nd.
Prior to her arrival at Notre Dame, Morgan served as a Senior Marketing Manager at The Giving Block, a Shift4 company, where she worked to attract younger generations of donors through digital-first giving vehicles. In this position, she had the privilege of working closely with major nonprofit organizations such as Save the Children, Riley’s Children Hospital, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As a former “Riley kid” herself, she found this experience particularly impactful. Prior to that, she held marketing manager and creative strategist roles in New York City, working for agencies such as The Ricciardi Group and TH Experiential. These experiences sharpened her skills in strategic campaign execution and large-scale event production.
Over the weekends and in her spare time, she built and operated a wedding coordination and consultation company and pursued other creative interests such as acting and stand-up comedy. She began her career at Time Inc., working for HEALTH and Cooking Light magazines on their integrated marketing team.
Morgan is an alum of Saint Mary’s College class of 2015, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and met her now-husband, Paul Anthony (ND 15′), at the ND vs. USC football game. They were married in August of 2023 and are proud residents of downtown South Bend.
Feel free to reach out to Morgan (MorganAnthony@nd.edu) and welcome her to the team!
Thanks,
Tim
UR Friends and Colleagues,
I write to share the news that Emily Naff’s last day with the University was January 2, 2024. She has decided to focus on her young family at this time.
We are grateful for Emily’s contributions to the DC team, and we wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life. She will always be a member of the Notre Dame Family!
All the best,
Anita Sareen & the DC Team
Please note that due to the construction happening on the 2nd floor of the ESC offices, the elevators are significantly delayed to the 1st floor. Kite is aware of the situation and is periodically resetting the elevators. If you are unable to wait for the elevator, please be advised to take the stairs or to take the Investment Office elevator to the 4th floor, where you can then either take the elevator down to the 3rd floor or use the stairs. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.
Dear UR Family,
It is with bittersweet emotion that I announce the departure of Kat Gardner from the University of Notre Dame.
Kat has been offered an incredible opportunity to serve as the Development Director for the Stanley Clark School in South Bend. She looks forward to leveraging her experience to build a program, contribute to the community, and actively participate in her son’s school and education.
Over the past 8 years, Kat has played a crucial role in University Relations, previously contributing to the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. In March 2023, she transitioned to Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving, where, in her first 9 months, she successfully raised over $1.9 million in unrestricted cash revenue and closed four leadership gifts (totaling $800,000 in production).
Kat’s determination, leadership, hard work, and wisdom have significantly enriched our collaborative efforts, and her presence will be missed.
Join me in extending the warmest wishes to Kat for joy and success in her exciting new chapter.
In Kindness,
Indi J
I am delighted to share that proud parents Tom Scrace and Sarah Carruthers welcomed baby boy John Bessette Scrace on January 7. Weighing in at 7lbs 13oz, John is settling in well at home with his new dog besties. Congrats to the wonderful family!
– Amanda Retartha
As a reminder, today, starting at 5:00 pm crmND access will no longer be available and the Advance system and BEAT will become available as READ ONLY. No gift processing or data inputs (ie contact updates, proposals, contact reports, BEAT Ticket Requests, etc.) will be allowed during the data conversion.
The asceND team will perform a variety of planned activities through 8:00 am (ET) Tuesday, January 16 to migrate and deploy the new Salesforce asceND Platform. If you are connected to the Advance system at 5:00, your session will automatically be terminated, and you will need to log back in if needed to access information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our departmental IT support team.
Please join me in welcoming Lauren Wertz to the Friends of Ted & Ned, Cavanaugh Council, and President’s Circle Team as the newest Associate Director! Lauren received her bachelor’s and master’s in social work and spent many years as a case manager and supervisor with child services in St. Joe County. Most recently, Lauren served as the Director of Programs for Nurses Inspire Nurses, a vibrant community platform and e-commerce hub focused on cultivating a sense of belonging and empowerment within the nursing community. Lauren lives here in South Bend with her husband, and in her free time, she enjoys staying active (thanks to her Peloton), is an avid reader, and is a lover of plants. Fun fact: she has over 30 houseplants in her home!
With her wide array of skills and experience, we are very excited to have her as part of the FTN/CCPC team! Lauren’s first day was Monday, January 8. Congratulations and welcome, Lauren!
Mary Jane Añón
The Gift and Data Management office will be closed this Friday, January 12. givegift@nd.edu will be monitored for donor emails and calls.
Thank you,
Amy Schell
South Bend is in desperate need of blood this January. The American Red Cross is sponsoring a blood drive tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9th from 11am to 4pm at the IDEA Center. Please “Walk the Walk” and consider being a blood donor to meet our area’s needs.
The Office of Gift Planning will be closed this Friday, January 12, in recognition of our team’s work during the year end.
Thank you,
TJ Pillari
Please extend a warm welcome to our new Science Academic Advancement Director, Steve Asiala! Some of you may know Steve from his most recent position at the IDEA Center, where he served as the Assistant Director for Research Engagement, and we are so excited to welcome him to Development. Steve received his B.S. in Chemistry from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He then received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Notre Dame. His experience ranges from partnering with faculty and the Academy to driving engagement with the Industrial Biotechnology sector across Scotland, which will serve him in the AAD role. Ask him about his time as a postdoc in Scotland!
As the Science AAD, Steve will be responsible for driving philanthropy to the College of Science, working closely with William K. Warren Foundation Dean and Professor of Mathematical and Quantitative Biology, Santiago Schnell. This position has been vacant since October 2023, so we are excited that Steve’s first day in Development will be Tuesday, January 16, 2024. He will be starting right as Advisory Council Membership preparation and review begins, so he will be spending lots of time at Main Building the first couple weeks. You will get a chance to hear from him during the Winter Spectacular in the Science immersion and meet him throughout the Annual Planning Day.
We are thrilled to have Steve join the team!!!
KO
At 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 10, crmND will no longer be available as part of the transition to asceND and the Advance system and BEAT will become READ ONLY.
The data conversion to asceND will begin at that time and we expect asceND will be operable on Tuesday, January 16. No gift processing or data inputs (ie contact updates, proposals, contact reports, etc.) will be allowed during the data conversion.
The data mart will be frozen and available on 1/11 for reporting with data processed through 1/10.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our departmental IT support team.
Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in January! We hope this new year brings you joy!
1/2—Koby Keck
1/3—Andrea Swanagan
1/4—Molly Cosby
1/5—Nancy Cole
1/6—Elicia Dennis
1/6—Dylan Reed
1/7—Drew Buscareno
1/9—Kate Brown
1/11—Colleen Bailey-Knapke
1/11—Stu Fortener
1/12—James Riley
1/13—Laura Walker
1/16—Tracey Cantwell
1/17—Matt Frazier
1/19—Jeff Fersch
1/21—Matt McVeigh
1/21—Michael Stark
1/23—Nadia Erickson
1/24—Suzanne DeGuillo
1/24—Melissa Lechlitner-Lewis
1/24—Katie Leigh
1/25—Kelly Courington
1/25—Lou Nanni
1/26—Chris Baguer
1/26—Joanne Norell
1/30—Geoff Stookey
1/31—Bryan Reaume