Our UR Finance team has developed some new training resources that are relevant to individuals who manage or contribute to a budget as well as all individuals who use any University-issued cards, Concur or are involved in any contracts. These resources are now part of the onboarding process for new hires but we thought that it would be helpful to communicate the availability of these short, video-based trainings:

• FOAPAL Basics

• What is a JV and how do I process one?

• Managing a Budget

• Contract Basics

• Concur Basics

• Card Types

Please let Patty Kokesh, Rachel Myers or Rachel Schaefer know if you have any questions.

As a reminder, the department maintains a townhome property within Eddy Street Commons for use by significant benefactors, guests of University leaders, and internal UR staff members. While donor and University leadership requests will always take top priority, the condo is generally available for work-related stays for UR staff, and should be kept in mind as a cost-effective option for remote employees. Any remote staff traveling to campus for meetings and/or donor visits are allowed to submit a request for use of the townhome, and the property may also be shared by multiple staff members of the same sex if all parties are amenable. Requests for full family stays are allowed as well, though in the event the condo is being shared by multiple parties, again, all involved must be amenable. The condo itself consists of 4 bedrooms (including a total of 2 queen beds, 1 full bed, and 2 twin beds), 3.5 bathrooms, as well as a 2-car garage, though one spot within the garage is currently being used to house our golf cart.

All requests for use of the Development townhome should be submitted through this Google Form at least six weeks prior to the requested dates, when possible. All requests will be reviewed by Brian Diss, Marty Harshman, and Sara Liebscher to determine approval, which if granted will be communicated four weeks prior to check-in. The only costs incurred for internal staff for use of the property is a $285 cleaning fee, which will be charged to (or split across) the appropriate staff member budget lines at the conclusion of the stay. Please contact Brent Henningfeld with any questions about the townhome or the process to request a reservation.

As of last week, certain visualizations on the fundraiser homepages have been updated with the latest reporting data from asceND. It will be updated daily with current data from the system providing an up-to-date view of their progress towards their goals. 

From their home page, under “My Work” they will now see the bar chart is up-to-date with their progress to goals, ie. production, unrestricted, etc. (No more message about frozen as of 1/10/24)

From the “Comparisons” tab on the homepage, the Metrics and Leaderboards have been updated as well.

One item to note is that while this information has been updated in asceND, the data on the fundraiser dashboard is still from January 10.  We will continue to work on the dashboards and visualizations and keep you posted as more are released.

UR Family,

Please join me in welcoming Amber Herkey to the Academic Advancement team! Amber will be working with the McGrath Institute for Church Life, Hesburgh Libraries, and the Institute for Latino Studies.

From her past work with the Center for Social Concerns as the Program Director of Justice Education to her experience with L’Arche International and L’Arche Canada and more, we are really grateful for the new perspective, energy, and creative and strategic expertise she will bring to our team.

Amber is a 2010 graduate of Notre Dame, where she studied Anthropology, and holds an MA in Global Studies from Berkeley. She and her husband, Michael, are proud parents to Azura (1).

Amber’s first day will be Monday, April 1st (no, I didn’t think about April Fool’s Day as we were finalizing dates!).

Please join me in giving Amber a warm welcome!
Ellen

UR Colleagues,

I’m excited to share with you that Angie Lacopo will begin a new role with us. Angie’s first day as the EVC Customer Service Representative will be Wednesday, April 3rd.

Angie has been a member of our on-call desk staff since 2017 and has been employed full-time with Macy’s for 28 years. She has 2 sons, Thomas and Charlie.

When not working, Angie enjoys attending both Chicago and South Bend Cubs games,

Please help me welcome Anige to her new position.

Amanda

Dear Colleagues,

I write to inform you that, after careful discernment and consideration, Jason Scarlett has accepted an opportunity to move from his current role as Senior Director for the Central region to take on a Regional Director role, working with a portfolio of highly engaged and generous Notre Dame benefactors.

Jason has served as Senior Director for the Central region for the past 3 years, a team he has been an integral member of for more than 14 years (in what was previously the Midwest region). During his time as Senior Director, Jason has led the team to more than $220 million in production and record years in production and mission giving this past fiscal year.

If you have worked with Jason, you know of his passion, selflessness and commitment to Notre Dame and his teammates. We have talked openly about where he can continue to best provide leadership to the team and the University. It is fitting that, just today, Jason booked a $17.4 million leadership gift from the Reisert family, with whom he has cultivated a wonderful relationship. It is one of many that Jason has built and strengthened in his more than 14 years at Notre Dame, over which time he has closed 122 leadership gifts for $152 million in direct support of the University.

For as difficult of a decision as this was, Jason, along with George, Jerry, Sara, Lou and I all agreed that, at this time, we need Jason’s leadership, experience and track record of success in the field, working with several of our topmost benefactors to further Notre Dame and its mission. Jason will continue to lead the Central team until a new Senior Director is in place.

With Jason’s transition, we now have two open Senior Director positions. George, Jerry, Sara and I will be in touch next week regarding next steps in the process to identify the right leaders for these teams. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at all.

In the meantime, please join me in thanking Jason for his continued leadership and congratulating him on this exciting new chapter in his Notre Dame journey.

All the best,
Ryan

It is with bittersweet emotion that I announce Katie Leigh’s departure from the Development Coordinator team. Katie and her fiance, are moving to upstate New York. We are excited for her and wish her well. Katie’s last day was March 15th.

Tashana

UR Family,

In our latest episode of For Good: Stories from Notre Dame, Meghan Sullivan, the Wilsey Family Collegiate Professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study and the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative, talks from Fr. Hesburgh’s historic office about how the University has a responsibility to become a global leader in philosophical and ethical studies, how Fr. Hesburgh’s legacy resonates both on campus and beyond, and how Notre Dame teaches students to apply philosophical lessons in their own lives to create a more ethical and just future for all.

Watch on YouTube →

Listen on Spotify →

– Brandon Tabor

We are excited to announce that the Leadership Annual Giving team (LAG) has rebranded and will now be known as Associate Regional Directors (ARD). The renaming reflects our shared vision within Development and emphasizes unity across divisions. Consider the ARDs some of your most valuable partners when it comes to championing unrestricted and uncovering the next generation of major gift donors. Intrigued to know more, interested in exploring opportunities, or eager to collaborate? Let’s meet, I’m all ears!

One Team, One Dream, my friends!
Indi J

It’s my pleasure to welcome Terrell Robinson to the Annual Giving team as an Associate Director. Terrell will start on March 25th, collaborating with the Southwest and Chicago Regions.

Terrell holds a Master of Arts degree in Sports & Athletic Administration from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Oregon.

With nearly three years in Development here at Notre Dame, he’s been an integral part of the Athletic Advancement team having collaborated with various fundraisers to produce more than $2.8 million in unrestricted gift production over fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

Terrell’s passion for advancing Notre Dame’s mission is something that we’re excited about, and we’re thrilled to welcome Terrell, his wife Lindsay, and their children, Haylo (11) and Kaeson (5), to the Annual Giving team!

Please join me in welcoming Terrell.

Indi Jackson

Team,

Please feel free to stop by the ESC 3rd Floor Cafe where we have an assortment of pies available in celebration of Pi Day! And a very special thanks to our pie suppliers:

Colleen Bailey-Knapke
Ernestine Gardner
Stephanie Washington
Bailey Smith
Katie O’Friel
Grace Prosniewski
Wendy Garcia Sigala
Pamela Mullin
Bec Grose
Sondra Solloway

Many users have reported seeing the following message when accessing records in asceND. Please know that the Development IT&S team is aware of the error and is currently working with our partners at UCI to rectify the issue.  They have informed us that the issue will be resolved in the next software update.

Until then, you may close the message and continue using the system.

Please join me in congratulating Katie, Casey, and big sister, Holland on the arrival of baby Hannah Elizabeth Edel! Hannah was born on March 5th at 3:15 pm at 6Lbs 5 oz, 20.25 inches. Both mom and baby are doing great!

-Tashana

Dear Colleagues,

I’m happy to share that Angie Palsak has been promoted to an Assistant Program Director on the Development Administration Team. In this role, Angie will join forces with Kristin Schoenfeld, Samantha Checkley, and Roz Palusci in partnering with the ERD’s and SRD’s. With the addition of Angie, a few partnerships are moving to better align the ERD with the SRD and regions who work most closely.

Beginning March 18, the following partnerships will be in place:
Kristin Schoenfeld will work with George West, Tim Kelly, and Nadia Erickson
Samantha Checkley will work with Ryan Brennan, Jason Scarlett, and Shelby Carroll
Roz Palusci will work with Jerry Barca, Ashley Gerard, and Sean Sharpe
Angie Palsak will work with Erin Newkirk, Joe Dietz, and myself.

Angie joined the Development team in December of 2022 as a development coordinator. Angie has been supporting fundraisers and co-leading the efforts to create training modules for new development coordinators. Angie came to Notre Dame with a host of experience after spending time at a financial institution and another higher education institution where she served for eighteen years.

Erin, Joe, and I are eager to begin working with Angie on a daily basis.

Thank you,
Amy

Please join me in welcoming 2 new members to the Friends of Ted & Ned, Cavanaugh Council, and President’s Circle Team as our newest Associate Directors – Lindsay Borden and Annalisa Tombelli!

Lindsay Borden

Lindsay grew up in the Elkhart Community in a philanthropic family, so she has always had a passion for giving back. Having lived in Florida, Colorado, and Illinois, she recently moved back to the area with her family.

Lindsay is a graduate of Indiana University and spent the last eight years focused on her family as she is the proud mom to: Isabel (8), Bruno (5), Augusta (4). Previously, Lindsay was the Regional Manager of Florida at lululemon athletica and ran multiple high-volume stores.

She brings a strong entrepreneurial spirit, interpersonal skills, and a keen ability to build genuine relationships and is enthusiastic to begin this new chapter to help further the mission of Notre Dame. Lindsay’s first day was Wednesday, March 6.

Annalisa Tombelli

A Michigan native, Annalisa has called South Bend home since 2016.

Her love of Notre Dame’s mission began in graduate business admissions for Mendoza College of Business, before specializing in impact storytelling and innovation education at the university’s IDEA Center. Her experience in design thinking and project management led her to develop omnichannel marketing and partnership strategies for alumni, parents, students, fans, and donors as part of Barnes and Noble College’s Notre Dame Retail experience, working closely with University Events and Enterprises, the Alumni Association, Student Enrichment, Athletics, and the Department of Development.

On Saturdays, you’ll find her enjoying the South Bend Farmer’s Market with her husband and Goldendoodle, Pepper, coffee in hand!

We could not be more excited to have Lindsay and Annalisa on the team as they both bring wonderful skills and attributes to their roles. And we are thrilled to have a full FTN/CCPC team once again!

Congratulations, and welcome to Lindsay and Annalisa!

Mary Jane Añón

Dear colleagues,

In light of previous organizational changes, we conducted an assessment of how to best provide professional development opportunities within University Relations and that has led to the difficult decision to discontinue the UR position: Program Manager, Learning & Leadership Development, effective March 7, 2024.

I want to thank Bryan Reaume, who has faithfully served in this position for the past 8 years. Bryan’s commitment to our team and our mission has been evident in everything he accomplished during his tenure, including the launching of our UR CASE internship program, the monthly Learn and Lead sessions, and several cohorts of the Burns Leadership program. I am grateful to Bryan for his service in this role, and wish him well as he continues to serve the University outside of University Relations.

Over the coming months, I will collaborate with the UR Senior Leadership team and partners in NDHR to evaluate the current and future needs for professional development programs within University Relations and develop a long-term strategy in this area. Our people are the most critical component to our success as a division, and our investment in your continued learning and growth is of utmost priority. I welcome your participation and feedback in this process, and will offer times and forums for you to provide this feedback in the near future.

Moving forward, Stephanie Washington, Associate Director of Learning and Leadership Development, will continue to lead the execution of our onboarding efforts, and will report to Adria Logan. Additionally, Adria, Stephanie, and the Talent Acquisition team will provide oversight for the 2024 UR Summer Intern cohort. I am grateful to each of them for being willing to take on these efforts this year.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Brian

UR Family,

Two weeks ago, I shared with you a new YouTube and podcast series called For Good: Stories from Notre Dame that the Storytelling team is producing.

In our latest episode, Ted Barron, the Executive Director of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and Judd and Mary Lou Leighton Director of the Performing Arts, discusses how DPAC develops students, empowers local artists, and showcases world-class performers and programs to put the arts center stage in the Notre Dame experience.

Watch on YouTube →

Listen on Spotify →

– Brandon Tabor