I write today to share that our friend and colleague Claire Brown will be leaving her role with the Stewardship & Donor Relations team in the coming weeks. Claire has accepted a position at Saint Mary’s College that will take her career in an academically-facing direction. Given her educational background (Ph.D. in Anthropology) and interest in academic research, as well as her long-term professional goals, Claire is very excited to serve as Saint Mary’s new Director of Grants & Sponsored Research. Claire’s last day with the Stewardship & Donor Relations team will be Monday, August 5th.

Since April of 2023, Claire has served as the University Stewardship Initiatives Program Director partnering on stewardship with the College of Arts & Letters and Notre Dame Global, and she has managed the Professorships Program within Stewardship. Claire also served as a front-line supervisor within our unit. Claire has done excellent work during her time with the S&DR team and she will be missed. Please join me in thanking Claire and congratulating her on this exciting new opportunity!

We will begin a search for Claire’s replacement immediately. If you have any questions, ideas, or interest please reach out to me right away.

Sincerely,

Cristi Ganyard
Senior Director for University Stewardship Initiatives

Please join us in celebrating the promotions of several colleagues who are now aligned to serve the whole DC Team and Regional Development fundraising in crucial new ways:

Congratulations to Kimberly Bakle on her promotion to Regional Associate (RA), Development Administration. Kimberly’s appointment has expanded the DC Team’s capabilities to partner with Tier 4 and Tier 5 fundraisers as well as share her subject matter expertise more broadly. Many of you know Kimberly from her excellent contributions toward fundraising in her 3 years in UR, and some of you knew her during her Mendoza tenure. Did you know she also worked for the Robinson Community Learning Center? Altogether, Kimberly has 8-½ years of invaluable University experience. We are grateful to have her on the team!

Congratulations to Rebecca Lane, who has been promoted to Regional Associate (RA), Development Administration. This new role is envisioned to increase our capabilities in specialty programming areas and to leverage her expertise in design and media for maximum impact. Rebecca will partner with Cat Edmonds, Kari Tarman, and Pablo Martinez. Additionally, she will serve as the Design Trainer for the DC Team. During her 3 years at Notre Dame, Rebecca has created countless Spark cards, itineraries, videos, biographies, and event invitations for the entire Regional Development team. In the new role, she will train others and help ensure all materials comply with University standards.

Congratulations to Michelle Jones for her promotion to Associate Director (AD), Development Administration. Michelle has assumed the responsibilities of the recently vacated role, contributing immediately to the hiring efforts for our growing team. Along with the 4 other ADs, Michelle now serves on the DC Leadership Team and will manage 5-7 direct reports in addition to partnering with 2 fundraisers. Michelle joined the University in July 2021, applying her former direct fundraising experience to the DC role. Her skills in working in Tier 5 fundraising support, serving as Sara’s backup, and helping the team earned her a promotion to the RA position in 2023. This promotion will utilize her former management experience in helping to craft an excellent experience for DC Team members and their fundraising partners for sustainable high performance.

Thank you for your support and congratulations!
The DC Leadership Team

Please give a warm welcome to Aubre Bragg, who has joined the Storytelling and Engagement team as a marketing specialist. She will work closely with Storytelling and the Office of Gift Planning to help drive the University’s expansion in planned charitable contributions among other responsibilities. Aubre brings a wealth of experience with marketing tools and analyses, including as a consultant with Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits in St. Petersburg, FL, the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor, where she managed 98 accounts, consistently hit monthly sales targets, and generated over $1 million of revenue in 9 months. Aubre comes to Notre Dame from a successful year with Young & Laramore in Indianapolis, where she assisted national and regional accounts across all stages of their media campaign cycle – research, planning, execution, trafficking, maintenance, measurement, and account management. She was responsible for day-to-day campaign needs including pacing, optimization opportunities, and performance reporting.

Aubre graduated summa cum laude from Ball State University, with a major in marketing and a minor in strategic communications. She is also a 10-year trained professional dancer. Originally from Fishers, Indiana, Aubre looks forward to living in South Bend where she can enjoy all of her hobbies—baking, cycling, and weight training—and perhaps in colder times, to vacationing in her favorite getaway of Key West, Florida. Welcome, Aubre!

-David Chaudoir

Jimita Potter, who formerly worked in Notre Dame Development as an administrative assistant, peacefully passed away on Saturday, June 29, 2024, with her husband and daughters by her side. Jimita’s legacy of passion, integrity, and unwavering commitment to her family and community will be fondly remembered and deeply missed by all who knew her.

A visitation will be held on July 9th from 4-8 PM at Hahn Funeral Home with a rosary at 7:30 PM. A funeral mass will be held at St. Pius X on July 10th at 10:30 AM, with visitation an hour prior at church. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Mishawaka. You can view here obituary here.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jimita Potter may be made to the Junior League of South Bend Endowment, Riverbend Cancer Services, Center for Hospice Care, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share the bittersweet news that Jeff Faust will be leaving the Development Development for a position in the Office of Information Technology working primarily for the Office of Research.

Jeff has been an invaluable member of the Information Technology and Services team for 11 years and will be greatly missed by all of us.

I am grateful for his numerous contributions to the team and the department. Please join me in expressing heartfelt appreciation to Jeff for all his hard work and dedication. I wish him nothing but the utmost success in all his future endeavors.

-Rose

Friends,

Join me in sending best wishes to Eric Atkins, who will be leaving the University on July 5th to return to Baltimore to spend more time with his immediate and extended family and to pursue opportunities closer to home.

Eric has been an incredible teammate who brought passion and humility to our team on a daily basis. He’ll be missed, but we couldn’t be more supportive of his decision, and he’ll always be a part of our Athletics and Development family.

Thank you,

Riley

Dear Colleagues,

We want to take the opportunity to welcome our newest member of the East Region. It is with great pleasure that we share that Katy Orenchuk will be joining our team as a frontline fundraiser, effective July 1. Many of you know that Katy has made the decision to serve the mission of Notre Dame as a Regional Director after fearlessly leading our Academic Advancement team as a Senior Director. Prior to her time at Notre Dame she spent 13 years as a fundraiser in the DC and Chicago markets. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Katy.

Thank you,
Nadia

Team,

Please join me in welcoming Deanna Gumpf, who will serve as Regional Director on the Southwest team, working primarily with families in southern California. Deanna’s first day is Monday, July 1 (please feel free to pop in at Eddy Street to keep her company!)

Deanna joins us after 23 years of leading the Notre Dame softball program as head coach, where she amassed 882 wins, making her the winningest head coach in Notre Dame athletics history. Beyond her success on the field, Deanna is known as a servant leader, devoted to her players, coaches and the University.

Deanna and her husband John are longtime residents of South Bend, and the proud parents of Brady (ND’24) and Tatum, who will enroll as a freshman at the University of Kentucky next month. Please join me in welcoming Deanna to the team!

All the best,
Ryan Brennan

I’m excited to share that Katie and Matt Kerby have welcomed their first child into the world! Born just in time for our FYE celebrations, Quinn Kerby arrived on Friday, June 28, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 20.25 inches. Both mom and baby are healthy and doing well.

Please join me in congratulating Katie and Matt on this wonderful addition to their family. Welcome to the world, Quinn!

Brandon Tabor