Strong Minds, Healthy Lives!

Well-Being Warriors: The University Relations HR wellness communication team is here to keep you informed about the latest University wellness benefits while ensuring you don’t miss out on the ones you already have! Keep an eye out for updates in upcoming editions of the souNDoff and around the office.

Congratulations, Caitlyn Clinton!

We are excited to announce that Caitlyn Clinton has accepted the opportunity to lead our Annual Giving Campaigns & Initiatives team! In this role, she will lead a team in designing, planning, and executing Notre Dame’s campaigns and initiatives to maximize donor count and unrestricted revenue from alumni, parents, and friends. Through various large-scale campaigns, program oversight, and outreach to targeted audiences, the Director is responsible for initiatives that result in $15M+ annually for the university (Think: Notre Dame Day, Friday Night Bash, #GivingTuesday, and so much more!). Additionally, the team largely owns and reports on the department’s goal of 127,000 donors annually.

Caitlyn started her career at Notre Dame in Annual Giving overseeing ND Listens where she led ~100 students in doing meaningful outreach to the Notre Dame family. She significantly grew the program and quickly gained leadership and management skills. Most recently, Caitlyn has served as an Associate Director for Academic Advancement, navigating critical relationships with key leaders on campus to drive fundraising.

Caitlyn will continue to work with and advise the AAD Team as they search for and onboard a new candidate to fill her role.

Please join us in celebrating Caitlyn!

Katie Kerby & MIke Macaluso

Congratulations, Koby!

We are delighted to share that Koby Keck has been promoted to Regional Associate (RA), Development Administration. In this capacity, Koby will be able to share his subject matter expertise in Gift Planning more broadly with the entire DC team and Development. Koby has been instrumental in onboarding the most recent new cohorts of DCs on Gift Planning subjects, three GPOs, and in our adaptation of AsceND. He is a proud Notre Dame alum, Class of 2011. We are grateful to have him on the team!

Best,

Jen Koebel and the DC Leadership Team

We wish you the best, Danielle Filgueira!

It is with bittersweet emotion that we write to share the news that Danielle Filgueira’s last day with the University of Notre Dame was yesterday. Danielle has been a valued part of the Annual Giving team for three years and is a great friend to many. We’re grateful for all that she has accomplished.

We all wish Danielle the best in her next chapter!

Thanks,

Katie Kerby & Indi Jackson

Congratulations, Lori Rush!

Dear UR Family,

It is with bittersweet emotion that I announce Lori Rush’s decision to retire at the end of September.

Lori has been a fixture in Development at Notre Dame for the past 33 years, and has dedicated 38 total years to the University. The impact that she has on our ability to connect with donors in meaningful ways is matched only by the impact that she has as a trusted colleague and true friend.

Lori began her career at Notre Dame in Career Services before moving to Development as the Assistant Director of what is today, ND Listens. After 22 years in that role, she transitioned and was promoted to Senior Data Analyst, leading all data-related items for mass communications in Annual Giving. We simply could not do what we do without her.

A heartfelt thank you to Lori for all her years of dedication – and for her generous notice, enabling us to plan next steps. Her last day will be September 30. Until then, please join us in wishing Lori the best in her retirement.

Cheers to a new chapter filled with plentiful travel, spicy food, and maybe even a purple Camaro!

Anneliese

Welcome to the NDAA, Mark Schult!

Dear Team,

I’m happy to announce that Mark Schult will be our new IT Solutions Consultant in the Alumni Association. Mark will be joining the team officially on Monday, March 3rd. He comes to the NDAA after spending the last five years working as the IT Solutions Consultant for Notre Dame Global, supporting teams here on campus, as well as in Rome, London, and around the world.

In addition to his skills as an IT Solutions Consultant, Mark brings with him a passion for project management, having earned a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and led multiple projects both for ND Global and OIT here on campus. He played a key role in refining the ND Global Campus Workstation Program (CWP) process and stabilizing the desktop management environment. He is also serving as the project manager on the campus-wide ServiceNow Common Service Data Model (CSDM) project for OIT.

Mark originally hails from Michigan City, and he and his family currently reside in LaPorte. He’s got some fun history if you ask him about it. In his spare time, he follows the NDAA’s passion for service by supporting the Children’s Miracle Network’s Extra Life program, putting his gaming skills to use for a great cause.

John

Patty Kokesh to serve as Executive Director, IT and Financial Administration

Team,

I am pleased to share that Patty Kokesh will be promoted to the role of Executive Director, IT and Financial Administration effective Monday, March 3. In this role, Patty will lead the strategy and deployment behind the technology, analytics, and financial resources for our division in support of our fundraising goals. This promotion makes permanent the oversight Patty has provided to the IT and Analytics team on an interim basis since Carleen Quinlan’s retirement in early December. In addition, Patty will continue to provide leadership to the Financial Administration and Strategy team.

We are blessed to have Patty as a member of our Advancement Services and Development leadership teams, and grateful to her for so eagerly taking on this new opportunity. Patty joined University Relations in June 2017 as Associate Director of Data and Analytics in support of the Annual Giving team. Since that time, she has built strong partnerships with leaders throughout the division and the university while taking on roles of increasing responsibility. Patty was promoted to the role of Senior Director of Financial Administration and Strategy in February 2023. She and her husband, Ryan, are the proud parents of two young sons, Marty and Jamie.

Additionally, I’d like to thank the leadership of the IT and Analytics teams (Andrew Yocum, Dean Ernzen, Rose Michalski, Matt LaFlash, Mayuri Changede, and Tracey Mulherin) for their leadership during this interim time and for their input and feedback as we evaluated the future of this critical team and function. They and their teams provide incredibly impactful work for our division and they each will be an asset to Patty as she moves forward in this role.

Please join me in thanking Patty for her continued leadership and congratulating her on her new role!

Brian

Annual Giving Programs Team Updates

Hello! I’m writing to share a few updates for the Annual Giving Programs team:

 

  • We are renaming the team Annual Giving Campaigns & Initiatives to better describe the work this team accomplishes and align with industry standards. 

 

  • Meredith Sharwarko, the current Director of the team, has decided to move on from her position. Her last day will be February 28th. Meredith has served in this position for two years and in that time has led every one of the 12 programs and initiatives on this team to see incredible growth! Two of her most notable accomplishments include achieving record-breaking numbers on Notre Dame Day two years in a row and leading our most successful Calendar Year-End campaign ever this past December. Meredith is a very strategic thinker and we will greatly miss her wisdom and leadership. We wish you the best, Meredith!

 

  • Wendy Garcia Sigala has been promoted to Associate Director! Her expanded responsibilities include leading ND Listens while continuing her work with peer-to-peer outreach. Additional responsibilities include ND Loyal Student Ambassadors, student philanthropy education, stewardship campaigns for Annual Giving donors, and senior class giving. I can’t imagine a more perfect person to lead our ND Listens students. Congratulations, Wendy!

 

  • Leslie Curry will take on an expanded role leading and executing our large-scale campaigns. Still leading our Notre Dame Fund, Renewals, and Matching Gifts strategy.

 

We are in the middle of the hiring process for the Director, Annual Giving Campaigns & Initiatives position and will soon post Wendy’s former role of Assistant Director, Annual Giving Campaigns & Initiatives. 

 

Please reach out to Katie Kerby if you have any additional questions. Thank you!

Welcome Kamil Kosidlak to the NDAA!

Dear Team –

I’m excited to announce that Kamil Kosidlak will be joining the NDAA IT team as our new Data and Systems Specialist on Monday, February 24.  While he’s new to the NDAA, Kamil has been working on campus since 2017, spending time in Development, OIT, and his current position supporting IT in Mendoza College of Business.

Originally from Poland, Kamil grew up in the South Bend area.  He completed his Bachelor’s degree from IUSB and this past December completed his Masters in Data Science from IU-Bloomington.  He thrives on the thrill of the challenge and loves solving complex problems and navigating unique situations.

While Kamil’s first day with the team isn’t until the 24th, you may see him around before then as we work on his onboarding.  When you see him, make sure to give him a great, big NDAA welcome!

John

Euchre is Fun!

All,
If you are interested in playing euchre, please plan on joining us next Thursday, February 20 at 5:15pm in the ESC Cafe. Send your name to Annica Hill and she will start to include you in our monthly game night. Bring a snack to share, $2 for prizes and plan on having a fun night of cards. 
 
If you are interested in learning to play euchre, this would be an easy way to learn. We can go over the rules, and before you know it, you will just dive right in and play!!