Friends,

I am very pleased to share that Colleen Bailey-Knapke has been hired to succeed RaeLee Rea as Senior Director of Gift Planning Strategic Operations, to begin on Monday, November 13.

Colleen earned her BBA in Accountancy from Notre Dame in 2013 and returned to the University in 2018. Since that time Colleen has been a standout member of the Gift Management team, most recently serving as Audit and Compliance Program Director where her responsibilities included ensuring the accuracy of gift data, serving as subject-matter expert on regulatory sanctions, and liaising with the University’s Controller’s Office, Tax Department and our Gift Planning team.

Following her graduation from Notre Dame and prior to returning to the University in 2018, Colleen served as a Senior Associate at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, as an independent consultant where she partnered with clients to design and implement accounting systems, and as Controller for Holy Cross Services.

In her role as Senior Director, Colleen will lead the Gift Planning Strategic Operations team and maintain oversight of the University’s Donor Advised Fund, Charitable Remainder Trust, and Charitable Gift Annuity programs, as well as the administration of realized trust and estate gifts. Her abilities and experience in the design and implementation of continuous process improvements will be a boon to the Gift Planning team, to the continued growth of our DAF and CRT programs, and to the benefactors we serve.

Please join me in congratulating Colleen on this new role!

-TJ