Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in April! We hope you “spring” into a year full of joy and fun!

4/1 – Katie O’Friel
4/1 – Tara Reilly
4/1 – Jess Rizzo
4/1 – Steve Sollmann
4/3 – Michael Connaughton
4/6 – Austin Gammage
4/6 – Ken Johnson
4/6 – Cindy Karpovs
4/8 – Amanda Mckee
4/12 – Joe Dietz
4/12 – Katy Orenchuk
4/15 – Terri Glenn
4/15 – Amy Mason
4/16 – Michelle Jones
4/16 – Steve Orsini
4/18 – Dean Ernzen
4/18 – Jeff Faust
4/19 – Kris Machalleck
4/19 – Rose Michalski
4/20 – Mark Helmke
4/22 – Rachel Parks
4/23 – Kat Gardner
4/23 – Matthew Greene
4/23 – Karen Sunshine
4/24 – Angie Dennig
4/25 – Josh Cunningham
4/25 – Sarah Wodrich
4/27 – Ryan Brennan
4/27 – Katie Kerby
4/27 – Marie Labosky
4/27 – Sheila McMahon
4/29 – Peter Hlabse
4/30 – Andrew Frye

With spring on the way back to campus, please note the following updates regarding the ESC Smart Cars:

• Parking for Smart Cars #12 & #14 has returned to their pre-winter locations (facing Harper Hall; adjacent to the drop-off circle at the 1st-floor lobby entrance). Signage for each spot has been updated.
  • Reminder: If you are using one of the cars, it should be returned to its original location (i.e. Car #12 to Spot 12, etc.)
• Smart Car #9 has been retired due to mechanical issues. At this time, we will not be replacing this vehicle and this parking spot has be reassigned for another purpose.
• If you need to pick up or drop off, use the circle drive adjacent to the lobby doors. The use of flashers in this loading/unloading zone is encouraged

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Waltz (lwaltz@nd.edu), Lana Taylor (ltaylor1@nd.edu), or Grace Prosniewski (gprosnie@nd.edu).

Our Giving Societies team is growing! I am happy to share that Tim Kenney will shift his responsibilities to focus on leading and growing Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold. His work will focus on three critical areas: developing a strategic growth plan for Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold through research and data analysis, generating content and experiences that will grow the overall attractiveness of Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold, and building relationships with internal and external partners to influence fundraising.

We are now hiring an Associate Director, Sorin Society Marketing.

Please reach out to me or Tim Kenney with questions about the transition.

Thank you,
Katie Kerby

Spring means spring cleaning!

As a reminder, if you utilize the shared fridges in any of our office spaces, it is your responsibility to clean and dispose of any food or condiments you bring in. Please put your name and date on anything you place in the refrigerator.

Samantha Checkley has graciously volunteered to lead a deep clean of some of our shared ESC office resources this coming Monday, April 3rd. Please note, if you have food/drinks/condiments in the fridge, they MUST be labeled with your name and the date. Any expired items/unmarked items will be thrown away.

Additionally, if you are interested in helping with the cleaning process, please meet up with Samantha in the ESC Cafe at 9AM on Monday, April 3rd.

Thank you again for respecting our shared spaces!

UR Team,

Please join us in congratulating Kat Gardner on her promotion to Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving. We are thrilled for Kat to officially join the Annual Giving team as a tier one fundraiser after serving as a valued member of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team.

Over the past 5 1/2 years, Kat has played an integral role with the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. In her early years with S&DR, Kat partnered with the Western fundraising region as well as several divisions. Most recently, Kat has fostered excellent campus partnerships with the College of Arts & Letters, the Keough School, and the Arts & Architecture divisions. Further, Kat developed and led the growth of the annual Endowed Position Stewardship Initiative (EPSI); she has led the newly revised Expendable Reporting initiative for the team; she has co-led the development of the Stewardship Scoop campus-wide educational newsletter, using her marketing talents to make it a truly memorable publication. 

We are confident that Kat’s experience with donors, eagerness to have a greater impact on our students, and dedication to our mission will lead her to continued success as a fundraiser. Please join us in congratulating Kat on her new role. 

Best,
Kasey O’Connor & Cristi Ganyard

On behalf of the Hesburgh Women of Impact program, please join the Student Government Department of Gender Relations – Title IX and Women’s Initiatives in a panel-led discussion on female progress and co-education at Notre Dame, featuring UR’s own Indi Jackson!.

Panelists include Mary Bliley (first female undergraduate – ’72),  Katie Conboy (President of St. Mary’s), Carolyn Woo (first female dean of Mendoza College of Business), Indi Jackson (former ND student-athlete and current Regional Director of Development), and Kathleen Sprows Cummings (professor of American Studies).

We are excited to host this conversation as our community continues celebrating the 50th academic year of co-education at Notre Dame. All are welcome, and the first 50 attendees will receive free t-shirts designed to resemble the previously distributed 1972 hats. We look forward to seeing you in Jordan Auditorium (Mendoza College of Business) on Monday, March 27th, from 6:00-7:15 pm.

Hello UR Team! If you are interested in joining us for our next UR Walks, please fill out this form. We will meet at  the ESC Lobby at noon. Sara Liebscher will be leading the walk. As there may be some non-pavement, trail walking, we advise that appropriate footwear be considered. Signing up also helps us to contact those who are interested just in case we need to cancel at the last minute due to inclement weather. We look forward to catching up with you while getting in our steps. Happy trails!

I’m delighted to announce that Michael Infantine will join the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. As the Assistant Director for University Stewardship Initiatives, Michael will have responsibility for stewarding benefactors who support Athletics and Student Affairs priorities. He will manage impact reporting and individualized and strategic stewardship efforts in these divisions and assist with programs that further enhance financial aid stewardship.

A Double Domer, Michael brings a deep understanding of these important areas of student life and excellent project management skills to this role. In his most recent position as the Print Media Coordinator for Notre Dame Student Media, he manages the production of Scholastic, The Juggler, and The Dome. Prior to returning to Notre Dame in 2021, Michael worked at Boston College in the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning and at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies. Michael majored in PLS as an ND undergraduate, taught high school theology through the Notre Dame ECHO program, and holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Notre Dame and a Master of Theological Studies from Boston College.

The Stewardship & Donor Relations Team will welcome Michael on March 29th.

-Rosie McDowell

Dear Colleagues,

The second spring renewal mailing (renew #2) is dropping in mailboxes starting Thursday, March 16 to all our unrestricted and giving society benefactors. As a reminder, this mailing is sent to all assigned and unassigned benefactors whose annual giving is less than $25,000, asking them to renew their previous calendar year gift by their respective fund owner. This mailing is being sent to over 8,400 households and will be followed by email reminders in the weeks to come. If you have any questions regarding our renewal strategy, please reach out to the appropriate fund (Sorin, Rockne, Law, etc.) owner on the annual giving team and they can assist.

Thanks!
Annual Giving Team

I am delighted to share that Kelli Kalisik will join the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. As a Program Director for Donor Recognition, Kelli will lead the quarterly reporting and communications for our capital projects, provide support and content management for our digital recognition display at the Hesburgh Library and lead special individualized donor stewardship touches throughout the year, such as appropriate signage, displays, and tokens of appreciation.

Kelli comes to us from the Notre Dame Office of Financial Aid. During her 13 years in Financial Aid, her direct supervisor shared that her contributions were too numerous to list. As the leader of operations, Kelli implemented the complexity factor, created a production calendar, supported the creation of the Work from Home and the transition to the Work from Here solutions, and supported the implementation of automated tracking groups. Kelli is known and respected in the national financial aid community.  Her leadership in the Financial Aid Standards and Services Advisory Committee (FASSAC) is significant.  She serves on the committee that prepares the Professional Judgment Tip Sheets, has participated in the planning and presenting of the Campus Need Analysis Roundtable, and is supporting the development and piloting of the Profile Lite.

The Stewardship & Donor Relations team is delighted to be a part of Kelli’s next chapter at Notre Dame. Kelli’s first day in the office will be Monday, March 27th.

In addition to our excitement surrounding Kelli’s decision to join our team, we are delighted to share the immediate promotion of Teri Vitale to Assistant Director for Donor Recognition. Teri has been a valued member of the Stewardship team for over 20 years. Her contributions are numerous, but anyone who has been given the opportunity to work with Teri knows she flawlessly leads our Memorial Tree and Bench program. In her new position, Teri will lead a new recognition program for financial aid benefactors. Additionally, she will take on a larger portfolio of public and private recognition projects.

-Jessica Reasons