Dear UR,

Please join us in welcoming two new DCs to UR!

Samantha Checkley brings 6 years of ND campus experience to the team, beginning in the DC role on 11.01.21 and reporting to Deena Chamberlin. Samantha was previously the Restaurant Manager for Garbanzo’s on campus, and her previous roles include Retail Lead Associate for our Duncan Student Center. She holds an Associates degree from Ivy Tech and she studied Biochemistry at IUSB. For fun facts, Samantha’s mother is Lisa Checkley Needham, Lab Program Manager in the Ferdig Lab of ND Biology. Samantha enjoys hiking, kayaking and spending time with her 3 children (ages 10 mons, 7 and 9).

Susan Morse started her ND career on 11.01.21 as DC reporting to Tashana Kenny. Susan last served as Instructional Aide for St. Joseph Catholic Grade School for 6 years due to her love of education. The role was a departure from her earlier project and people management experience as Account Manager for Press Ganey (8 years) and Manager for Gap Inc. (14 years). Susan holds a Bachelors degree in Apparel & Textile Marketing from Kansas State University. Her family includes son Mitchell (16), son Mason (13), and puppy Otis (3).

Go Irish!

Lori and the DC Management Team

Dear UR,

Kimberly Bakle began her tenure as DC on 10.25.21, reporting to Deena Chamberlin. Kimberly’s ND experience began in the Robinson Center (2016) before her transition to Mendoza’s Graduate Business Program. where she served as Staff Assistant (2017-2019) and Administrative Coordinator (2019-2021). In her last role, Kimberly supported several Associate Deans and worked on special projects for the MBA and EMBA programs. Kimberly is the recipient of the 2018 Mendoza Dean’s Award for Excellence and is ND certified in Project Management. She holds a Bachelors degree from IUPUI and an Associates degree from Ivy Tech. In her free time, Kimberly enjoys reading, listening to true crime podcasts, and watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies.

Deena and Lori

UR team-

I just wanted to share a bit of news with you from ND Facilities and Business Furnishings. For anyone who was around and worked with Business Furnishings installations, you likely had the opportunity to work with Gus Jaramillo. Gus was the lead installer assigned to the Notre Dame account and was on campus nearly every day.

In late September Gus, contracted COVID and ended up in the hospital. About two weeks ago he was placed in an induced coma and was put on a ventilator. Sadly, we learned that Gus passed away last night.

Gus was 41 years old with a wife and two daughters. He was so proud of his oldest daughter who started at St. Mary’s this past year. His younger daughter is still in high school. Please keep his family and the Business Furnishings family in your thoughts and prayers. As you can imagine they are all devastated.

I received this note from the Facilities interiors team, “Gus was an integral part of the success of our many, many projects across campus; both large and small. He was energetic, pleasant, and helpful. A real joy to work with. He would do anything we asked of him and was always the first to take overtime on a project to support getting the work done on time or early. He will be missed greatly and his absence will be felt for a long time.”

For me personally, Gus was a phenomenal person and will be greatly missed. For our recent ESC reconfiguration, he was definitely the person that made everything happen. He always had a smile and wanted to do whatever he could to make the project a success I was honored to have known him

Business Furnishings has set up a Gofundme account for Gus’ family. If you are so inclined to donate the link is below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-the-family-of-gus-jaramillo

Please keep Gus and his family in your prayers
Lana

Please join me in welcoming Sara Kassen back to Development as our new director for stewardship communications. Sara is excited to return to her work family, as she was previously part of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team from 2007-16. During that time she was involved in acknowledgments, reports, financial aid stewardship, public recognition, and events. Most recently, she split her time between freelance communications consulting and stay-at-home mom activities. Sara has a knack for editing, loves creative communication pieces, and is excited to call upon her days in broadcasting to help further connect benefactors to the mission of Notre Dame. She and her husband, Sean, live in Granger with daughters Lydia (12) and Neve (10) and a gigantic dog named Nebula. Sara joins us on Monday, October 25.

In Notre Dame,

Katherine Lane

Dear UR,

It is our distinct pleasure to bring Megan Hale to the role of Development Coordinator (DC) reporting to Angie Dennig, effective October 18, 2021. Megan’s professional background includes multiple customer service roles in the healthcare industry. Most recently, she worked as a sales consultant for Rodan and Fields. Megan hails from Boston, Massachusetts and has lived in Granger for the past nine years. She is the proud mother of three children: Jack (11), Brady (9), and Savannah (6). Megan volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and loves the outdoors. Megan is looking forward to meeting many new colleagues at the upcoming USC Development tailgate, so please stop and say hello!

Sincerely,

Angie and Lori

I’m excited to announce recent growth in our Prospect Research team!

Megan Andedo is joining the team as a Research Analyst. She moves from her role as the Gift and Data Management Analyst, on October 18th.

This move is the perfect next step for Megan! Over the past year, she has assisted our team in identifying leadership prospects from the DTR and completed some wealth evaluations. Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2019, Megan worked in Development at St. Mary’s College. She also spent nine years with Target as a logistics team member. Megan graduated from Indiana University South Bend with a Bachelor degree in General Studies and she is currently working towards a Masters in Liberal Studies.

Megan has two sons who keep her super busy. Ezra is 7 and Eli is 4 years old. She enjoys writing and a fun fact about Megan is that she has submitted works to Michiana Monologues and even performed other writer’s stories. We’re excited to have an accomplished writer such as this join our team!

Christina Ryan joined the team as a Research Analyst on August 16th and was immediately immersed in Development during her first week at Summit. Fundraisers are now beginning to receive wealth evaluations from her – she’s spent time with Ben to learn from the best!

Christina previously worked in the Notre Dame Department of History. She left Higher Ed to experience life in the corporate world and comes to us most recently from Great Lakes Forest Products in Elkhart IN, where she was an Inside Sales Coordinator and Graphic Designer. Christina graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a minor in Photography. She received her Masters of Arts in History from DePaul University, Chicago.

When Christina is not at work or home, she is mostly likely at the “best gym in the Midwest” – East Race Muscle. Christina is a competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder. We look forward to Christina contributing to getting our Research work and the entire team in shape!

Please join me in welcoming Christina and Megan!

Cindy

Dear Colleagues,

We wanted to share that our colleague and friend Josh Flynt will begin a new role as regional director of development, beginning on November 1. Since 2018, Josh has served on the Alumni Association marketing and communications team, connecting the Notre Dame family back to the University and helping to lead new initiatives like the Domer Dozen and numerous important communications to our alumni, parents, and friends.

Prior to joining the NDAA, Josh worked for three years as the advisor to the vice president for university relations. He joined our UR team after several years in Notre Dame athletics following his graduation from Notre Dame in 2011. Josh will work with families in upstate and western New York, close to where he called home growing up.

Please join us in congratulating Josh on this new chapter, and thanking him for his work as a UR colleague over these past six years.

All the best,
Dolly and Sara

It is my pleasure to welcome Ashley Van Avermaete to the Cavanaugh Council and President’s Circle team as Associate Director. Among many responsibilities, Ashley will provide oversight and enhancement to our data management processes including membership tracking and analysis.

Ashley has been a dedicated member of the development coordinator’s team since 2019. In that time, she led the charge to improve our process documentation, helping to create a “DC Toolkit” that is widely used by all team members. Ashley shared her tech skills freely, creating Spark cards for every occasion but also teaching those skills to the rest of us. She has a zest for process improvement and we’ve been extremely fortunate to have benefited from her keen eye. Many thanks, Ashley!

We know her previous experience, technical skills, and innovative nature will serve her well as she begins this new role. Her first day will be Monday, October 18th. Please join us in congratulating Ashley!

Mary Jane Añón and Deena Chamberlin

It is my pleasure to welcome Dawn Smith to the Advancement Services team as the Sr. Coordinator for the Eddy Street Office. Dawn’s first day will be October 11th, and she will be overseeing the Eddy Street front desk area.

Dawn is joining us from St. Michael’s Laundry where she has spent the last 12 years as the Lead for Customer Service. Prior to joining St.Michael’s, she served as the Office Manager for Planet Automotive Group. While at Notre Dame, Dawn participated in the Ivy Tech program earning her degree in Applied Science.

Dawn will be the welcoming face and voice for anyone stopping by or calling and will be assisting with handling operational issues within the suite. She brings a great customer service focus to the front desk of our Eddy Street office and has tremendous institutional knowledge having built strong working relationships with both the administrative and facilities areas at the University.

Please join me in welcoming Dawn to the UR team. Be sure to stop by the front desk to introduce yourself or just to say hi!

Lana Taylor

The Clubs Team has welcomed a new Clubs Program Manager – Annie Ortega-Shyne. Annie joins our team after serving as a Program Assistant with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame and has been a seasoned educator for over 16 years. Annie also spent over eight years volunteering with the U.S. Naval Academy serving as an admissions officer and as co-president/executive board member with the USNA South Florida Parents Club. Annie received her B.A. and MBA from the University of Miami and a Master of Arts from Knox Theological Seminary.

In her role, Annie will provide support for Notre Dame clubs in six regions: Central, Florida, Illinois, Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Southwest. In this capacity, she will onboard club leaders, provide support, and share ideas and resources with clubs. She will also be responsible for UND Celebrations and ND Day club assistance and resources.

Please join me in welcoming Annie to the UR team.

– Abbey Johnson