Dear UR Team,

I am excited to announce that Allie Griffith ’17, ’19 M.Ed. will be joining the Alumni Association on July 5 as Writer and Editorial Program Manager. Allie is coming to us from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, where she taught literature and composition and was the head girls cross country coach. Previously, she taught literature at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis while completing the ACE program here at ND.

As a student at Notre Dame, Allie majored in English and American Studies with a minor in creative writing. She was recognized as the Most Outstanding graduating senior in each of her majors, and was also recipient of the 2017 Pasquerilla West Spirit Award for exemplifying “the spirit of Notre Dame in social, recreational, residential, service, and religious activities that promote the welfare of the University and extended communities.” In January, Allie earned an honorable mention in this year’s Notre Dame Magazine Young Alumni Essay Contest for her piece “The Storage Closet.”

In her new position, Allie will manage We Are ND and play a key role in the expansion of our storytelling efforts. She will also oversee Echoes, serve as lead copywriter for the association, and work with ND Magazine and class secretaries on the quarterly Class Notes process.

Please join me in welcoming Allie to the NDAA and UR!

Cheers,
Joanne

Friends and Colleagues,

I am thrilled to announce that Kelly Judd will join our University Relations team as Regional Director in the New York Metro region, beginning this Wednesday, June 29.

Kelly is both a Notre Dame Law School alumna, graduating cum laude and serving for two years as an assistant rector in Farley Hall, and proud mother of two, including a rising Notre Dame junior. She is moving to South Bend from New York where she has most recently served for the past several years as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Agency.

Please join me in welcoming Kelly to our team!

All the best,
Ryan

Dear Colleagues,

I want to share that Matt Rombalski’s last day with the gift management team will be July 15. Matt has accepted a new position in Boston and we are so excited for him but we will greatly miss him. We are very grateful for Matt’s many contributions to our team, including his expert DocuSign skills that carried us through the pandemic as we pivoted to only electronic signatures for our gift agreements and many other University documents. Matt has accepted a new position – Assistant Director of Major Gifts at Northeastern University. He is excited and nervous to take on frontline fundraising but told me that his time at Notre Dame, and his relationships with all of you, built a strong foundation for his new role. Please join me in congratulating Matt on his new adventure and wishing him success in this next chapter in his life and career!

After July 15, please send any questions regarding DocuSign to Katherine Cinninger. I can help with these requests until Matt’s replacement is in place.

Thank you,

Katherine

UR Team –

It is with a heavy heart that I write to let you know that Ria Kapluck will be leaving NDAA in mid-August to begin the next chapter in her career. Those who know Ria, understand what a loss this is for us, and those who do not know Ria – who am I kidding; everyone knows Ria!

Ria joined us in the Alumni Association back in 2014 as a myNotreDame Support Coordinator. Through the years she grew through multiple roles, before becoming our current Interactive Specialist in early 2022, having been instrumental in the successful migration of myNotreDame to Hivebrite. She led reporting efforts, supported the NDAA Board, assisted with every NDAA event, and even emceed the annual Christmas Party. Her servant leader approach, extreme attention to detail, and unwillingness to accept less than perfect solutions fostered wonderful relationships with our Clubs and Affinity Groups, the NDAA Board, and of course all of us.

While Ria will still be with us for two more months, please take a moment to wish her the best as she wraps up her work with us and plans her next steps.

John

Dear colleagues,

I’m thrilled to share that we have hired Matt Greene ’16 for the role of Clubs Program Manager. Matt‘s career has been in Admissions – working at his high school alma mater in Detroit, then at Notre Dame, and most recently at Holy Cross College. During his time with Notre Dame Admissions, he worked closely with ND club leaders to host college fairs, spoke with prospective students and their families, and helped students navigate the admissions process. Matt graduated from Notre Dame in 2016 and was a proud member of the Band and Keough Hall Council. In his free time, he writes blogs/articles for One Foot Down and enjoys checking out local breweries.

Please join me in welcoming Matt as he begins today, May 2.

Sincerely,

Abbey

Colleagues,

It is with great excitement that I share that Helen Rajkumar has been promoted to Senior Office Coordinator for the 405 Main office. In this important role, Helen will serve as the primary receptionist and first point of contact for the Office of the Vice President for University Relations and the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications and will manage the overall operations of the office suite.

A trusted and valued colleague, Helen has served Our Lady’s University since 2015, first as the Eck Visitors Center Customer Service Representative and most recently as the Office Services Coordinator for the Notre Dame Alumni Association. Before joining Notre Dame, Helen worked at Clay United Methodist Church and the Samaritan Counselling Center.

Originally from India, Helen has been a Michiana resident for 27 years. Helen, along with her husband, and two children reside in Granger. In her free time, Helen enjoys acrylic painting, gardening, reading, and cooking.

Helen’s first day in 405 Main will be Monday, May 9. Please join me in thanking and congratulating Helen for taking on this new role in service to Notre Dame.

My best,

Gavin

Colleagues,

Today I write with bittersweet news, as Abbie Spica will be transitioning from her current role and relocating to Grand Rapids, Michigan preceding her wedding this summer. Abbie was an incredible teammate and representative of the University and we will miss her dearly. Abbie’s last day on the Annual Giving Team was last Thursday, April 14th.

While we are sad to see Abbie go, we hope to make this transition smooth, and have exciting news to share! We would like to introduce you to Anna McKeever, who will be our new Associate Director for Law and Graduate Business Annual Giving. Anna comes to us from University HR where she served as the HR Communication Program Director. Anna is a double domer, having earned both her MBA and her Bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame. I am confident that Anna will be a fantastic addition to our team. She will officially begin in this role on May 9, 2022. Please join me in welcoming Anna!

In the interim, please feel free to contact me with any questions relating to the Order of St. Thomas More, or the O’Hara Society.

Best,
Kasey O’Connor

We are thrilled to announce that Kevin Vaughn has joined University Relations as the Corporate and Foundation Relations Research Analyst. For the first time, this position will be a member of the Prospect and Research Strategy team, though Kevin will be embedded in Corporate and Foundation Relations and fully dedicated to supporting their work. We anticipate a number of synergies will stem from Kevin’s presence on both teams.

Kevin comes to the Department of Development after almost five years in Graduate Enrollment Management. Previous roles include Graduate Studies Coordinator in the Department of History and, most recently, Assistant Director for Doctoral Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Kevin holds graduate degrees in organ and sacred music, including the Doctor of Music Arts in organ performance, from Notre Dame and serves as Director of Music and Organist at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in South Bend and accompanist for the South Bend Chamber Singers. Organists are good with details and data, so he’s looking forward to working in University Relations as a research analyst.

Please join us in welcoming Kevin to the division!

Andrea Swanagan and Amanda Retartha

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to welcome Kate Strieker to the Sorin Society team in Annual Giving as the new Giving Society Service Coordinator. Kate’s first day will be Tuesday, April 19th, and we are excited to welcome her to the team the week of Notre Dame Day!

Kate is joining the OnwardND team after serving as the client service associate at a boutique wealth management firm in the Chicago area for the last year. A graduate of Wheaton College, Kate also has a passion for the Young Life mission which is an organization she worked for following graduation. We are excited that Kate will bring with her a contagious enthusiasm for the Notre Dame mission and through her leadership, join us in serving our students through the thoughtful engagement of our giving society members.

In her free time, Kate enjoys the outdoors – either running, walking, or playing yard games – meaning she is sure to enjoy campus in the coming months! Also, and most importantly, congratulations are in order as Kate’s relocation to the South Bend area is coupled with the news of her engagement to Wynn Brown, a Notre Dame graduate, and former UR intern! Welcome, again, Kate!

With gratitude,
Pablo

Colleagues,

I write today with bittersweet news. Our wonderful colleague, Shayne Murphy, has accepted an exciting position as VP of Operations with Tosca managing 19 plants and over 1,000 employees.

It has been my great privilege to work alongside Shayne as a member of the East Coast team. During his time with our team, Shayne was disciplined and dedicated to the families he’s served in the DC/Baltimore area and we are grateful for his efforts and commitment to furthering Our Lady’s University over the past 2.5 years.

I know I speak on behalf of the entire team when I share he will be deeply missed. Due to the start date of his new position, Shayne’s last day with UR was yesterday. I encourage you to reach out to Shayne with your well wishes.

Thank you,
George