Team,

As I previously shared, Careen Quinlan is retiring on December 6 after 13 year as a leader on our IT team. I am now pleased to share that Patty Kokesh has agreed to serve as the interim leader of this team for the next few months. Patty has been a member of our Development team since 2017, spending the majority of that time in data analytics roles on the IT team prior to assuming her current role as Senior Director of Financial Administration and Strategy in 2023.

Patty is well positioned to lead this team during this time of transition, and is inheriting a skilled and talented team who continue to evolve our IT processes and data analytics functions. Over the next several months, I will work with Patty and the leadership of the ITS team (Andrew Yocum, Dean Ernzen, Tracey Mulheirn, Mayuri Changede, Rose Michalski, and Matt LaFlash) to ensure we have the right structure in place before undertaking the task of identifying a permanent leader of this important team, which we hope to have in place before the end of this fiscal year, if not sooner. During the transition time period, Patty will also maintain oversight of the Financial Administration and Strategy team.

Please join me in thanking and congratulating both Carleen and Patty for their leadership during this time of transition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brian

Hi team,

I am ecstatic to announce that we have a new colleague, Bob Patzer! Bob starts as the Marketing Program Manager at the NDAA on Monday, December 2nd.

Bob is excited to join the NDAA marcom team. Born and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Bob brings a diverse background in creative strategy, project management, and brand development. He has successfully led cross-functional teams and managed projects across industries including manufacturing, retail, and marketing and advertising agencies. Bob excels at building dynamic relationships, turning complex challenges into innovative solutions, and driving impactful results that foster brand growth and customer engagement.

Outside of his professional life, Bob is passionate about cooking, grilling, baking, and gardening, and enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. He also enjoys long walks on the beach, collecting beach glass and Indian beads. Bob’s creative eye extends to his appreciation for art and architecture, which influences both his personal and professional pursuits. He is eager to bring his expertise, creativity, and enthusiasm to contribute meaningfully to the Notre Dame community.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Molly

I am thrilled and honored to share the news that James Christopher Imfeld was born on Friday, November 15th, weighing 7.5 lbs and measuring 20.5 inches. Mother and baby are happy and healthy! As many of you know, Lauren and Zack walked the Camino de Santiago while expecting James, and he is named for the Camino’s patron. (Camino de Santiago translates “The Way of St. James”). Our heartfelt congratulations to Lauren and Zack on the newest member of their family!

Best,

Joe

Dear colleagues,

It is with tremendous gratitude that I share the news that Carleen Quinlan, Senior Director of Information Technology and Services, will be retiring from Notre Dame effective Friday, December 6.

Carleen has been a valued member of the Development and University Relations team since 2011, and during that time has advanced the work of our team through the development of new tools, advanced analytics, and technological process efficiencies. Every piece of our Development operation has felt the impact of Carleen’s leadership. Moreover, she has hired, trained, and grown a team of talented IT professionals who are committed to the mission of Notre Dame and the work of our Development team. No doubt the biggest achievement of Carleen’s tenure was the launch of the AsceND platform earlier this year, which has provided us with a CRM infrastructure that will fuel our work for many years to come.

Through her entire tenure, Carleen has led with humility, drive, and a commitment to excellence. She would be the first to give all the credit to her team, though we know that great teams always shine brighter by the reflection of their leader. Carleen looks forward to spending more time with her husband, Mark, their three daughters, and her mom as she steps into her well deserved retirement!

I am working through a transition plan and will share more details in the near future. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Carleen for her work and dedication to Notre Dame and our team, and wishing her all the best in retirement.

Brian

Friends, please join me in congratulating Annabelle Hilson on her promotion to the Prospect Management Consultant team! Over the last year Annabelle has grown quickly with the DC team, playing a key role on Athletics Advancement and taking part in the department’s ChatGPT pilot. Annabelle brings a wealth of data analysis experience with a bachelor’s in business analytics and an MNA (both from Mendoza), in addition to her time as an undergraduate and graduate student manager building the analytics efforts for Notre Dame Softball.

Annabelle will formally transition on December 2, when she will begin onboarding as Consultant for our Northwest region.

Congratulations, Annabelle!

-Jonathan Retartha

Please welcome Ariel Roche to the Marketing Operations, Annual Giving team as our new Content Marketing Specialist. Her first day is Monday, November 11. Ariel comes to us from Marquette University, where she spent 7 years crafting compelling content on behalf of campus leaders—including the president, vice president, and deans. Her 11 years of work in Advancement and the President’s Office will lend itself well to our storytelling, fundraising, and digital marketing efforts in Annual Giving.

She will be busy developing solicitation and stewardship content, as well as managing our digital platforms in conjunction with the Marketing Operations team. If you have great student stories, please send them her way.

We’re so thankful she chose Notre Dame. Please join me in welcoming Ariel to the team!

Lauren Dolzan

Friends and colleagues, it is a great joy to share with you news of the arrival of Zelie Isabella “Zelie Bellie” Feeks, born early in the morning of Thursday, October 31! Gracie and baby were champs and all is well as shared by Joe, who despite significant sleep deprivation and increased parental responsibility has already filled out his weekly RD update form. Zelie’s siblings Indy and Liam also report immediate increases in happiness, joy, and fun.

Please join me in congratulating Joe, Gracie, Indy, and Liam on this incomparably wonderful addition to the Feeks family!

Cheers,
Pete

Team,

As our division continues to grow in both team size and the scope of fundraising goals, I am pleased to announce the following organizational changes within Advancement Services. These updates better reflect the work and focus of these individuals’ roles, as well as aligns their work with the overall priorities of the organization:

IT&S Team

Dean Ernzen, a leader on our team for over 10 years and for the past 8 years overseeing our efforts around crmND and asceND, will now be a part of the IT&S team as the Director of the application development team. In this role, he will oversee the administration, configuration and development of the asceND solution along with supporting the crmND, and other business applications which are utilized in the development office. Dean is a seasoned leader with extensive Salesforce knowledge and experience in lean principles, which he will leverage to drive continuous improvement in business processes across our applications. His role aims to enhance synergies across both solutions on the Salesforce platform, and strengthen collaboration among the IT&S teams in delivering technical solutions. In this role, Dean reports to Carleen Quinlan, with Linda Klaybor, Jami Radcliff, Jay Rizzi, and Lynette Shunka reporting to him.

Gift and Data Management Team

Meg Buysse has been promoted to the role of Revenue Fund Management Specialist. In this role, Meg will focus on implementing a strategic process around communicating current pledge statuses with our benefactors. Since joining Notre Dame in 2017, she has been an invaluable member on our team as a functional lead for the Gift and Data Management team in the asceND project.

Amy Mason will now serve in the role of Audit and Compliance Specialist, assuming greater responsibilities in daily gift auditing, communication with the Controller’s Office, and the delivery of audit and gift reporting to Development and Finance leaders. Amy joined our Development team in 2019 following several years working within the Department of Athletics.

Internal Engagement and Advancement Services

Finally, I am grateful to Lana Taylor and Nancy Cole for their willingness to adjust their responsibilities to better serve our broader department.

In addition to her work on the Internal Engagement team in planning our UR-wide events (ie UR Summit, Blueprints, holiday celebrations, etc.), Lana will now collaborate closely with the Financial Administration and Strategy team to further develop and execute processes to track event budgeting and spending across our division. She will also continue to manage parking needs at Eddy Street.

In addition to her work to support me and the broader Advancement Services team, Nancy Cole will oversee all space-related items within our department, including Eddy Street and Grace Hall. This includes coordination with Kite (the property manager of our ESC building), Notre Dame building services, and other vendors. Nancy will also collaborate closely with Laura Waltz and other colleagues in the strategic use of our large conference room spaces (Family Room and Sorin Room) and will oversee the student workers in Eddy Street.

Please join me in thanking Dean, Meg, Amy, Lana, and Nancy for their continued commitment to our division and Notre Dame.

Brian

I am delighted to share that Nick Weiler has been promoted to Regional Associate (RA), Development Administration. In this capacity, Nick will be able to partner with Tier 4 and Tier 5 fundraisers as well as share his subject matter expertise more broadly with the entire DC team. Nick is currently participating in two AsceND improvement projects: the Ascend Intranet Project and the AsceND iWave + Engage Early Adopter Program. He is also pursuing his EMNA degree at Notre Dame. We are grateful to have him on the team!

Best,
Angie