Team,

Congratulations to Armando Allen, who will serve as a Regional Director. His first day with Development is May 6, 2024.

Armando was a running back while at Notre Dame and, upon graduating in 2011, played professionally for the Chicago Bears. After leaving the NFL, he transitioned to an extensive career in coaching, recruiting, and athletic administration for the past 8 years. We are excited to see the impact Armando will have on our team. His experience, skillset, and commitment to the mission of Our Lady’s University will help advance our team’s work and culture.

Armando, his wife, Chaniya, and three boys are happy to return to their “Home Under the Dome.”

Please join me in welcoming Armando and his family to University Relations.

-George

Colleagues,

I am both proud and a little sad to share the news that Writer & Editorial Program Manager Allie Griffith will be leaving the Alumni Association as she accepts a new role as Assistant Program Director of Education and Student Formation with the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies (soon to be the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good). In this role, she’ll work with faculty, students, and NDIAS colleagues to evaluate the impact of higher education courses on students’ well-being and holistic development. As part of the University’s Strategic Framework, she’ll be helping to build out programs and research projects around human flourishing to support the framework’s Ethics initiative. Her last day with us will be Friday, May 10. Her role will be posted to jobs.nd.edu in the coming weeks.

Allie joined the team a little less than two years ago after beginning her career in education and, in that time, has blossomed as a writer and storyteller in our efforts to share the incredible stories of ND alumni, parents, and friends. She’s played an integral role in the continued evolution of We Are ND as we explore different ways to tell ND stories (ICYMI: check out her recent work on the story of Keenan Hall roommates forever linked by the gift of a kidney donation); stewarded the Echoes newsletter; and managing the Class Notes process for ND Magazine. More importantly, she’s been a fabulous teammate who’s been willing to jump in wherever she’s needed!

Please join me in congratulating Allie on this excellent opportunity!

Thank you,
Joanne Norell

Dear UR Family,

I write with the bittersweet news that our beloved colleague, Michael McLaughlin, will be retiring from his role in development at the end of this fiscal year after an esteemed 15 years of service to Our Lady’s University.

Throughout his career at Notre Dame, Michael has served both the university and benefactors in an incredibly thoughtful and caring manner. His passion, commitment, and hard work has resulted in incredible production over multiple campaigns. These gifts include the establishment of the Pulte Institute for Global Development, Smith Center in the Duncan Student Center, Berthiaume Institute of Precision Medicine, Our Lady of the Lake World Peace Plaza, and the William and Mary Anne Smith Ballroom, among others.

Beyond his professional achievements, Michael has been a source of kindness and mentorship to many of us. As he embarks on this new chapter of his life, we are filled with gratitude for his invaluable contributions and wish him nothing but happiness and fulfillment in the years ahead.

In recognition of Michael’s career, we plan to celebrate his retirement before the end of the fiscal year with more details to follow.

Please join us in expressing heartfelt gratitude to Michael and the McLaughlin family (Patty, Tommy, Daisy, and Maggie), for being such a cherished part of the Notre Dame community. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Tim Kelly
Senior Director, South Region

Dearest Colleagues,

It is with bittersweet emotion that I announce the departure of Kevin Frost from the Annual Giving team and the University of Notre Dame.

Kevin has been a valued part of Annual Giving for three years, and we will miss him as a teammate. Kevin has raised $848,639 of unrestricted revenue for Notre Dame and Her students. His kindness, thoughtfulness, and willingness to help any colleague have been an absolute joy.

We wish Kevin the best in the next chapter of his life.

Thank you,

Indi

Dear Colleagues,

I’m excited to share with you that Justin Siler has been hired as Clubs Program Manager at the Alumni Association. His official start date is May 1st.

Justin is a proud member of the ND Class of 2011 and went on to graduate from Northwestern University with a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration & Policy in 2018.

As an undergraduate at ND, Justin worked as a campus tour guide within the Visitors’ Center, where he developed a passion for serving the Notre Dame community. After graduating from ND, he moved to Chicago and worked at Ipsos, a global market research firm, where he was a Senior Account Manager. Since earning his master’s degree and beginning his career in higher education, Justin has served as the Director of Affinity Programs at the UCLA Alumni Association, Associate Director of Alumni Engagement at the IU School of Nursing, and Policy Analyst at the IU Public Policy Institute.

Outside of work, Justin enjoys traveling, hiking, and following ND football. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Lauren (class of 2012), daughter, Maya (class of 2043), and Australian Cattle Dog, Sydney, who never goes anywhere without her ND collar.

Please help me welcome Justin to the team!

Sincerely,
Abbey

Friends and Colleagues,

I am very pleased to introduce you to our newest Gift Planning Officers, Monique Frazier and Patrick Lindenmeyer.

Monique earned her Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from Purdue University in 2005, after which she obtained her J.D. from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Through her work in the Notre Dame Office of Institutional Equity over the past ten years, Monique has developed strong relationships across campus and has worked at a high level to advance equal opportunities and access for faculty, staff, and visitors to campus. She is passionate about continuing to serve the mission of Notre Dame, and we are thrilled to have her on the team.

FUN FACT: Monique loves antique and classic cars. One of her favorite hobbies is attending car museums and car shows!

Patrick earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross College in 2005. He comes to our team from Saint Joseph High School, where he served as the Director of Annual Giving. Prior to that, he worked in the financial services industry for many years. Patrick brings a wealth of experience in everything from charitable giving strategies to investment management and more. We are excited to have him on board.

FUN FACT: Patrick is an avid golfer, and he was also a part of the inaugural class to receive a Bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross College!

Monique and Patrick will both start on Monday, April 15th. Their regional assignments will be determined over the coming weeks.

Please join me in welcoming Monique and Patrick!

Jessica Brice

Please join the AAD team in congratulating Ellen and Connor on the arrival of baby Elaine “Lainey” Frances Kirol born 4/2/24 at 7lbs 14 oz, and coming in at 20 inches. Everyone is doing great!

-Katy

UR Family,

Please join me in welcoming Amber Herkey to the Academic Advancement team! Amber will be working with the McGrath Institute for Church Life, Hesburgh Libraries, and the Institute for Latino Studies.

From her past work with the Center for Social Concerns as the Program Director of Justice Education to her experience with L’Arche International and L’Arche Canada and more, we are really grateful for the new perspective, energy, and creative and strategic expertise she will bring to our team.

Amber is a 2010 graduate of Notre Dame, where she studied Anthropology, and holds an MA in Global Studies from Berkeley. She and her husband, Michael, are proud parents to Azura (1).

Amber’s first day will be Monday, April 1st (no, I didn’t think about April Fool’s Day as we were finalizing dates!).

Please join me in giving Amber a warm welcome!
Ellen

UR Colleagues,

I’m excited to share with you that Angie Lacopo will begin a new role with us. Angie’s first day as the EVC Customer Service Representative will be Wednesday, April 3rd.

Angie has been a member of our on-call desk staff since 2017 and has been employed full-time with Macy’s for 28 years. She has 2 sons, Thomas and Charlie.

When not working, Angie enjoys attending both Chicago and South Bend Cubs games,

Please help me welcome Anige to her new position.

Amanda