Dear Colleagues,
I write to share the news that Mike Schultz will be leaving his role as Regional Director to pursue other opportunities at the University. Mike has served as a Regional Director for over five years, working with families in the Pacific Northwest. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best.
– Shaheen
Friends and Colleagues,
I am thrilled to announce that Aimee Sharpe has been promoted to a Senior Associate Director on the Academic Advancement team. Since joining Development as the Mendoza AAD in October 2023, Aimee has been an exceptional collaborator and thought partner for Development teammates and for Dean Martijn Cremers. In addition to continuing to advance Mendoza’s fundraising priorities, effective as of August 19, she will also take on supervisory responsibilities of the AAD vertical consisting of Steve Asiala, Kelly Courington, and Kate Mueller. I am excited for Aimee’s relationship-building skills, her characteristic hustle, and her enthusiasm for our shared mission to benefit our team in new ways.
The open AAD role serving the Division of Student Affairs and the Lucy Family Institute, which was previously posted as a Senior Associate Director position, will be releveled and will report to the soon-to-be-hired Senior Associate Director focusing on Financial Aid.
Please join me in congratulating Aimee on this well-deserved promotion!
Sincerely,
Matt Gelchion
I wanted to share the exciting news that Deanna Gumpf will serve as the Senior Director for the Southwest team, effective this coming Monday, August 12.
When we announced Shelby’s transition in June, we shared that we were moving forward with a preference to promote from within our department, having recently conducted a search in April for two open Senior Director positions. After several conversations with internal candidates and formal interviews with our Senior Directors, UR Executive leadership, and key partners, including our diversity catalyst, Deanna emerged as the right leader for our team.
While Deanna will assume this position immediately, please reach out to both of us for any questions or items related to the Southwest team. With Deanna participating fully as a member of our first RD Intensive cohort from September 30 to November 7, I will continue to assist in leading the team through mid-November.
Thanks to everyone for your patience and feedback throughout this process. And please join me in thanking and congratulating Deanna Gumpf!
All the best,
Ryan
Team,
I am thrilled to share that Colin McNamara and his wife, Claire, welcomed their second child into the world, John Anthony McNamara, born this past Thursday, August 1. Both Claire and John are healthy, happy, and resting comfortably at home.
Please join me in congratulating Claire, Colin, and big brother Joseph.
All the best,
Ryan
Dear Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome Jasher Cox to the Northwest team as a Regional Director. Jasher’s first day will be August 5th and in person starting August 19th. Jasher, wife, Ebony, and their two childen are moving from South Carolina to join the Notre Dame family.
Jasher graduated from Auburn University and received a Masters in Public Administration from Strayer University. Before joining the University, he served as the Director of Athletics at Allen University. He brings an extensive background in athletics administration, fundraising, strategic planning and operations management.
Please join me in welcoming Jasher!
Shaheen Goldrick
Dear Colleagues,
Taylor Carruthers joins the Annual Giving Team on July 29th as the Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs and will tackle specialty campaigns, like #GivingTuesday and Notre Dame Day. Reporting to Meredith Sharwarko, she will bring a wealth of talent and experience to the team!
Taylor has an impressive background in branding, marketing, and storytelling, skills that will undoubtedly serve her well in this role. Her expertise and creative vision will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our programs and engage the Notre Dame Family.
Please join me in welcoming Taylor to the team!
Meredith Sharwarko
It is my pleasure to welcome Kacey Gergely to the Northwest team as a Regional Director. She will be cultivating relationships with members of the Notre Dame Family in the Bay Area and Reno, Nevada. Kacey’s first day will be August 1st.
Kacey is a proud graduate of Notre Dame, a former resident of Lewis Hall, and received a Masters in Public Health from Emory University. Before joining the University, she worked on political campaigns in Georgia and Indiana. Most recently, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor of South Bend.
Please join me in welcoming Kacey!
Shaheen Goldrick
The DC Team is happy to bring new Development Coordinators (DCs) on board to reach full staffing ahead of the Football season. Please extend a warm welcome to Michael Shepard and Dani Wirick, who commenced their Notre Dame journey on Monday, July 22.
Michael Shepard joins us from around the corner at WNDU Channel 16, where he was Account Executive and Multimedia Marketing Consultant in sales. Previously, he was Senior Digital Media Buyer for Ocean Media, Digital Strategist for Assemble The Agency, and Media Planner and Buyer for GPS Impact. Michael has extensive experience working on political campaigns, including Pete Buttigieg’s campaign. Hailing from Indianapolis, Michael earned his Bachelors in Political Science from Indiana State University. Michael and his fiancée, Morgan, are now both working for Notre Dame in staff positions. Michael is a community organizer at heart, an avid reader, an enthusiastic fan of most sports, and a dog dad to his pup, Bonnie.
Danielle Wirick may be known by some of you for her role as Assistant Manager at Roselily, where she helped the restaurant achieve the rare AAA Four Diamond status this year. Dani’s career in the restaurant field focused on guest experience and office administration, drawing upon her earlier roles in Accounts Payable for XPO Logistics and in Administration for Andrews University. Dani is originally from Norfolk, England, and received her Bachelors in English and Linguistics from Roehampton University. When she moved to Niles, Michigan, Dani earned her Masters in Speech Pathology from Andrews University. In her free time, Dani referees Women’s Roller Derby, and relaxes with her fur babies Gimli, a Welsh Corgi, and her feisty cat Rhonda.
Our two newest DC Team members have begun their intensive training and working with fundraisers. Please reach out to them to support their great start in UR!
~The DC Leadership Team
Dear Team,
I am delighted to share that we have a new colleague Megan DePrimio-Faust, who joins the NDAA in a new, part-time/temporary role as the IrishCompass Coordinator. Megan will prepare, launch, and support the 3k+ Wall Street network on IrishCompass. She will work closely with Juliana, Amy, Mike, me, Stu Fortener in Development, and the alumni, students, and parents in this network.
Megan has worked at Notre Dame since 2015 in roles in Development and Athletics. She understands the University’s mission and has excellent project management experience.
Megan is pursuing her graduate degree with Notre Dame’s Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration (EMNA). Her husband, Jeff Faust, also works at Notre Dame and is in the OIT.
Please join me in welcoming Megan!
Sharon
I am thrilled to announce that Sophie Burke will join our team as an Associate Regional Director starting July 22nd.
Sophie graduated this May from the University of Notre Dame with a major in Marketing and a minor in Studio Art. She grew up in Tunkhannock located in the valley of mountains in Northeast, PA.
As a student, Sophie worked for ND Listens for 3 years where she had the privilege to connect with alumni, friends, and family of the University, hear their ND stories, and share her own. This deepened her appreciation for Notre Dame and the privilege of belonging to this community. As an Associate Regional Director on the Annual Giving Team, she is excited to give back to the place that fostered her growth and strive to live forth the mission of growing good in the world.
-Indi Jackson
Get to know Sophie: