Storytelling and Engagement has an open position for a Writer.  If you are interested in exploring this position please visit jobs.nd.edu and/or contact David Chaudoir.

Please join me in welcoming Mark Helmke as a Regional Director on the South team.  Mark will be moving from Madison, WI and working with families in southeast Florida.  He and his wife, Sherri, have grown especially close to the University over the past four years as Notre Dame parents.  Their son, Alec, will be graduating this spring from the College of Arts and Letters.  Following graduation, Alec will spend a year doing service work in Honduras prior to attending pharmacy school.  In addition to Alec, they have two daughters.  Emily lives in Madison, and Olivia is a freshman at Viterbo University in Lacrosse, WI.

Mark has spent the past seven years serving his alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Eau Clair, as a fundraiser during their “Centennial Campaign.”  Mark was focused on cultivating gifts from families throughout the country for all university priorities such as financial aid, facilities and unrestricted.

Prior to starting his fundraising career, Mark spent thirteen years running his own company in Madison.  Dunham Express Corporation provided courier services and logistics to clients in healthcare and financial services.  Please welcome Mark to the team when you see him at Eddy Street and on campus.  Mark begins his new role on Monday, March 11, 2019.

Storytelling and Engagement is proud to introduce our new teammate, Josie Kuhlman. Josie joins us from Jacksonville, Florida. She attended the University of Florida where she played Division I tennis, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in public relations. While at UF, Josie received the Dean’s Cup for Scholarship–awarded to the student in the College of Journalism and Communications with the highest GPA. She was also the 2018 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for women’s tennis.

Josie was the captain of the 2017 National Championship Florida Gators Women’s Tennis team and played professional tennis after graduation. She hails from a large Catholic family, with one sister and five brothers (one of whom is a priest). Josie is also the founder of and a content writer for Beautiful Depths Ministry, www.beautifuldepths.com, which seeks to encourage, inform, challenge, and equip young adults in the pursuit of truth and joy found in the Catholic faith.

Josie is a talented, driven, faith-filled professional whose skills will be an asset to Notre Dame. Please join me in welcoming her!

It is a pleasure to welcome Kelly Courington to the University Relations team as the Academic & Global Advancement Team Coordinator. She will begin her new role tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

Kelly joins us from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, where as the Program Assistant she worked on the processes and procedures around grants and scholarships, and also contributed to the Foundation’s financial reporting and communications efforts. Prior to Kelly’s work at the Foundation, she gained first hand fundraising experience as the Annual Fund Director at Bethel College, and before that was Associate Director of Phonathon at St. Mary’s College. Kelly has her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College, and an MBA from Bethel College. Her professional development includes completion of two programs at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.

Outside of work, Kelly sings for vespers weekly at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart as a member of the Basilica Schola, and she has volunteered at the Mishawaka Rotary Club, and as a Sacramental Prep Teacher.Kelly will be based in 405 Main Building, and you can expect to see her soon around Grace Hall and Eddy Street Commons. In the meantime she can be contacted at Kelly.T.Courington.1@nd.eduThank you,Michael Loungo

Miller (Millie) Margaret Brennan — entered the world this past Friday, March 1st at 2:06 PM.

Millie weighed 7 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 20″ long.

Mother Susie, father Ryan and Millie are home and are doing well!

Congratulations!

On February 27th the University of Notre Dame Academic Council unanimously approved a new undergraduate Minor in Real Estate. The Real Estate Minor, which is a partnership between the new Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate and the Mendoza Department of Finance, will launch in fall 2019. This interdisciplinary minor is open to all university undergraduates and draws from multiple disciplines including business, architecture, engineering, and the social sciences. The program will expose students to academic and industry perspectives on a range of topics from real estate finance and capital markets to land use, development, design and construction. It will also present a wide variety of opportunities for alumni and industry engagement through three seminar-based classes being developed by Thomas Patrick Dore, Jr. (Real Estate Finance, Investment, and Law), Jason Arnold (Real Estate Development and Design) and Eugenio Acosta (Construction, Resiliency, and Risk).

The Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate will launch its website in April including the announcement of Jason Arnold joining the Institute as its inaugural Managing Director. An information page on the Minor has been created for your use and a short bio on Jason is below.

Jason Arnold joined the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate as its inaugural Managing Director. He is setting the strategic mission for the Institute and leading its development as a preeminent real estate program worldwide. Jason earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Notre Dame in 1997 and also holds a master’s degree in Real Estate Development & Finance from Georgetown University. Before returning to Notre Dame, Jason was the Director of Architecture for the U.S. Department of State, responsible for all U.S. embassy and consulate capital projects overseas. He also served 11 years on active duty with the U.S. Navy.

It is a pleasure to welcome Karen Deak to the University Relations team as the Academic Advancement Director for Research Innovation & IDEA Center. She will begin her new role on Monday, March 18, 2019.

Karen is currently the Director of Network Engagement at IDEA Center, where she actively develops a nationwide, multi-industry network of external experts willing to help commercialize Notre Dame-generated innovations. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a PhD in genetics from the University of Chicago. Karen joined the University in 2011 in the College of Science where she created a program to teach STEM graduates the skills of a patent agent. She later served as the Commercialization Specialist in the Office of Research before moving to IDEA Center. Her husband John is an associate professor in the Department of History at Notre Dame, and since 2016 Karen and John have lived among the residents of Dunne Hall as one of only two faculty couples on campus who live in residence.

As an active marathoner, Karen’s ambitions extend beyond the professional. As a co-host for Notre Dame Alumni Association travel experiences, her interests go well beyond campus.

You can expect to see Karen soon. In the meantime you can contact her at kdeak@nd.edu to welcome her to University Relations.

Thank you,

Michael Loungo

Hello again.

Today we welcome Kate Mueller, the new Law School AAD, to her first day as part of the University Relations team. Like all of our Academic Advancement Directors, Kate serves our fundraisers to help them hit their goals.

While Kate’s office is in the Law School, you will see her regularly around Eddy Street Commons, Main Building, and Grace Hall as she gets to know our team in meaningful ways, and navigates her onboarding schedule. Take a meeting with her….you’ll learn not only about the pronunciation of her last name, but also her profound commitment to serve our team and the University in this new role.

You can connect with Kate by email at kate.mueller@nd.edu, and by phone at 1-9280.

Thank you,

Michael Loungo