After more than 27 years of gracious service to Our Lady’s University, our dear friend and colleague Eileen Gieselman will retire effective June 30th.

Eileen began in Regional Development in the Atlanta regional office in 1996, working as a Regional Associate. Eileen’s knowledge of the region’s benefactors, and the relationships she helped to cultivate alongside fundraisers Tim Rippinger, Chris Bonwit, Bill Doyle, and others, will continue to garner benefaction for Notre Dame and Her students for generations to come.

Following the closure of the Atlanta regional office in 2017, Eileen joined the Stewardship & Donor Relations team where she has served as Sr. Coordinator for the University Stewardship Initiatives team. In this capacity, Eileen has played a significant role in the annual endowment reporting process, handled the University’s suspense fund reporting, served as a writer and editor to the team, partnered with Notre Dame International on their stewardship efforts, and researched gifts and documentation for the team, among many other responsibilities.

Eileen enjoyed celebrating her retirement with members of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team, former colleagues, and lifelong friends during a recent campus visit. Please join me in congratulating and thanking Eileen for her many years at Notre Dame, and wishing her all the best in this next chapter.

With gratitude,
Cristi Ganyard

I am pleased to share the birth of Bobby (Robert Michael) Knapke on Wednesday, July 14. Bobby is a healthy baby weighing 9 lbs 9 oz, and is 20 inches long. Bobby is the third child of Kyle and Colleen Bailey-Knapke. Both Bobby and Colleen are doing great and will be welcomed home by big brother PJ and big sister Maggie.

-Amy Schell

Dear Colleagues,

Please help us welcome Arlia Delphonse to Regional Development as a Development Coordinator (DC). Arlia is moving to South Bend from Largo, Florida, having most recently worked as an Administrative Assistant for her family’s business.

Arlia graduated from Notre Dame in 2016 with a major in Japanese and a minor in Gender Studies. During that time, she worked as a Japanese language tutor as well as a writing tutor. She obtained her MS in Library and Information Science from Catholic University in 2020 and has worked as a library assistant at the Largo Public Library as well as a library technician at the National Gallery of Art. Arlia enjoys birdwatching, playing video games, and studying the Japanese language.

Arlia’s tech and organizational skills, in addition to her commitment to the University’s mission, will undoubtedly help advance our team’s work and culture.

Welcome to Development, Arlia!

Angie Dennig

Lori Tinkey

Come join the UR (and friends) Softball team! If you would like to join “The Benchwarmers”, please email Maureen Daday. The Benchwarmers will play Tuesday June 13th at either 6:30, June 20th at 7:30, with playoffs to follow. We would love to add more players/substitutes to our roster. We are very inclusive, so please join us, even if just to watch! Questions, click to email Maureen Daday. Please spread the word!

If you are interested in joining us for our next UR Walks, please fill out this form. We will meet this Thursday, June 15th, at 11:45AM at Grace Hall by the 11th Floor Elevators. Brian Diss will be leading the walk. As there may be some non-pavement, trail walking, we advise that appropriate footwear be considered. Interested in learning more about the health benefits of walking? Check out this article.

Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in June! Time for some fun in the sun!

6/1—Rebecca Lane
6/2—Joe Sheehan
6/3—Cristi Ganyard
6/3—Pier White
6/4—Kelsey Forry
6/5—Courtney Quinlan
6/8—Megan Andedo
6/8—Maureen Daday
6/8—Sharon Keane
6/8—Matthew LaFlash
6/8—Dawn McGrath
6/10—Danielle Filgueira
6/11—Bill Ribera
6/12—Carolyn Lax
6/16—Lauren Imfeld
6/16—Rich Reynolds
6/18—Jason Stoller
6/19—William Mitchell
6/21—Brigette Kinney
6/22—Annie Envall-Latowski
6/28—Monica May
6/29—Mark Witucki
6/30—Sara Aycock
6/30—Tarrez Clark
6/30—Jessica Witous

All,

I would like to welcome our newest regional director, Brandon Williamson, to the SouthBest team. Brandon, a Bethel University grad (BS and MBA), joins us from Flagstar Bank, where he served as a senior mortgage loan officer.

He previously held other banking and insurance roles at First State Bank, Gibbson Insurance, and United Federal Credit Union. Brandon also serves on the boards at Friends of the St. Joseph County Parks, Junior Achievement, and South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Brandon lives locally with his wife, Stephanie, and his 1-year-old son, Huxley. Brandon’s first day will be Monday, June 5. He will be working with families in Arizona.

Please join me in welcoming Brandon to the Notre Dame family!

Best, Shelby

Colleagues,

I write to share bittersweet news that Kasey O’Connor ‘12 will leave Notre Dame on June 30 and return home to New York where she’ll be near her family and continue her career with the USTA Foundation.

Kasey is a 2012 graduate of Notre Dame and a four-year softball monogram winner who has served in roles in Athletics and Development, most recently as Director, Annual Giving.

Throughout her time with us, Kasey has consistently demonstrated qualities that have inspired us all: grit, optimism, and fearlessness in her commitment to serving Notre Dame’s mission. She has been a true warrior, tirelessly advocating for Notre Dame Athletics—especially female student-athletes—and putting our Leadership Annual Giving fundraisers in a position to win.

Kasey has made a lasting impact on our team, department, and Notre Dame. I speak on behalf of many who feel privileged to have been a small part of her incredible journey.

Please stop by Kasey’s office and wish her well as we close out the fiscal year!

-Brandon Tabor

All,

It is bittersweet to announce that Darius Walker will be leaving the University to take on other amazing opportunities in Los Angeles. His last day will be July 1. We are grateful for Darius’ many contributions to Our Lady’s University and her students.

During his five years as a regional director in the Los Angeles area, Darius raised $25M in production to areas including Mendoza, the Law School, Student Affairs, and DPAC, and over $3M in mission giving. These gifts have impacted hundreds of ND students and the ripple effects will be immeasurable.

Thank you, Darius, for being a great teammate, partner, and representative of Notre Dame.

Please join me in congratulating Darius on all he has accomplished and wishing him well during this next phase of his career!

Best, Shelby

Dear Colleagues,

Please join us in celebrating Stephanie Washington as she transitions to her new role of Associate Director, Learning and Organizational Development.

Stephanie’s contributions to Notre Dame began 5 years ago in her Alumni Association role of Marketing and Communications Coordinator. In 2021, Stephanie joined the fundraising arm of University Relations in the role of Development Coordinator. Since that time, she’s cultivated successful fundraising partnerships with Shaheen Goldrick, Tom Cummings, Ken Johnson, and Mitch Dansky. She has also spearheaded the DC Team’s unique DEIU efforts, serving as a hub for diversity resources, creating a book club, and infusing our interview process with targeted diversity questions. Stephanie concurrently served as a Diversity Catalyst for UR hiring. She will continue to be a leader For Good in our DEIU efforts within UR and across campus. We’re extremely grateful for her impact on our team, as well as on a personal level. Thank you, Stephanie! You will be missed!

In her new role, Stephanie will lead the evergreen and ever-evolving UR onboarding program, co-produce venues of ongoing professional development for all of our colleagues, and contribute towards division-wide strategic projects like the UR Internship Program. She will continue to serve as a key stakeholder in DEIU initiatives. A graduate of Purdue University, Stephanie will bring her wealth of knowledge, relationships, and experience from Regional Development Administration to immediately benefit the expanding team in Learning and Organizational Development. She will transition to her new role on Monday, June 12.

Congratulations, Stephanie!

Deena Chamberlain, Lori Tinkey and Bryan Reaume