On Tuesday, April 11 from 5:00-6:45PM, please join us as Thom Browne ‘88 discusses “By Design: Thom Browne on the Business of Fashion.” The Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study is co-hosting the event with the Mendoza College of Business, which will take place in the Jordan Auditorium. Thom Browne is the 2022-23 NDIAS Artist in Residence and chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The conversation and Q&A will be moderated by Michael Hainey ‘86, a deputy editor of Air Mail and author of the New York Times best-seller, After Visiting Friends.

Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in April! We hope you “spring” into a year full of joy and fun!

4/1 – Katie O’Friel
4/1 – Tara Reilly
4/1 – Jess Rizzo
4/1 – Steve Sollmann
4/3 – Michael Connaughton
4/6 – Austin Gammage
4/6 – Ken Johnson
4/6 – Cindy Karpovs
4/8 – Amanda Mckee
4/12 – Joe Dietz
4/12 – Katy Orenchuk
4/15 – Terri Glenn
4/15 – Amy Mason
4/16 – Michelle Jones
4/16 – Steve Orsini
4/18 – Dean Ernzen
4/18 – Jeff Faust
4/19 – Kris Machalleck
4/19 – Rose Michalski
4/20 – Mark Helmke
4/22 – Rachel Parks
4/23 – Kat Gardner
4/23 – Matthew Greene
4/23 – Karen Sunshine
4/24 – Angie Dennig
4/25 – Josh Cunningham
4/25 – Sarah Wodrich
4/27 – Ryan Brennan
4/27 – Katie Kerby
4/27 – Marie Labosky
4/27 – Sheila McMahon
4/29 – Peter Hlabse
4/30 – Andrew Frye

With spring on the way back to campus, please note the following updates regarding the ESC Smart Cars:

• Parking for Smart Cars #12 & #14 has returned to their pre-winter locations (facing Harper Hall; adjacent to the drop-off circle at the 1st-floor lobby entrance). Signage for each spot has been updated.
  • Reminder: If you are using one of the cars, it should be returned to its original location (i.e. Car #12 to Spot 12, etc.)
• Smart Car #9 has been retired due to mechanical issues. At this time, we will not be replacing this vehicle and this parking spot has be reassigned for another purpose.
• If you need to pick up or drop off, use the circle drive adjacent to the lobby doors. The use of flashers in this loading/unloading zone is encouraged

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Waltz (lwaltz@nd.edu), Lana Taylor (ltaylor1@nd.edu), or Grace Prosniewski (gprosnie@nd.edu).

Our Giving Societies team is growing! I am happy to share that Tim Kenney will shift his responsibilities to focus on leading and growing Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold. His work will focus on three critical areas: developing a strategic growth plan for Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold through research and data analysis, generating content and experiences that will grow the overall attractiveness of Sorin 175 and Sorin Gold, and building relationships with internal and external partners to influence fundraising.

We are now hiring an Associate Director, Sorin Society Marketing.

Please reach out to me or Tim Kenney with questions about the transition.

Thank you,
Katie Kerby

Spring means spring cleaning!

As a reminder, if you utilize the shared fridges in any of our office spaces, it is your responsibility to clean and dispose of any food or condiments you bring in. Please put your name and date on anything you place in the refrigerator.

Samantha Checkley has graciously volunteered to lead a deep clean of some of our shared ESC office resources this coming Monday, April 3rd. Please note, if you have food/drinks/condiments in the fridge, they MUST be labeled with your name and the date. Any expired items/unmarked items will be thrown away.

Additionally, if you are interested in helping with the cleaning process, please meet up with Samantha in the ESC Cafe at 9AM on Monday, April 3rd.

Thank you again for respecting our shared spaces!

Friends and Colleagues,

I am very pleased to introduce you to our newest Gift Planning Officer, Mary Lake (’91). Mary earned her Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University and her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School. For years following law school, Mary served as Managing Partner of Lake & Lake, a law practice in LaPorte County where Mary represented clients in matters that included estate planning and real estate, and she later served as Deputy Public Defender in LaPorte County. For the past four years Mary has worked as Chief of Staff for the LaPorte County Prosecuting Attorney, leading a team of more than forty employees.

Mary and her husband John (’88) are the proud parents of seven children, including one Notre Dame graduate and two other current Notre Dame students. Mary’s first day is Monday, April 3, and her regional assignment will be determined and effective as of the start of the new fiscal year. Please come say hello to Mary next week (she will be sharing office space with Sarah Wodrich) and give her a warm welcome to Development!

TJ

UR Team,

Please join us in congratulating Kat Gardner on her promotion to Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving. We are thrilled for Kat to officially join the Annual Giving team as a tier one fundraiser after serving as a valued member of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team.

Over the past 5 1/2 years, Kat has played an integral role with the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. In her early years with S&DR, Kat partnered with the Western fundraising region as well as several divisions. Most recently, Kat has fostered excellent campus partnerships with the College of Arts & Letters, the Keough School, and the Arts & Architecture divisions. Further, Kat developed and led the growth of the annual Endowed Position Stewardship Initiative (EPSI); she has led the newly revised Expendable Reporting initiative for the team; she has co-led the development of the Stewardship Scoop campus-wide educational newsletter, using her marketing talents to make it a truly memorable publication. 

We are confident that Kat’s experience with donors, eagerness to have a greater impact on our students, and dedication to our mission will lead her to continued success as a fundraiser. Please join us in congratulating Kat on her new role. 

Best,
Kasey O’Connor & Cristi Ganyard

Dear Colleagues,

Please join us in congratulating Jeff Fersch on his transition to the Prospect & Research Strategy team as a Research Analyst!

Jeff has been with Development since 2005, when he worked as a Development Assistant. In 2014, he became a fundraiser for what was then the Midwest Region. He continued with the Illinois Region and worked with donors in the Chicagoland area. Jeff has been a prolific mission-giving fundraiser — consistently posting $1 million-plus in unrestricted — along with hitting his tier target in six of the last seven years. More than the numbers, Jeff is known for the consummate care he shows donors and his teammates. The Chicago team wishes him great success as he continues to serve Our Lady’s mission.

In his new role, Jeff will be working with the Research team to provide quality research to fundraisers and help identify process improvement opportunities in our recurring project-based work. We’re excited to gain Jeff’s unique insight as a long-standing member of the Development family. Jeff will make his transition to the team on April 17th.

Again, please join us in congratulating Jeff on his new role!

Jerry Barca & Christina Ryan

I am excited to announce that John Cunningham has joined the Chicago team as a regional director. John (’18, ’20 M.Ed) was born in South Bend, but after various moves during his childhood, his family has called Chapel Hill, North Carolina home for the last twelve years.

While a student at Notre Dame, John worked as a manager for the men’s basketball program under Coach Mike Brey. After graduation John taught middle school social studies for two years at Our Lady of Sorrows School in McAllen, Texas, as part of the ACE Teaching Fellows Program.

After a stint working with the Advancement Team at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, John was the Facility Operations Manager for the Kansas City Current, a soccer team in the NWSL, for the past two years. John joined the KC Current during its inaugural season in 2021 and worked on a number of projects including the building process of the team’s training facility.

John has always been around sports, and enjoys playing and watching any game and spending time with family and friends.

His first day in the office is Wednesday, March 29.

– Jerry Barca