Dear UR Family,

It is with bittersweet emotion that I announce the departure of Kat Gardner from the University of Notre Dame.

Kat has been offered an incredible opportunity to serve as the Development Director for the Stanley Clark School in South Bend. She looks forward to leveraging her experience to build a program, contribute to the community, and actively participate in her son’s school and education.

Over the past 8 years, Kat has played a crucial role in University Relations, previously contributing to the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. In March 2023, she transitioned to Associate Director of Leadership Annual Giving, where, in her first 9 months, she successfully raised over $1.9 million in unrestricted cash revenue and closed four leadership gifts (totaling $800,000 in production).

Kat’s determination, leadership, hard work, and wisdom have significantly enriched our collaborative efforts, and her presence will be missed.

Join me in extending the warmest wishes to Kat for joy and success in her exciting new chapter.

In Kindness,

Indi J

I am delighted to share that proud parents Tom Scrace and Sarah Carruthers welcomed baby boy John Bessette Scrace on January 7. Weighing in at 7lbs 13oz, John is settling in well at home with his new dog besties. Congrats to the wonderful family!

– Amanda Retartha

As a reminder, today, starting at 5:00 pm crmND access will no longer be available and the Advance system and BEAT will become available as READ ONLY. No gift processing or data inputs (ie contact updates, proposals, contact reports, BEAT Ticket Requests, etc.) will be allowed during the data conversion.

The asceND team will perform a variety of planned activities through 8:00 am (ET) Tuesday, January 16 to migrate and deploy the new Salesforce asceND Platform.  If you are connected to the Advance system at 5:00, your session will automatically be terminated, and you will need to log back in if needed to access information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our departmental IT support team.

Please join me in welcoming Lauren Wertz to the Friends of Ted & Ned, Cavanaugh Council, and President’s Circle Team as the newest Associate Director! Lauren received her bachelor’s and master’s in social work and spent many years as a case manager and supervisor with child services in St. Joe County. Most recently, Lauren served as the Director of Programs for Nurses Inspire Nurses, a vibrant community platform and e-commerce hub focused on cultivating a sense of belonging and empowerment within the nursing community. Lauren lives here in South Bend with her husband, and in her free time, she enjoys staying active (thanks to her Peloton), is an avid reader, and is a lover of plants. Fun fact: she has over 30 houseplants in her home!

With her wide array of skills and experience, we are very excited to have her as part of the FTN/CCPC team! Lauren’s first day was Monday, January 8. Congratulations and welcome, Lauren!

Mary Jane Añón

The Gift and Data Management office will be closed this Friday, January 12. givegift@nd.edu will be monitored for donor emails and calls.

Thank you,
Amy Schell

South Bend is in desperate need of blood this January. The American Red Cross is sponsoring a blood drive tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9th from 11am to 4pm at the IDEA Center. Please “Walk the Walk” and consider being a blood donor to meet our area’s needs.

The Office of Gift Planning will be closed this Friday, January 12, in recognition of our team’s work during the year end.

Thank you,

TJ Pillari

Please extend a warm welcome to our new Science Academic Advancement Director, Steve Asiala! Some of you may know Steve from his most recent position at the IDEA Center, where he served as the Assistant Director for Research Engagement, and we are so excited to welcome him to Development. Steve received his B.S. in Chemistry from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He then received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Notre Dame. His experience ranges from partnering with faculty and the Academy to driving engagement with the Industrial Biotechnology sector across Scotland, which will serve him in the AAD role. Ask him about his time as a postdoc in Scotland!

As the Science AAD, Steve will be responsible for driving philanthropy to the College of Science, working closely with William K. Warren Foundation Dean and Professor of Mathematical and Quantitative Biology, Santiago Schnell. This position has been vacant since October 2023, so we are excited that Steve’s first day in Development will be Tuesday, January 16, 2024. He will be starting right as Advisory Council Membership preparation and review begins, so he will be spending lots of time at Main Building the first couple weeks. You will get a chance to hear from him during the Winter Spectacular in the Science immersion and meet him throughout the Annual Planning Day.

We are thrilled to have Steve join the team!!!

KO

At 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 10, crmND will no longer be available as part of the transition to asceND and the Advance system and BEAT will become READ ONLY.

The data conversion to asceND will begin at that time and we expect asceND will be operable on Tuesday, January 16. No gift processing or data inputs (ie contact updates, proposals, contact reports, etc.) will be allowed during the data conversion. 

The data mart will be frozen and available on 1/11 for reporting with data processed through 1/10.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our departmental IT support team.

Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in January! We hope this new year brings you joy!

1/2—Koby Keck
1/3—Andrea Swanagan
1/4—Molly Cosby
1/5—Nancy Cole
1/6—Elicia Dennis
1/6—Dylan Reed
1/7—Drew Buscareno
1/9—Kate Brown
1/11—Colleen Bailey-Knapke
1/11—Stu Fortener
1/12—James Riley
1/13—Laura Walker
1/16—Tracey Cantwell
1/17—Matt Frazier
1/19—Jeff Fersch
1/21—Matt McVeigh
1/21—Michael Stark
1/23—Nadia Erickson
1/24—Suzanne DeGuillo
1/24—Melissa Lechlitner-Lewis
1/24—Katie Leigh
1/25—Kelly Courington
1/25—Lou Nanni
1/26—Chris Baguer
1/26—Joanne Norell
1/30—Geoff Stookey
1/31—Bryan Reaume