The Annual Giving Team is excited to welcome Hannah Thompson ’21 to the Annual Giving Team! She will lead the ND Listens program and our student engagement efforts. She is our go-to resource for student requests.

Hannah brings many talents and experiences, including working with and building teams as a Notre Dame athlete, and abroad, and is extremely passionate about working with the heart of Notre Dame – our students!

Welcome, Hannah! We’re so lucky to have you here.

-Meredith

Please join me in congratulating Katie Kerby on her promotion to Senior Director, Annual Giving. In this role, Katie will guide and support the teams responsible for Notre Dame’s global unrestricted fundraising campaigns and initiatives, including the Sorin Society, Rockne Athletics Fund, Order or St. Thomas More, and O’Hara Society.

Katie joined the UR Relations team in 2018 as a UR Intern and has since been successful in leading ND Listens, overseeing the Giving Programs team within Annual Giving, and most recently as Director, Annual Giving, where she helped guide the Sorin Society, Order of St. Thomas More, and O’Hara Society to record-breaking years.

Katie Kerby is a 2019 graduate of Notre Dame and is currently working on a Master of Liberal Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Harvard Extension School.

The position of Director, Annual Giving will be posted in the coming days. If you are interested or know of individuals who could serve in this role, please get in touch with Adria Logan.

Congratulations, Katie!

Brandon Tabor

Dear Colleagues,

As Gift and Data Management and DIS prepare to launch AsceND on October 23, it’s paramount that our teams prioritize this work, user testing, and user acceptance. This work will take substantial staff time and effort over the next 10 weeks.

In the interim, we ask for your patience and understanding as our response time may be delayed.

Thank you,
Alyssa

Friends and Colleagues,

It’s with mixed emotions that I share the news that Brian Benedict will be leaving the University to take on a new opportunity and challenge at Rahal Racing beginning August 11th.

Brian has had a great impact over his five years in Development – as a valued member of both the Annual Giving and then Athletics Advancement teams, and his commitment to others will be missed greatly. Fortunately, while he’s leaving our team he isn’t leaving the area – and his impact will continue as a coach for the Notre Dame’s Club Men’s Lacrosse team and as a broadcaster for our Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams.

Please join me in congratulating Brian and wishing him well on this exciting new chapter!

Riley Koval

Friends and Colleagues,

I am very pleased to introduce you to our newest Gift Planning Officer, Chris Russell. Chris earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Oakland University and recently, his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School. He is an avid baker, so be sure to ask him for his favorite recipes!

Chris’s first day is today, August 7th, and his regional assignment will be determined over the coming weeks. Please say hello to Chris over the coming days at Summit and give him a warm welcome to Development!

Jessica Brice

Prospect Management and Research is thrilled to welcome Carly Schmitt to University Relations! Starting Monday, August 7, Carly will serve the Central region as our newest Prospect Management Consultant.

Carly comes to us from Purdue University, fundraising as Director of Development in Major Gifts for the John Purdue Club. Carly also contributed to the annual fund team for the John Purdue Club as a development associate starting in September 2019. Prior to her university development experience, Carly served as an account executive at Emplify and as an associate marketing manager at Roche Diagnostics.

Carly was a collegiate swimmer for Purdue. During her swimming career she qualified and competed in three events at the 2016 USA Swimming Olympic Trials, competed in multiple NCAA Championships, and Big Ten Championships. Carly is an Indiana native. Carly and her husband, Jesse, reside in South Bend, with their son, Asher (1).

Please join me in welcoming Carly!

Jonathan Retartha

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share the following organizational announcements:

Effective today August 4, Brad Goff will assume the role of Executive Program Director, Strategy and Insights. In this role, Brad will serve in a variety of capacities to advance and elevate our work as we move through For Good: including continued leadership on For Good analytics as well serving as a member of the Transformational Gifts team. Moreover, he will collaborate with UR leadership and teams across the division to identify core business questions and create impact-driven, mission-focused, and productivity-oriented solutions that will increase our fundraising efficiency. In this role, Brad will report to Brian Diss and primarily be located in Eddy Street Commons.

Brad has been a valued member of the University Relations team since 2007, serving in a variety of capacities in both the Alumni Association and Development. Most recently, he served as a critical member of the For Good administration team as we launched the initiative. We are grateful for Brad’s leadership and uncompromising dedication.

Also effective August 4, Amy Schell’s title will be reflected as Executive Director, Gift and Development Administration, with continued oversight of the Gift and Data Management and Development Administration teams. Amy has been a member of the University Relations team for 17 years, serving in a variety of roles in Marketing Communications, Stewardship, Annual Giving, and Gift and Data Management. She is a proven leader of high-performing, cross-functional teams with a passion for coaching and investing in her team’s professional growth.

Finally, Katherine Lane’s title will be reflected as Executive Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations, with continued oversight of the Stewardship & Donor Relations team. The constant during Katherine’s 25+ year career in Development has been stewardship, but she is also known for her direction of the Renovare Project, her management of the marketing collateral of the Spirit of Notre Dame Campaign, and her leadership of the Notre Dame Trail. Her strengths come into play best when she is caring for a key Notre Dame benefactor; whether a dedication or a funeral, Katherine embraces the family and ensures they feel the University’s gratitude.

Moving forward, the Executive title will be evaluated and utilized where job scope, experience, and past performance warrants.

Please join us in thanking Brad, Amy, and Katherine for their ongoing leadership to Notre Dame and our Development team.

Brian, Michelle, and Brandon

On Thursday, August 3, the Gift Planning Team will be out of the office participating in an off-site team day.

It is my pleasure to welcome Arnaud Zimmern (pronounced R-NO) to the Prospect & Research Strategy team as Research Analyst, effective August 1. In his new role, Arnaud 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.

Arnaud received his PhD in English from Notre Dame and a BA in Mathematics, English, and World Languages from Southern Methodist University – Dallas, TX. He has spent the last 3 years as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship. You can usually find Arnaud after hours at the ND bouldering and climbing gym. If you’ve never tried climbing, he would be happy to introduce you.

We are excited to see the impact Arnaud’s skills and energy will have on our team. Please consider reaching out to Arnaud at azimmern@nd.edu to introduce yourself.

Welcome Arnaud!
Christina