Colleagues,

Please join me in wishing Brooke Wenzel all the best as she departs the Notre Dame family to start a new career at ExtraHop, a cyber-security company based in Seattle, doing process improvement projects for their marketing department. She will continue living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota close to her family and with her dog, Honeybear.

Brooke moved to South Bend and joined us in 2013 after working for Thomson Reuters as a legal research associate in Washington, DC. She spent 5 years with the Gift Planning team beginning the launch of the DAF portal program, 3 years with the CCPC team working directly with benefactors and fundraisers in the NY Metro and East Coast regions, and has spent the last two years continuing her partnership with George West and Ryan Brennan to grow portfolios and onboard many new fundraisers and teammates. She is passionate about her work and has made a huge impact with her strategic mindset, insight, and creative ideas.

Please join us in gratitude and congratulations to Brooke as we say farewell for now! Her last day will be Friday, February 10th. We will be posting shortly for a new Prospect Management Consultant position, so please contact Jonathan Retartha if you know of any interest in the role.

Here is Brooke’s personal contact information – please keep in touch!

Email: Brookewenzel01@gmail.com

Cell: 651-278-6074

Thank you Brooke!

-Jonathan Retartha

Happy birthday to all our UR employees celebrating their special days in February! We love working with you!

2/2 – Kim Biagini
2/3 – Alyssa Strbjak
2/3 – Shelby Carroll
2/4 – Rebekah Kincaid
2/8 – Davida Kozlowski
2/10 – Cat Edmonds
2/10 – Jessica Reasons
2/12 – Aaron Wall
2/13 – Christa LeeVan
2/16 – Matt Abernathy
2/17 – Allison Griffith
2/20 – Riley Koval
2/21 – Ashley Moeller
2/21 – Kara Primmer
2/23 – Heather Moriconi
2/24 – Shannon Longo
2/27 – Amy Schell
2/27 – Hilary Ott
2/29 – Bill Kempf

The newest episode of “The Grace of Giving” podcast is out featuring AVP for Advancement Services, Brian Diss! In this episode we discuss new year resolutions, why pie is always better than cake, and Brian’s dream job of being a host on The Today Show! All this and more in the Grace of Giving! Listen now! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and fill out this form to appear as a guest.

Dear Colleagues,

I am so pleased to announce that Gavin McGuire has accepted the position of Academic Advancement Director for the Keough School of Global Affairs, effective March 1, 2023.

As many of you know, Gavin has been a tremendous asset to our team and Notre Dame since 2013. He has served since October 2018 as the Advisor to the Vice President of University Relations, providing strategic support to Lou Nanni and UR’s senior leadership team. Before his time in the Main Building, Gavin occupied the roles of Program Director for Innovation and Strategies, Assistant Director of the Notre Dame Trail, and Development Associate, working closely with Micki Kidder.

I can speak for both myself and my team that we are thrilled to have him join us!

Gavin’s current role as Advisor to the Vice President of University Relations will be posted in the coming days. See Adria Logan with any questions, and we encourage any colleagues interested to apply. For now, please join me in congratulating Gavin!

KO

Parking Services is retiring the outdated access technology on all campus parking gates and faculty/staff lots. Gate proximity cards (white cards and clickers) will no longer work as of Tuesday, Jan. 31, when the last of the old technology is removed. Your hands-free enhanced hang tag will give you automatic access to campus gates and parking lots. If you have not already received yours, please pick up your enhanced hang tag at the Parking Services office in the first-floor lobby area of Hammes Mowbray Hall between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

All faculty and staff should also check the expiration date on their Irish1Card. Access credentials for buildings and parking gates will expire on the same date. Visit the Card Office on the 4th Floor of Grace Hall to renew and reactivate your credentials.

Yesterday, we started sending our 2022 Giving Statements electronically. The subject line is 2022 Charitable Giving Tax Statement: University of Notre Dame and the sender was givegift@nd.edu. If your donors have questions, please encourage them to search by the subject line and/or sender. Hard copies will be mailed in the next few days.

Thank you,
Alyssa Strbjak

Gift and Data Management will be closed this Friday, January 27 in recognition of our team’s work during the year end. The general phone and email will be covered to help donors who need assistance.

Thank you,
Amy Schell

I’d like you all to welcome our new Arts & Architecture AAD, Hilary Ott! Hilary is joining us from New York City where she worked for more than 3 years as a Private Sales Accounts Manager at Christie’s. She received her Master of Arts in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York and has been working in the city ever since – beginning with an internship at the Guggenheim, to Sotheby’s before landing a few different roles at Christie’s. Her extensive background in the arts and humanities, and relationship building makes her a great fit for this role. As a Domer from the class of 2013, she is not new to Notre Dame, but we are happy that she is back in South Bend.

As the Arts & Architecture AAD, Hilary will be responsible for driving philanthropy to DPAC, Snite/Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, and the School of Architecture. As you all know, I am looking forward to passing the baton into her more than capable hands. Her first day in Development will be Monday, January 30, 2023 – the start of fundraiser training week. Please say hi and introduce yourself throughout the week.

We are thrilled to have Hilary join the team!

– Katy Orenchuk

Colleagues,

Please note the Morris Inn still has rooms available over Junior Parents Weekend, Friday, February 17, through Sunday, February 19. Please contact Molly Di Carlo (mschau@nd.edu) with any questions.

Team,

I’m excited to provide you with some information on the newest members of the NDAA Team…

Dani Elgas: Guest Experience Program Director (formerly Special Events Program Director) starting January 23, 2023

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State University, Dani Elgas has lived in the South Bend area for the last 11 years working in leadership roles for the YMCA and Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana. Outside of work, Dani is a mother of two (Tyler – 11 and Addie – 7). In her free time, she’s heavily involved at her church and Prairie Vista Elementary. Additionally, Dani plays slow pitch softball, participates in a women’s golf league and enjoys a variety of fitness-related activities.

Todd Lemons: IT Solutions Consultant starting Jan 17, 2023

Todd comes to Notre Dame from Bethel University where he spent the past 19 years, most recently serving as the Director of Infrastructure and Information Security. He brings a background in technology infrastructure, AV technologies, and even some audio engineering through a past career and his current volunteer work. He’s looking forward to the fun, change, and challenges that working in the NDAA will bring and is excited to get to know the team.

Mary Prebys: Alumni Groups Coordinator starting January 23, 2023

Mary Prebys is a proud member of the Notre Dame Class of 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Theology with a minor in Education. Some of you might remember Mary as a student worker for the Alumni Association all 4 years. After graduation, Mary returned to her home in the suburbs of Chicago as a Youth Minister at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Parish in Darien, IL. Later, she moved on to be the Vice President of Marketing and Engagement at a small life insurance company before realizing her dream of returning to the Notre Dame Alumni Association. She loves spending her time with her puppy, Mr Curly Lambeau (go Pack go!), watching college and professional football, and traveling to visit family all over the country.

Amy Retartha: Professional and Alumni Education Coordinator starting January 17, 2023

Amy brings 5 years of experience supporting our local community through her work at the St. Joseph County Public Library where she coordinated 150+online programs during Covid-19 and a multitude of in-person programs. She will draw upon her front and back-of-house theatre training in this role supporting ThinkND. Hesburgh Lecture Series, Reunion programming, IrishCompass and more. Amy’s talents include her analytical, creative, people, logistical, and technical abilities. Amy is married to Ryan Retartha who engages Mendoza alumni for the University and together they have two sons: Ellis and Quinn.

Please join me in welcoming this incredible group to the NDAA!

All the best,

Dolly