Friends,

I am pleased to announce that Lauren Donahue has joined the NY Metro team as regional director, effective December 13.

For the past three and a half years, Lauren served as the Program Director for New Student Engagement at Notre Dame, where she was a member of Fr. Gerry’s leadership team for student affairs. Lauren provided leadership on matters involving strategic planning, student development, health and well-being, residential life and was the co-director of the Moreau First Year Experience course. From 2014-2018, she served as Rector of Cavanaugh Hall.

I am excited about all that Lauren will bring to our team! Please join me in welcoming her to University Relations.

Thank you,
Ryan

It is my pleasure to welcome Rachel Myers to the Resource Strategy and Administration team as Associate Director of Finance. Rachel’s first day will be Monday, December 20, when she will begin leading our day-to-day finance administration and strategy.

Rachel is a graduate of Purdue with a double major in financial planning and sales management as well as a minor in psychology. In addition, she earned a master’s of education from Valparaiso University.

Rachel brings more than 15 years of experience in financial analysis and operations management to UR. Most recently, Rachel served as Director of Finance and Operations at Andrean High School (Merrillville, IN).

Please join me in welcoming Rachel! And please consider reaching out to Rachel (rmyers24@nd.edu) to introduce yourself. Especially in our hybrid work environment, we appreciate our UR teammates and key partners who take the time to make our newest member feel welcomed and included.

Kathryn Valenti

Team,

I couldn’t be more excited to share the good news that we have a new Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, Digger O’Brien. Digger comes to us after many years working as an Executive Producer and Chief Content Officer for various groups within the NFL. His responsibilities as the Head of Entertainment Marketing included overseeing all content development, creative and brand-alignment strategies for third-party digital, television and film projects in the entertainment industry. In addition, as the Senior Producer of NFL Films, he executed hundreds of hours of large-scale content development and production initiatives at the NFL’s in-house production company. And to top it all off, he is a five-time national Emmy Award winner for editing, directing and writing.

Digger is the author of “Pointing Is Rude: One Father’s Story of Autism, Adoption, and Acceptance.”

A 1989 graduate of Notre Dame, Digger will be joined in South Bend by his wife, Bernadette, and children, Anna (24), Frederick and Grace (19) and Julian (12). He joined us on November 29, splitting time between South Bend and Yardley, PA, until after the holidays.

Please join me in welcoming Digger O’Brien.

All the best,
Dolly

On Thursday, December 16th at noon – Please join THRIVE! for Networking: Basics and Beyond, a 30 min workshop on the fundamentals of networking. Whether or not you are comfortable with the concept of networking, you’ll learn the basics of and best practices for networking, with Associate Director for Mendoza MBA programs, Martin Johnson. Martin will be joined by Tahra Taylor, Associate Director of Graduate Business Career Services, and Lindsey McIntyre, Associate Director of Graduate Business Career Services (see bios below).

Please click this zoom link to register. https://notredame.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYtceyuqjIoGt3EUOlZovsZbauapuYCYvFJ.

Martin C. Johnson is an Associate Director of Graduate Business Career Development and a Career Coach. He joined Notre Dame in 2020. He is responsible for coaching MBA students who are seeking careers in the fields of Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. He also is an advisor to the Finance & Investment Club. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Martin was an Investment Advisor with Morgan Stanley, an Agency Owner with Allstate Insurance, Regional Vice President with US Allianz Investor Services, and Vice President of Sales at Lakeshore Learning Materials. Martin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from University of The Pacific, a Master Business Administration from California State University East Bay, and a Juris Doctor from John F. Kennedy College of Law. His certifications include RMA – Retirement Management Analyst (RMA®, Enrolled Agent, member CA State Bar.

Tahra Taylor is an Associate Director of Graduate Business Career Services, where she meets with the Mendoza College of Business MBA students one-on-one and in groups to explore, pursue, and obtain their individualized career goals. She also liaises with student clubs in support of student learning opportunities. She has a passion for helping students create strategies for success in the job search process. Prior to joining the University of Notre Dame, Tahra was the Human Resources Director for the National Diversity Council. She built her vast human resources experience with The Dallas Morning News and Fortune 500 companies, including AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Texaco, Inc., and Entergy Services, Inc.

Lindsey McIntyre is Associate Director for Graduate Business Career Development. She joined Mendoza in 2019. She serves as the Career Coach for Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) students in both the on-campus Residential and Chicago programs. In this role, she provides strategic guidance and tactical tools and resources to help each student create a customized job search strategy that supports long-term career success. McIntyre began her career at Notre Dame in 2007, and has served in various research and analysis roles in the Office of Budget & Financial Planning, the College of Engineering, and the Offices of Corporate & Foundation Relations.

Dear UR,

Please join us in welcoming our newest Development Coordinators, Becky and Casey!

Rebekah (Becky) Kincaid comes to ND via Port Richey, Florida. She started with us on November 2nd and reports to Tashana Kenny. Rebekah served as Client Success Coordinator for Charter Communications during her 6-year Southern residency, but she is native to the South Bend area. Previous roles include Administrative Assistant to the Regional President of 1st Source Bank in our area. Rebekah has returned home to Michiana to be closer to family and friends and is already feeling the spirit of Notre Dame!

Casey Buck transferred from ND Athletics Ticketing for his Development start date of 12.13.21, reporting to Anita Sareen. Casey’s previous employment includes roles as Tax Staff Intern with Crowe, Manager for General Nutrition Center, and Shift Manager for Kabelin Ace Hardware. Casey will attain a Masters in Applied Sports Science from California University of Pennsylvania this month; he holds a Bachelors in Accounting and Business Management from Purdue University. Casey grew up in Northwest Indiana (Laporte, Valparaiso), and has recently moved to South Bend. Casey enjoys traveling with friends and being outdoors as much as possible

The DC Team now has a full house for the holidays! We are grateful for the partnerships that made this possible.

Lori, Tashana, and Anita

It is my pleasure to welcome Jami Radcliff to the Organizational Effectiveness team as Salesforce Administrator and Business Analyst. Jami’s first day will be Monday, December 13th, and she will be responsible for supporting our Enterprise CRM users and the asceND project by facilitating thoughtful requirements discussions and leveraging the power and flexibility of the Salesforce platform to implement technical solutions that streamline business processes and improve user experience.

Jami comes to Notre Dame from INSERV, Inc. in Mishawaka where she held roles as the IT Director and Salesforce Administrator for the last three and a half years. Prior to that, Jami held leadership and customer support roles in Charlotte Russe.

Please join me in welcoming Jami to the Notre Dame family.

Dean Ernzen

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to share that Tim Kenney will be joining the Sorin Society team as Associate Director, Sorin Society Marketing, effective December 13th, 2021. We are excited that Tim’s creativity, dedication to the Notre Dame mission, and genuine care for the Notre Dame family will work to grow and strengthen the vital Sorin Society community!

Over the past two years, Tim has served on the Giving Programs team and led our donor recruitment campaigns which are crucial to driving new donors to the University each fiscal year. In addition to executing creative and effective campaigns, Tim was a key leader for ND Parents, ND Loyal, Notre Dame Day, and Reunion giving. Tim consistently demonstrates the ability to juggle many things at once, all while being a team player and a great source of joy. Please feel free to reach out to Tim regarding any Sorin Society benefactor needs moving forward!

With Tim’s transition within the Annual Giving team, Katie Kerby is looking for the next talented addition to the Giving Programs team! Please reach out to her or the Talent Acquisition team with anyone who you think would fit this role!

Wishing you all our best,
Katie Kerby & Pablo Martínez

It is a pleasure to announce that Kelly Courington will continue to serve on the Academic Advancement Team as the AAD for the College of Engineering. She will begin this new role on December 13th.

Kelly most recently was the Development Associate on the Academic Advancement team. Her effectiveness in University Relations was preceded by philanthropic roles at the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Bethel University, and Saint Mary’s College.

Responsible for driving philanthropy to the College of Engineering, we are privileged to keep Kelly as part of our Academic Advancement Team. She has played a vital role in developing partnerships and stewarding relationships for this team, and her experience will enable her to succeed in this new role.

Kelly holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science from Saint Mary’s College, and a Master of Business Administration from Bethel University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to her degrees, Kelly has also completed the Certificate in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University.

Please join me in congratulating Kelly on her new role.

-Stu

Tis the season for matching gifts! We have begun using a new service called Double the Donation for more timely automation of matching gift claim reminder prompts for our benefactors. Gifts over $10,000 will NOT be receiving those automated messages. If you have specific prospects you do not want to receive automatic messages, let me know.

Due to this exciting change, I will more regularly be sharing matching gift lists with you all, especially during year end giving. This list includes all assigned prospects who made a gift between July 1 and November 24 and as of November 24 had not yet made a claim.

I’ve compiled a short list of some of our top matching gift companies with a December 31 deadline or other notable deadline for your quick reference.

As always, you can check any employer’s matching program details at: https://giving.nd.edu/ways-to-give/matching-gifts/

You can contact me via email at lcurry@nd.edu with any matching gift questions.

-Leslie Curry