Session 1: Technology Governance and How to Lead the Way

Terry Callaghan | Zuri Group, Associate Vice President, Management Consulting 

Wayne Combs | CHOC Children's Foundation, Associate Vice President, Operations

Dr. Wayne Combs is leader in campaign and advancement management with 30 years of experience supporting higher education and healthcare. He serves as Associate Vice President of Operations and Administrative Services for CHOC Children's Foundation. At USC Rossier School of Education, Dr. Combs teaches courses in Creativity and Innovation, Strategic Communications and Change Management, and Economics and Finance in the Organizational Change and Leadership doctoral program. In support of philanthropy, Dr. Combs delivers presentations on emerging trends while serving as Past-President for the Association of Advancement Services Professionals, Faculty for AHP Madison Institute and Chair/Faculty for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Session 2: Strategic Planning for Best Use of Technology

Deb Cunningham | MIT, Executive Director, Strategic Information Management

Deb Cunningham is a seasoned advancement professional who currently provides strategic oversight of MIT’s Resource Development information systems and prospect development operations, building on the unique synergies between these two departments. She is also a member of the Resource Development senior team, helping to define critical fundraising strategies and working closely with team members to successfully close a $6B campaign. Prior to this position, Deb served as Vice President of Administration, CAO at the University of Connecticut Foundation, where she consolidated and expanded Advancement Systems, while also overseeing Annual Giving, Human Resources and Facilities Management. Deb also oversaw Advancement Systems at the University of Vermont before joining BSR (now Ellucian).

For many years, Deb was a senior consultant for BSR (Ellucian), delivering project leadership and management services to many outstanding institutions, among them Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia, University of Colorado, the California State System and Notre Dame.

Deb has presented and participated as faculty for multi-day programs at Drive, CASE, aasp, AFP and many BSR/Ellucian User Group conferences

Mark Walcott | Emory University, Assistant Vice President, Technology and Business Intelligence

Dr. Mark Walcott has over 20 years of experience in technology-related and advancement services roles focused on Data Analytics, Data Management, and technological innovation.  He serves as the Assistant Vice President of Technology and Business Intelligence within the division of Advancement and Alumni Engagement at Emory University.  Dr. Walcott actively speaks on a variety of topics and has served on Blackbaud Higher Education Executive Advisory Board, Multicultural Leadership Institute (MCLP) Board, and other organizations focused on community and technological Advancement.  As a Vice President of aasp, Dr. Walcott is focused on continuing to build the profession through the strategic growth of aasp.

Panel Discussion |  Navigating the Now – Stories from the Field

Jon Thorsen | aasp Best Practices Committee, Founding Chair

Jon Thorsen recently retired after over 30 years in the Advancement Services profession, most recently serving as the Senior Associate Vice President of Finance, Operations and Services at the Washington State University Foundation. He has led research, relationship management, and advancement services operations for such organizations as Princeton University, the American Red Cross, and The Nature Conservancy. Jon was the original chair of the Best Practices in Advancement Services effort of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals, and has been recognized for his volunteer work to the association. He is a former president of Apra, and has received the association’s Distinguished Service Award. Jon has given presentations on many facets of the development profession at numerous conferences and has received the CASE Crystal Apple award for teaching excellence.

LaKeisha Gayden | George Washington University, Director, Biographical Records

LaKiesha Gayden is the director of Biographical Records at the George Washington University, where she empowers her team through an all-ways data approach. As a data enthusiast, LaKiesha utilizes all relevant resources and possibilities to bring purpose and understanding to data management practices in DAR. Since moving into records management, LaKiesha has utilized industry conferences and data governance standards to increase data integrity and build collaborative data channels to make the greatest impact in data management in DAR. 

Turner McCulley | Washington State University Foundation, Director, Advancement Technology

Turner McCulley currently serves as the Director of Advancement Technology for the Washington State University Foundation. Turner provides leadership and project management for the Foundation’s infrastructure, service desk, application development, and technology training teams and is responsible for managing a wide variety of Technology projects. Turner has over 15 years of experience in Technology working primarily for higher education and the Department of Defense. He currently serves as a member of the aasp Advancement Technology best practices committee. Turner earned his MBA from Washington State University in 2018 and is a certified Project Management Professional.

Stephanie Norton | The Nature Conservancy, Director, Fundraising Systems Specialists

Stephanie Norton is the Director of the Fundraising Systems Specialist (FSS) team, responsible for Development business and system support at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Stephanie has been with TNC since 1997 in a variety of Development roles, starting as the Membership Assistant for the Pennsylvania business unit and then eventually joining the FSS team as a founding member in 2002. In her current role, besides providing leadership to the FSS team, she participates in intra- and cross-departmental projects with a focus on the impact to support needed by TNC’s business unit staff associated with process, system, and/or procedural changes. Stephanie represents business unit fundraising staff in working groups that prioritize system enhancements and collaborates with other centralized teams and external vendors to ensure alignment of Development operations across divisions, as well as identifying, monitoring, and helping to resolve specific or systemic issues.

Session 1: Data Management: Vision, Strategy, and Partnerships

Josem Diaz | United Service Organizations, Vice President, Development Business Operations

Josem D. Diaz is the Vice President for Development Business Operations at the United Service Organizations (USO), where he is responsible for the leadership and strategic management of the operations, systems, and processes that support the USO’s global development efforts.

Additional, Josem has been a member of the Upper Iowa University Board of Trustees since 2017 and currently serves as the board chair of academic and student affairs, and member of the development, and governance committees.

Prior to that, Josem was the Vice President for College Advancement and Chief Development Officer at Eureka College. He was responsible for advancing the Colleges’ financial, capital, and academic growth by strengthening and expanding the institutional constituency and encouraging increased involvement and support.

Josem has 20 years of development, higher education, and all aspects of operations and campaign readiness experience. His experience includes strategic planning, and campaign management, offering a successful track of leading teams to optimum performance and operational efficiency.

Josem has also previously served as Assistant VP, Advancement Chief Operations Officer at Yeshiva University, New York, and provided leadership, direction, and oversight of all the organization's business operations and administrative areas in support of fundraising and strategic goals. Immediately before that role, Josem served as Assistant VP of Advancement Operations at American University, Washington D.C, where he onboarded a new President and led the campaign readiness assessment for AU's transformational campaign and the first CRM Advance implementation.

Josem receives his B.S in Forensic Psychology from Nova Southeastern University and is currently seeking his Executive Master of Public Administration at American University.
Josem is a Miami Beach, Florida native and currently lives in the Washington, D.C area.

Mary Carole Starke | Huron | GG+A Global Philanthropy, Consultant

Mark Koenig | Oregon State University Foundation, Vice President, Technology and Chief Innovation Officer

Mark Koenig is the vice president for technology and chief innovation officer for the OSU Foundation. In this role, he serves as the Foundation’s technology strategist, including oversight of relationship insights, pipeline development, analytics, data and CRM operations, and technology services.

Mr. Koenig is the past chair of the Ellucian Advancement Executive Advisory Committee and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VIII.

In 2019, he received the Distinguished Service Award from CASE District VIII recognizing his many years of service to the organization and in 2018, he received the Ellucian ‘EllumiNation’ Community Award recognizing his dedication to infusing innovation throughout the advancement profession.

Mr. Koenig earned his bachelor’s in history and economics from the University of Houston and a master's in adult education and organizational capacity from OSU.

Session 2: Data Management Practices That Support Organizational Vision

Sarah Hall | Harvard University, Director of Data Governance, Alumni Affairs & Development

Sarah Hall is based in the Alumni Affairs & Development team at Harvard University (AA&D). She has been in her role as Director of Data Governance since July 2019. During her tenure she has focused on projects that ensure data accuracy, compliance, and fluency (among other things). Sarah also manages a small-but-mighty team that is focused on ensuring AA&D’s biographical data resources are as complete and as accurate as possible. She currently participates on two projects to implement governance and quality standards for the administrative data used across Harvard.

 Sarah D. Hendrick | MIT

Sarah Hendrick serves as the inaugural Sr. Director of Data Management and Governance at MIT in the Office of Resource Development. She has over twenty five years of experience in alumni relations, volunteer and committee management, and advancement services roles at MIT. In her current role, Sarah enjoys working at the crossroads of data, technology, people, process, and philanthropy. She is responsible for the development and implementation of a data governance framework, including outlining policies on data access and use, monitoring data quality and completeness, as well as data literacy. Sarah co-chairs a data governance working group and collaborates with various stakeholders to ensure that data is managed effectively and in compliance with industry regulations and best practices. 

Panel Discussion | Solving Data Issues

John Taylor | John H. Taylor Consulting, Principal

Zachary Spurlin | University of the Pacific, Senior Director Analytics and Reporting

Anita Lawson | Southwestern Law School, Director of Advancement Services

Anita Lawson has been a dedicated non-profit professional for almost 30 years. She is passionate about supporting non-profits and higher education to identify strategy and implement infrastructure to increase fundraising capacity and donor relations.

Anita is currently the Director of Advancement Services at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Prior to Southwestern, Anita held advancement services leadership positions with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The RAND Corporation, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, and Art Center College of Design – all in the Los Angeles area. She also held similar leadership positions with Communities Foundation of Texas and Susan G. Komen For The Cure headquarters, both in Dallas, TX.

Anita is a Founding Member, former Board Member and President of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals (aasp).

Brad Reardon | University of Montana Foundation, Vice President of Information Systems

Brad Reardon has been helping organizations improve business processes and solve problems using digital technology for over 20 years.  He serves as the Vice President of Information Systems at the University of Montana Foundation, where he oversees the IT Services, Business Intelligence, and Prospect Research and Management teams.  Brad is currently leading the UM Foundation’s digital transformation initiative that began with the successful implementation of a CRM system.

Session 1: Orchestrating Harmony Among Multiple Platforms

Dwight Dozier | Georgia Tech Foundation, CIO

Evan Johnson | Georgia Tech Alumni Association, Director of IT Services

Session 2: Leveraging Data Recipes to Personalize Engagement

Dr. Rodger Devine | Pomona College, Assistant Vice President, Advancement Operations

Dr. Devine brings over 20 years of experience in enterprise information technology, business intelligence, organizational development, and cross-functional leadership. Rodger completed his graduate studies in information science at the University of Michigan School of Information, where he was a member of the Michigan Data Sciences team and co-founder of the Student Organization for Data Analytics. Rodger completed his doctoral research in Organizational Change and Leadership at the USC Rossier School of Education with a focus on technological change, workforce development, and organizational learning. Rodger co-authored Hands-On Deep Learning with R: A practical guide to designing, building, and improving neural network models using R (2020) and Data Science for Fundraising: Build Data-Driven Solutions Using R (2018). Rodger presents at conferences, chairs symposia, designs workshops, and volunteers in various leadership roles and mentorship capacities with non-profit organizations such as the Apra, AASP, and CASE, among others. Rodger looks forward to connecting with other lifelong learners and building diverse and inclusive communities of professional development, expertise, and knowledge sharing across higher education and beyond.

Derrick Fang | Pomona College, Director, Research, Relationship Management and Analytics

Panel Discussion | Data, Tools, Technology, Enablement and Strategies for Personalizing Fundraising and Engagement - Tales from the Trenches

Sabre Leek | Sleek Consulting, CEO

Sabre Leek is the founder of Sleek Consulting with more than 19 years of direct consulting experience working with higher education institutions and non-profits across the country. Ms. Leek's background includes 25 years of experience in fundraising operations including Director and Executive Director level positions.

Culley Johnson | Occidental College, Senior Associate Director of Advancement Communications

Culley Johnson serves as Senior Associate Director for Advancement Communications at Occidental College. He oversees the college’s communications to its alumni, parent and donor communities, with a focus on fundraising, event marketing, donor stewardship, and engagement. He has been a co-leader in the creation and execution of Oxy’s highly successful giving day, Day For Oxy, and has served on various leadership committees at the college. He brings to his work more than 20 years of higher education communication and administrative experience, as well as the creative and collaborative faculties cultivated through a lifetime in the performing arts.

Jean Camber | Regis University, Interim Asst. Vice President, Advancement Operations

Though her current role is Assistant Vice President of Advancement Services and Operations at Regis University, Jean Camber has done every role in advancement services over the past two decades. Jean earned her degree in industrial arts and design from San Francisco State University and found her knack for organizing opened doors in the music industry, where she designed data systems for managing publishing rights and usage. These archive and database skills led her to the Midwest and her first job in advancement services at the University of Michigan. But the mountains were calling and the chance to live in Colorado — where hiking and skiing were ordinary weekend activities — was too enticing to pass up. Jean blends her artistic roots with systems and processes insight to create practical solutions with significant impact on productivity and results for Regis, Colorado's only Jesuit university.

Eric Valdescaro | University of Memphis, Senior Director Advancement Services

Eric is Senior Director for Advancement Services at the University of Memphis. Eric has served in operational support of fundraising at multiple higher-educational institutions and foundations over his career spanning 31 years, totaling $2B in support over seven capital campaigns. He has presented at AFP and aasp Summit multiple times and has served on multiple aasp Best Practice committees. Eric earned his BA in applied mathematics from the University of Connecticut, and his Master’s in Public Policy from California Lutheran University.