Educational experience: B.A. History, Minnesota State University-Moorhead; M.A. Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University at IUPUI; Ph.D. Higher Education Administration, Indiana University Bloomington
Previous experience: School of Liberal Arts – IUPUI. “I worked in fundraising there for 19 years. I started as a development intern and rose to become the associate dean for development in external affairs. I am really grateful to have learned about fundraising, communications and marketing, and development leadership from the ground up as part of a great school and university team.”
Lilly Family School of Philanthropy – “After earning my Ph.D. in 2008, I was interested in combining my passion for teaching and researching with my commitment to being a practitioner. I joined the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2011 and also maintained my role at the School of Liberal Arts. This past year, I became a full-time faculty member here in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.”
Research interests/areas of study: Fundraising, higher education advancement, philanthropy in the workplace, and philanthropy, public good, and faculty work
What drew her into the study of philanthropy: “I finished my undergraduate degree and immediately came to the then-Center on Philanthropy to do the master’s degree. My future path wasn’t clear, but I knew that I wanted a career that was about contributing to society. The degree program helped me find my way to higher education advancement work (that is doing fundraising, communications, and alumni programming).”
Classes she teaches: Giving and Volunteering in America — “It’s an undergraduate introductory course for non-majors. We teach up to 150 students a semester across several course sections. I organize it so we’re all teaching a consistent curriculum and giving the students the same experiences across all of the sections.”
Celebrity Philanthropy: “Dr. Gene Tempel invited me to be part of a project that he had support for from Lilly Endowment. Along with Dr. Sarah Nathan, we developed this course on celebrity, philanthropy, fundraising, and social marketing. The goal is to explore an interesting current topic in the field while discussing foundational topics in philanthropic studies (such as what motivates giving). It’s been fun to develop and teach and I’ll be teaching it this spring in a new all-online format.”
Individual Donor Motivation and Engagement: “This semester I’m teaching this new course about understanding and interacting with individual donors. I created the class to include many opportunities to do experiential learning, which I love doing with students and think is important. I’ve encouraged the students to get into the mindset of a fundraiser while also giving them realistic fundraising experiences. In fact, their big project is running their own #GivingTuesday campaigns for their favorite charity.”
Perspective as both an alum and faculty member: “I remember so much from my classes! The faculty influenced my thinking about philanthropy’s impact on society and I discovered my way of making a meaningful contribution. Now, I continue to learn through interactions with other faculty members and am able to bring my own ideas to bear as a part of this community, too. My history here is long and it is wonderful to be a part of the future as well.”
What makes the students special: “Our students are here because they are passionate about making the world a better place. They have particular causes and issues that they are passionate about and want to learn how philanthropy—and they—can best help. I’m inspired by their commitment and desire to do good by putting what they study into action.”
Integrating research and practice together: “I try to take my research and make it helpful to practitioners in the field. I do my best to connect my scholarly activities with presentations, teaching, or writing that is for a more public audience.”
Benefits of degree from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy: “The degree sets you apart in the depth and breadth of your knowledge about philanthropy and how it affects society and the world. Students practice thinking and acting in an academic way—that is considering multiple perspectives, bringing theory to bear on real-world concerns and efforts, testing assumptions, and unpacking complicated issues and dilemmas.
“In addition, the degree prepares you to work in diverse settings that align with your own passions, knowledge, and skills. Once here students follow their own interests, while getting a broad base of experience and information about philanthropy in society.”
Fun fact/free time: “My husband and I have an eight-year-old son who keeps us busy. I’m also on the board for the Red Cross and am involved in a group addressing neighborhood questions at the Children’s Museum. I also like to cook, read, travel, and enjoy the outdoors … when I have time!”
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