Kate Willink is the inaugural Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and an Associate Professor of Communication Studies. The Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (VPFA) works closely with the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and faculty members across the university to support the continued excellence of DU faculty by enhancing faculty development initiatives, increasing faculty diversity, and building a strong, inclusive, and collaborative faculty community. Through collaboration and innovation, Kate works closely with deans and department heads to recruit and retain high-quality faculty, support faculty career advancement, and to create collaborative department cultures that support transparency, equity, trust and belonging.
Kathleen’s women’s philanthropy expertise results from strategic designs to engage more women at universities (Cornell University, University of San Francisco, Duke University, The College of William Mary), nonprofits (American Red Cross, Women Moving Millions, the National Jewish Federations of America, the National Women’s History Museum), sororities (Alpha Chi Omega Foundation, the Alpha Phi Foundation) and girls’ schools (Louise S. McGehee School, NCGS). Kathleen translates the research on how women give into practical actions fundraisers can take in her book, Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy (2018).
In her current role, Dawn leads institutional efforts in building an excellent and diverse faculty through inclusive policy development, faculty mentoring and advancement, and leadership training. She also oversees the Office of Institutional Research, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and the University Ombuds Office. Prior to her current position, she served as Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures. Dawn earned her BA and MA degrees in Spanish from New York University and her Ph.D. in Romance Philology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jianping has served 39 years in higher education in China and in the U.S. Her own journey from an unwanted girl from China to a college president in the U.S. inspires Jianping to passionately champion for equal opportunities for all, especially for those who have been deprived. As the only female Asian American college president in the state of New Jersey and only a few in the country, she is determined to give back by helping those who are on their quest to become more impactful leaders. Jianping firmly believes in the untapped and underutilized potentials in each person. In her coaching process, she focuses on building up individuals’ intellectual capacities. She serves as a thought partner with her client in discovering his/her own unique strengths and passions in a safe space through thought-provoking questions that open possibilities and options that have not been explored before. The client can expect the outcome of long lasting personal and professional growth. To learn more about her view on and approach to leadership coaching. Jianping holds a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Fielding Graduate University, a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Master’s degree in English Literature […]
Elizabeth has been serving in her current role at Washington State University since July 2020. A first-generation college student, she earned her MA and Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst after earning her BA at the University at Albany, State University of New York. From 2017 to 2020, Elizabeth served as dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University, one of the largest universities in the SUNY system. Before her tenure at Binghamton, she spent nearly 16 years as a professor and leader at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elizabeth served as a professor, anthropology department chair, and associate vice chancellor for research and engagement, among other roles. She worked toward making the institutions she’s served more accessible, diverse, and inclusive. Elizabeth is committed to leadership development in the institutions she serves, as well as in academia more broadly; she often serves as a faculty fellow for the Higher Education Leadership Programs for Women (HERS), which aims to create and sustain a diverse network of bold women leaders.
In his current role at NC Agricultural & Technical State University, P. Kevin oversees the Major Gifts Team and works to support other constituencies around campus to include academic areas like colleges and nonacademic areas such as centers of excellence, the library, and the band. He has a background in the management of major gifts, annual giving, leadership annual giving, planned giving, parent & family giving and prospect management & research. A native of High Point, NC, P. Kevin was an English major at NC A&T State University. Following graduation from NC A&T, he worked as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America for several years until transitioning into Higher Education philanthropy in 2007 where he served as Director of Development for Leadership Gifts at UNC Wilmington. He has since moved around the system having served in other roles at UNC Greensboro, WSSU and back to UNC Wilmington into the role of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Development. In September 2016, P. Kevin was able to return to his alma mater into his current role at NC A&T. P. Kevin resides in High Point, NC with his wife of 17 years, Tia, their daughters Trinity and Winter, two […]
In her current role at Muhlenberg, Rebekkah oversees the entire advancement operation, including alumni affairs; annual giving; leadership gifts; corporate and foundation relations; planned giving; advancement services; donor relations, advancement communications; special projects; and the career center. She manages a team of 47 professionals, and serves as a member of the President’s Senior Staff, responsible for advising and working with the president on the full spectrum of institutional issues. A native of Hamburg, PA, Rebekkah was a theatre major with a concentration in dance at Muhlenberg College. She received her MBA from St. John’s University. Following graduation from Muhlenberg, she worked in public affairs at Saks Fifth Avenue and in corporate relations and marketing at St. John’s University. After serving as Director of Corporate Development and Donor Relations at the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Rebekkah was named Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the Columbia Business School of Columbia University. In September 2008, she was promoted to Executive Director of Development and in July 2011 accepted her current position at Muhlenberg College.
Lynsey joined UC San Diego’s University Development leadership team in January 2015 as the Chief of Operations. In this role, she serves as a strategic partner to the Associate Vice Chancellor, providing leadership and partnership across Advancement for service-oriented systems and policies; partners with Human Resources colleagues to create and execute strategic and comprehensive recruitment and onboarding programs for the University Development team; and provides vision and direction for the department’s talent development, recognition, and retention programs. In her prior role as Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship with the Advancement Operations and Campaign team, she led the first team focused on collaboratively designing institution-wide, comprehensive donor relations programming and chaired operational working groups that established campus-wide standards for donor relations and stewardship, defined best practices, and created tools that earned gold-standard regional and national CASE recognition. Lynsey began her career in development with ten years of service at San Diego State University, including progressively responsible roles in annual giving, campaign operations, and donor relations. She also served as the Secretary to SDSU’s Campanile Foundation.
Kathy joined the College of Saint Benedict in 2015 and is responsible for all institutional fundraising and alumnae engagement around the world. She led the successful Illuminating Lives campaign, the largest in the college’s history, raising $113 million toward a $100 million goal. The campaign focused on growing the college’s endowment—which doubled over the course of the campaign—and increased resources for financial aid for students. During her tenure, the college received its first-ever eight-figure gifts, significantly growing the number and size of major gifts supporting Saint Ben’s mission. Kathy’s career spans over three decades, largely in higher education. She served for 17 years at Luther Seminary, rising to the position of Vice President of Seminary Relations and Executive Director of the Foundation. In that role, she oversaw the completion of three capital campaigns that raised over $220 million for the seminary. At the time, they were the largest campaigns ever completed in theological education. She has led advancement divisions at both Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Midland University in Nebraska. Kathy has also served as a consultant with the national fundraising consulting firm of BWF, serving liberal arts colleges across the United States. Kathy has served on the national […]
In higher education for 30 years, Susan brings a passion to her work for supporting people and designing and implementing effective processes, all striving toward an equity-minded perspective. Her goal is to synthesize best practices and approaches to help shift 21st-century higher education toward becoming equitable and inclusive. Prior to serving in higher education administration, Susan taught with an equity-minded pedagogy for 16 years in women’s studies and psychology. She has been actively committed to anti-racism systemic change in the academy for over a decade. Decades of reflection, training, and application have all laid the foundation for her ongoing commitment to working with others to create institutional-level change toward equity and inclusion, via an anti-racism lens. In addition to coaching, she has worked closely with Academic Impressions and her colleague, Maria Thompson, to develop and provide equity and inclusion-focused programming for historically marginalized job candidates and leadership development for all who wish to grow their ability to be more equitable and inclusive. She has served in leadership as a department chair, associate provost, dean, and provost. Her portfolios have included not only academic colleges and departments, but also key areas that overlap with student success. A seasoned administrator who is a […]
