Jamie Henry-Troester

Jamie Troester is the Senior Coordinator of Events and Tours at Oklahoma State University. With more than twenty years of non-profit event planning experience, Jamie has served in her current role for ten years and is responsible for OSU’s campus visit and event program. Jamie is highly involved in all aspects of meeting and event planning including high profile programs to large-scale visit days with over 3,000 guests. She enjoys collaborating with campus partners to host and provide tours to over 30,000 guests each year. Jamie has direct oversight of forty campus tour guides and two staff members.  She is a member of the Collegiate Information Visitors Services Association (CIVSA) and is serving her second year on the Region 2 leadership team. Organization, communication, and a solid relationship with the office’s data team are her recipes for success.  She is passionate about working with college students and showcasing OSU’s beautiful campus to prospective students and families.   Jamie resides in Stillwater with her husband Lance, their sixteen-year-old daughter, Lilli and furry family members, Rascal and Bella.  She is a homebody and a dedicated yogi who will always choose music over TV, a book over tablet and carry-out over oven mitts. […]

Sarah Sims, CFRE

With an extensive background in fundraising, donor relations, program development and leadership, Sarah is committed to not only stewarding past gifts, but inspiring future philanthropy at higher education and non-profit organizations across the country. Sarah has been responsible for building new and innovative donor relations programs from the ground up at multiple educational institutions and now heads the comprehensive Donor Engagement Team at the University of Houston through oversight of donor relations, stewardship, special events, and advancement communications. She believes that every team member is a fundraiser no matter their title, and every donor relations initiative should be designed to impact the fundraising bottom line. Looking towards the future of the donor relations field, Sarah focuses on the art and science of blending stewardship and cultivation. As a trainer, consultant, and frequent speaker multiple professional organizations, Sarah balances humor and passion for the profession in her work with others.

Angie Joens

Angela has extensive management, development and stewardship experience. In her current role, she supervises annual giving, donor relations, research and prospect management, proposal services, marketing and communications, and development recruitment. Prior to UC Davis, Joens was Vice President of Development Operations for the Mercy Medical Center Foundation. She also served as the Senior Director of Donor Relations for the Iowa State University Foundation and worked for RuffaloCODY, a for-profit company that assists the non-profits with fundraising. Her career began as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Joens is also a non-profit consultant, an executive coach, and speaks nationally on topics related to stewardship, development and leadership. She has been featured in CASE Currents Magazine and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Joens earned her BA from the University of Iowa, her MPA from Iowa State University, and her Professional Life and Work Coach Certificate from UC Davis.

Brandon Nichols

Dr. Brandon Nichols is the Lead Consultant at 3B Nichols Consulting, LLC. His work at 3B consist individual or group consulting focusing on diversity and inclusion, postsecondary education, and wellness. Moreover, Nichols has over 15 years of experience in higher education. His role in higher education currently supports senior leadership in the following areas: Regional and programmatic reaccreditation process Assessment practices for academic and co-curricular learning Educational quality through our Tenure Assistance Program Professional learning activities focusing on diversity and inclusion, assessment of student learning, and accreditation preparation in the spirit of continuous of improvement In previous roles in higher education, Nichols has held positions as Associate Dean of Instruction and Director of Academic Support Services. He served as an executive member of the assessment, managed the annual program review process, and steered strategic support of data to restricted and unrestricted budget planning. Additional leadership roles at the college includes project director of the Predominately Black Institutions (PBI) grant, chair for key performance indicators workgroup, and administrative support for curriculum changes. Nichols has also functioned in various roles in higher education as a Residence Life Coordinator, Student Development Assistant, First Year Experience Advocate, Faculty – Psychology, and Psychology Faculty-in-Residence. Nichols’ […]

Mandy Parente, M.Ed., CHES

Mandy Parente is the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator and the coordinator for peer education services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of West Florida and an M.Ed. in Community Health from the University of Louisville. Mandy is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Education and Health Promotion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she plans to focus her dissertation on the impact peer education has on college students’ health behaviors. Mandy has been involved in peer education in a variety of ways since the third grade and truly believes in the power of peer education.

Cynthia J. Sweet

In her current role, Cynthia Sweet is responsible for operations and strategic direction for corporate engagement and economic partnerships. She has 13 years of experience in central administration for academia and a total of 23 years of experience in economic and business development for public and private sectors. Prior to joining Pitt, Cynthia was the Associate Vice President for Corporate and Government Relations at West Virginia University; before that, she was with University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Corporate Relations. She has a M.S. degree in Planning and International Economic Development from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. degree in Economic Development from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Stephanie Pell

Ms. Stephanie Soto-Pell has extensive development, marketing and sales experience from strategy to execution dedicated to seizing opportunities that drive revenue and sustain growth. With over 20 years of corporate experience, much of this obtained from The Walt Disney Company, she is an experienced team builder able to effectively tackle challenges and communicate clear strategies that result in win/win outcomes. Stephanie changed professions in 2011 to the non-profit arena with the American Red Cross and most recently with California State University, Los Angeles. She is now leveraging her experience from corporate strategy, branding and execution to advancing the mission of Cal State LA through engaging both new and existing partners to build larger, more impactful programs.

Deb Snellen, SPHR

Deb has been with the University of Missouri for the past six years and leading the talent management program for the Advancement team for five years. Prior to this, Deb owned a nationally-known consulting firm for 25 years, Business Class, a company dedicated to training and development options for improving organizational performance. She has been a regularly featured speaker at annual meetings of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) and has presented programs at three of the International Conferences of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), now known as the Association for Talent Development (ATD), as well as numerous CASE conferences including the Strategic Talent Management conference. In June 2003, she joined the faculty of the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management and taught courses at Institute locations nationwide. Mrs. Snellen is also an author on business related skills and topics. Over 100 of her articles have been published including a collection marketed by NACS in a book titled “Lead the Team: Effective and Inspirational Training for Supervisors.” Deb has also served as an instructor for the senior capstone class for the Department of Communication at Mizzou. Her work in talent management at Mizzou […]

Annie Ciaraldi

Annie Ciaraldi, M.Ed. has been the Associate Dean of Students for Compliance and Violence Prevention at the University of Massachusetts Lowell since 2013 and has been at the University working in Student Affairs since 1990. The responsibilities of this position and her work at UMass Lowell has included working with students in crisis of many different types, including food, housing, and other resource insecurity. Annie created the “Student Resource Security and Success Strategic Infusion Team” and began tackling different resource issues of students, beginning with the expansion and resourcing of a food pantry and meal swipe program. Today, Annie is the University’s single point of contact for food and housing insecure students and works with each student holistically, addressing these issues in addition to mental, physical, and financial health, as well as transitioning from college to post graduation life. She has established effective collaborations within the University and Lowell communities, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Annie and her team have been recognized by the Chancellor’s Pillars of Strength Awards for Excellence for their work on addressing food and housing insecurity.

Dr. David S. Peck

With degrees in business and psychology, David Peck’s expertise lies in branding, marketing, public relations, social media, and visual storytelling. For 21 years, he has been responsible for promoting and protecting the brand at Azusa Pacific University. Peck and his team have received numerous CASE, Telly, and UCDA awards throughout his tenure. He has taught for the past nine years with Azusa Pacific University, Fielding, and UCLA. Prior to higher education, Peck was involved in distribution, exhibition, and marketing at Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (Walt Disney Co.) as well as United Artists Theatres (now a part of the Regal Entertainment Group).