2024 Award Winners:
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is pleased to announce that Christy Devocelle and Brenda S. Lee have each been chosen for the 2024 CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award.
Devocelle is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the University of Illinois Foundation, where she is responsible for business development, technology strategy, and financial operations. She has been with the foundation since 1997 and has led a number of transformative projects, including: the redesign and development of the gift accounting process; the conversion of all advancement technology systems; and overseeing the design, construction, and operations of the new University of Illinois Philanthropy Center. Devocelle also has served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees. She is a financial accounting graduate of Illinois State University and has an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Devocelle has been a member of the CASE National Committee for College and University Foundations since 2021 and she chaired the 2023 CASE Conference for College and University Foundations.
Lee joined the University of Toledo Foundation in 1991 and has served as its president for more than 20 years. Under her tenure, assets under management have grown from $30 million to approximately $700 million. She was also instrumental in the merger of the Medical College of Ohio Foundation and The University of Toledo Foundation, as well as adding development, alumni engagement, and special events under the foundation umbrella. Lee has also served on the CASE National Committee for College and University Foundations and she has assisted many other nonprofit groups. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Bowling Green University.
The CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award recognize individuals who have made valuable contributions through best practices, distinguished service and/or volunteer leadership to the college and university foundation field. The award is presented each year at the annual CASE Conference for College and University Foundations.
The award is supported by a gift from Commonfund, which enhances the financial resources of educational and other nonprofit institutions through fund management, investment advice, and treasury operations.
If you have any questions, please contact Meg Natter, Director of Community Colleges and Foundations.
Recent Winners
Christy Devocelle
Christy Devocelle is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the University of Illinois Foundation, where she is responsible for business development, technology strategy, and financial operations. She has been with the foundation since 1997 and has led a number of transformative projects, including: the redesign and development of the gift accounting process; the conversion of all advancement technology systems; and overseeing the design, construction, and operations of the new University of Illinois Philanthropy Center. Devocelle also has served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees. She is a financial accounting graduate of Illinois State University and has an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Devocelle has been a member of the CASE National Committee for College and University Foundations since 2021 and she chaired the 2023 CASE Conference for College and University Foundations.
Brenda S. Lee
Brenda Lee joined the University of Toledo Foundation in 1991 and has served as its president for more than 20 years. Under her tenure, assets under management have grown from $30 million to approximately $700 million. She was also instrumental in the merger of the Medical College of Ohio Foundation and The University of Toledo Foundation, as well as adding development, alumni engagement, and special events under the foundation umbrella. Lee has also served on the CASE National Committee for College and University Foundations and she has assisted many other nonprofit groups. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Bowling Green University.
Sharon Beales
Sharon Beales, who has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising leadership, joined Northampton Community College in 2014 as Vice President of Institutional Advancement. A few of her many accomplishments at Northampton Community College include growing the endowment from $40 to $65 million, growing programming and private foundation revenue, and conducting the college’s first Giving Day in fall of 2019 and exceeding their goal of $50,000 to raise $76,348 from 623 donors.
Jeffrey Mills, PhD
Mills, who has more than 29 years in educational advancement, was appointed to the University of Maine Foundation in 2012 as the President and CEO after serving previously as the Vice President of University Advancement and President and CEO of the University of Maine Alumni Association from 2002 to2005. Highlights of his accomplishments at the University of Maine Foundation include the launch of a comprehensive giving campaign with a $200 million goal, ending the campaign with over $208 million raised. The campaign also increased fundraising to an all-time high average of $36 million and secured the largest capital campaign gift in university history. Additionally, Mills launched the faculty, staff and administration giving campaign, which raised more than $1.2 million this past year.
Vita Pickrum
Dr. Vita Pickrum joined Delaware State University in 2008 and serves multiple roles including as the Vice President of the Division of Institutional Advancement, the President of the Delaware State University Foundation, and as of January 2020, Chair of the 12th President’s Transition Team. She is responsible for overseeing all private fundraising for the University, alumni relations, development, and donor relations. Under her leadership, both private fundraising and alumni participation have substantially increased.
Clark Cropp
Clark Cropp began his career at KU Endowment as assistant director of gift planning in 1987. He became director of gift planning in 1990. During his directorship, he developed comprehensive financial output reports from design to documentation. He wrote KU Endowment’s original gift overview booklet, initiated and designed new financial reports for charitable remainder trust donors and beneficiaries, and developed the Elizabeth Watkins deferred gift recognition society.
Michael J. Morsberger
Michael Morsberger came to the UCF Foundation in 2015, where he oversees management of a $175M endowment and a diverse portfolio of assets. When Morsberger arrived at UCF, after leading development teams at five major universities – public and private, the university was in the fourth year of its most comprehensive capital campaign, with a goal of $500 million. Morsberger reorganized and united the advancement team, led Foundation board members to deepen their commitments to the university and created a culture of giving that continues today. The campaign successfully closed in 2019 with over $531.5 million raised in gifts and commitments and a new downtown campus built with philanthropic, university and state funds.
All Winners
2019
Dexter Bailey, Senior Vice President for University Advancement, Stony Brook University
Barbara Breier, Vice President University Advancement/Executive Director of Texas State Development Foundation
2018
Lisa Gibert, Chief Executive Officer, Clark College Foundation
Tiffani K. Shaw, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, University of Iowa Center for Advancement
2017
Lynette Marshall, President and CEO, University of Iowa Foundation
Donna Vuchinich, President and CEO, University of Hawaii Foundation
2016
Lisa Eslinger, Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations, Iowa State University Foundation
Dr. Kimberly A Russell, Chancellor, Louisiana State University at Eunice
2015
James H. Moore Jr., president and chief executive officer, University of Arizona Foundation
Diane L. Shoger, executive director, Monroe Community College Foundation
2014
Leonard Raley, president and chief executive officer, University System of Maryland Foundation
2013
J. Michael Goodwin, president and chief executive officer, Oregon State University Foundation
James C. Miller, president and chief executive officer of the North Dakota State University Development Foundation
2012
John B. Carter Jr., president and chief operating officer of Georgia Tech Foundation
Betheny L. Reid, president of the Dallas County Community College District Foundation
2011
Lisa Heise, controller, Great Basin College Foundation
John R. Stropp, former president, University of New Mexico Foundation
2010
Thomas J. Mitchell, president, University of California, Irvine Foundation
Andrew A. "Sandy" Wilcox, president, University of Wisconsin Foundation
2009
Elizabeth King, president and CEO, Wichita State University Foundation
Rickey McCurry, chief executive officer, Southern Illinois University Foundation
2008
Ed Davis, president, Texas A&M University Foundation
Susan Kubik, executive director, Northampton Community College Foundation
2007
Brenda Babitz, president, Monroe Community College Foundation
Leslie Bram, associate vice president and chief operating officer, University of Florida Foundation
F. Duke Perry, retired president and chief executive officer, West Virginia University Foundation
2006
Gerald Fischer, president and CEO, University of Minnesota Foundation
Karen MacArthur, executive director, Delta College Foundation
2005
David W. Bahlmann, president and chief executive officer, Ball State University Foundation
2004
Brad Choate, president and chief executive officer, Minnesota Medical Foundation at the University of Minnesota
James Lanier Jr., president, East Carolina University Foundation
Russell M. Robinson II, chairman, University of North Carolina Charlotte Foundation
2003
Amos Orcutt, president, University of Maine Foundation
Cheryle Mitvalsky, vice president, resource development, Kirkwood Community College Foundation
Joseph F. Phelan, consultant, Newmarket, New Hampshire
2002
John K. Martin, president and chief executive officer, University of Maryland Foundation
Julia Kilduff, executive director, Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation
James W. Leslie, former executive director, University of Rhode Island Foundation
2001
Curtis R. Simic, president, Indiana University Foundation
John E. Clinton, executive vice president and chief executive, Shippensburg University Foundation
Eric B. Wentworth, former director of the National Clearinghouse for Institutionally Related Foundations, CASE