Faculty
Meet Your Conference Chair
Danielle Harvey Stinson
Danielle Harvey is the assistant vice president for alumni relations at the University of Southern California (USC)–a private research institution located in the heart of Los Angeles. As a senior manager of the USC Alumni Association, she leads a diverse team of professionals responsible for engaging all alumni lifelong and worldwide through a vast array of programs, services and events. Her portfolio includes the award winning USC Women’s Conference, Reunion Weekend and Alumni Leadership Conference, as well as oversight for the LGBT Alumni Association, regional engagement, industry and affinity networks, and generational groups.
With more than 16 years of experience in alumni relations and development, Stinson has a proven record of accomplishment in program development, volunteer management, organizational leadership, strategic planning, relationship building and fundraising. Her passions include teaching, mentoring and empowering women and children in addition to writing and other creative outlets.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the USC Rossier School of Education and an executive master’s degree in leadership from the USC Price School of Public Policy.
Faculty
Julann Andresen
Julann brings more than three decades of management, event management, and marketing and communications experience from diverse industries to her position with the CU Boulder Alumni Association. In that capacity, she is responsible for leading a ten-person team that manages and implements the Alumni Association’s events and outreach initiatives including all local, regional and international events; our volunteer engagement network that includes the chapters and clubs program; alumni career services; and the young alumni and student engagement initiatives including the 4,000+-member student alumni association, The Herd. Julann also acts as the second in command and is responsible for helping to set strategic direction and provide leadership for the association as a whole.
Prior to joining the CU Boulder Alumni Association, Julann owned and operated a consulting firm offering full-service marketing and event management services to clients in natural and organic foods and products, the consumer packaged goods industry, higher education, nonprofit associations and economic development organizations. While managing her own business, she also worked as a part-time marketing and communications specialist where she developed, managed and implemented all strategic marketing and communications programs and initiatives for a consortium of private foundations representing three generations of the David and Laura Merage Foundation. Her responsibility included all strategic marketing for the Foundation’s flagship early care and education initiative Early Learning Ventures – an initiative focused on increasing the stability and productivity of the early care and education sector through market-based interventions.
Julann received a BS in marketing from the University of Colorado Boulder. Julann also participated on the Faculty Council for the CASE Homecomings and Reunion Conference in 2019.
Ken Catandella
Ken Catandella is the Senior Executive Director for CAA and University Relations at Columbia University, where he has served in various alumni relations and development capacities for two decades. In his current role, Ken is responsible for administrative and logistical oversight of the CAA Board, as well as many of its committees. He also serves as a University liaison to the Columbia University Club of New York, where he serves on the Board of Governors. Ken is involved in numerous intra-School activities, as well as strategic initiatives and development programs, including Columbia Alumni Leaders Weekend and the CAA 2023 Strategic Planning process.
Ken came to Columbia as director of alumni relations for Columbia College. Prior to joining Columbia, he oversaw various alumni relations and development functions at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Sarah Lawrence College, and Emerson College, among other institutions. Ken is active in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in both North America and Europe. He is the recipient of a CASE Quarter Century Award for service to the field of advancement and has been recognized as a CASE Stellar Speaker. He has consulted for colleges and universities in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Ken holds an AB from Boston College and an MS from the University of Bridgeport. Outside of higher education, he is the principal of a boutique consulting firm that advises clients on fine and rare wine auction and cellar purchases, and serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Harlem Link Charter School in New York.
Brennan Jones
Brennan is the Associate Director of Events and Outreach at the CU Boulder Alumni Association in beautiful Boulder, CO. She oversees a team of three staff members and together they are responsible for the planning and execution of many of the Alumni Associations engagements and events including: Homecoming and Reunions, athletic events including away-game tailgates and Ralphie’s Corral, the overall management of the Alumni Association's online community the Forever Buffs Network, CU Boulder Next (CU Boulder Advancement's signature regional engagement event) and many of our large signature events in Colorado. Before joining the Alumni Association in 2012, Brennan earned her Master’s Degree in Higher Education in 2010 from the University of Denver and worked as the Director of Student Activities at Johnson & Wales University. There Brennan primarily managed many of the campus’ large scale student events and advised many of the student organizations on campus. Prior to that, Brennan lived in Washington DC and worked for Microsoft as an independent contractor doing project management and events.
Brennan is originally from California and a proud alum of UC Santa Barbara. She has been living in Colorado for over 12 years and it’s here that she met her partner Ben and has welcomed her two boys, Colton and Cruz, now 2.5 and 5 years. Brennan enjoys spending time with her active family and being outdoors as much as possible celebrating all things that make Colorado special.
Joy Usner
Joy Usner has over 15 years of experience in higher education, working in both alumni relations and student affairs. Most recently she was the assistant director for young alumni and student engagement with the Miami University Alumni Association. She led young alumni programming, including coordinating the 18 of the Last 9 Award, and served as the advisor for the Miami University Student Foundation. Joy also chaired the Miami University Homecoming Committee. She was actively involved in CASE ASAP, serving as the CASE ASAP District V advisor.
Joy came to Miami University after 10 years in student affairs, working in student activities, new student programs, and admissions. She has previously worked at the University of Chicago, Saint Mary’s College and Bowling Green State University.
Durice White Galloway
Durice is a former Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving Strategies. She brings over a decade of experience working in University Advancement and higher education in roles supporting alumni engagement, annual giving, alumni communications and major giving. Previously, Durice served as the senior executive director of alumni engagement for the University of California – San Diego, where she led a team of 20+ professionals to provide programming, engagement and lifelong learning opportunities for the institution’s 200,000+ alumni base. Durice has also worked at Duke University as the interim associate dean of development and alumni relations for the Sanford School of Public Policy and in progressive roles within advancement at her alma mater, Elon University, in North Carolina. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degree from Elon University.
Durice has become a decorated professional, recognized for her professional accomplishments by her alma mater and our industry’s professional association, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education where she serves on the CASE Alumni Relations Commission.
A driving force in her work is her personal grounding in equity, diversity, and inclusion. She has devoted herself to ensuring that all members of an alumni community feel welcome, supported, and represented. To that end, she has been intentionally focused on establishing alumni networks that represent the populations she serves. Specifically, at Elon, she was the leading force behind the LGBTQIA Alumni Network and managed the Elon Black Association Network (EBAN), which would later honor her for her achievements as an exemplary representative of the Elon University community. At UC San Diego and Duke, Durice kicked off programming in empowering women leaders and advancing multiple cultural affinity networks.
Durice is married to her college sweetheart, VJ Galloway, and together they are raising their son, Camden.
Guest Speakers
Julie Decker
Julie Decker is president and chief executive officer of the Florida State University Alumni Association. Decker has spent 20 years as an alumni relations strategist, having also worked in the alumni associations of the University of Georgia, the University of North Carolina, and Coastal Carolina University. Through her career she has managed programming, fundraising special projects, budgeting, student leadership, operations, and the cultivation of volunteers and boards.
Decker is passionate about the practice of Alumni Relations as an intentional partner to the overall advancement strategy.
Decker holds two degrees from the University of Georgia: a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a Master of Education in human resources and organizational development. In addition, she has completed doctoral coursework in organizational development and higher education at UGA, studying the changing landscape of alumni relations and advancement work.
Merna Jacobsen
Dr. Merna Jacobsen is the an Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of Colorado Boulder. Dr. Jacobsen is an organization development specialist, trainer and international speaker. With 33 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Jacobsen has led multiple major change initiatives and specializes in the leadership and management of change. In her role as an organization development specialist she facilitates strategic planning, problem solving and group process. She is published in the fields of crisis leadership, mentoring, staff development, and public speaking.
Teresa Verbeck
Teresa Verbeck joined the University of Southern California Alumni Association in 2014 and currently serves as the Executive Director of Alumni Relations. She oversees marketing and member services for the Association as well as administrative operations. Teresa also works in concert with University partners to develop and manage Association data-driven initiatives and software implementations.
Previously, Teresa served as an Assistant Athletic Director of Development in the USC Athletic Department with annual fund, capital campaign and endowment fundraising responsibilities. Teresa also spent two years as Director of Alumni Relations at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences. A Minnesota native, Teresa is a three-time graduate of USC. She holds her bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, her Master’s in Educational Psychology and her Doctorate in Education.