Carrie White is the vice president of technology, information & philanthropic strategy at the University of Cincinnati Foundation, where she leads teams responsible for data management, gift processing, reporting and analytic services, prospect development, application support, IT infrastructure, and desktop and hardware support. During her tenure with the UC Foundation, she has led the transformation of the team from the 'back office' to a robust & sophisticated strategic partner.

As a departmental leader, White is dynamic and detail-oriented. She combines comprehensive experiences in advancement services, fundraising, strategic planning, analytics and data management to focus and guide her team. Her professional passion is tying together the pieces of a fundraising shop and leveraging data to make things run smoothly. She credits her start in her profession with a colleague who encouraged her to "figure it out" on a homegrown Paradox database. As an advancement services professional, she deeply values the "can-do spirit" of initiative and discernment in her everyday work--she challenges her staff to "think and try" and believes her success is rooted in those qualities.

A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, White previously worked with the UC Health Foundation, the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, Jacobson Consulting Applications, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the Birmingham Zoo.

Jeff Baynham has over 15 years of experience in higher education advancement, currently serving as the Associate Vice Chancellor of Advancement Services at NC State University. Jeff leads a dynamic and innovative team of 40+ talented individuals across four units: Gifts and Records Management, Prospect Development, Donor Services, and Information Services and Technology. He has been instrumental in enhancing the advancement operations at NC State to support its $1.6B capital campaign, Think and Do the Extraordinary. Jeff enjoys implementing process improvements, policy development, and increasing innovation and efficiency. 

Jeff is a member and frequent attendee of CASE, AASP, and APRA. Jeff has served on product advisory committees for Ellucian and iModules and currently serves on the Finance Committee for AASP. Jeff is serving on faculty for the 2020 CASE Institute in Advancement Services. 

Prior to NC State, Jeff was the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Services at Western Kentucky University leading Gift and Bio Records, Prospect Development and Donor Relations. He got his start in advancement in leadership annual giving and alumni relations at WKU. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University.

Kushal Dasgupta is the senior executive director and chief technology officer for development and external affairs at Southern Methodist University.

Previously, he served as the associate vice chancellor of advancement services, responsible for strategic development, oversight and management of advancement operations for NC State University. He leads a team of 30+ FTE across four units: Prospect Development, Research and Strategy; Gifts and Records Management; Donor Services; and Information Services and Technology. NC State launched a $1.6B capital campaign in fall 2016. He served as a key member of the campaign team that developed campaign brand, prospect development policies, and procedures, gift agreements, campaign counting guidelines, naming policies and campaign reporting.

Before NC State, Dasgupta was the senior director of information services at Louisiana State University Foundation leading a team of business analysts, user support specialists and system administrators.

He has a bachelor's degree in engineering from India and a master's degree from the Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University.

Merrell Milano is an associate vice president at BWF specializing in fundraising operations and systems. Merrell’s experience spans business analysis, business process development, training and change management, project management, and aligning technology and tools with an institution’s unique needs and best practices. She has extensive experience assessing, designing, and implementing data-driven and effective technology tools to drive donor relationships and fundraising success, enabling her to provide universities, colleges, healthcare organizations, and other nonprofits with the tools they need to transform their programs. Before joining BWF, Merrell served in multiple capacities at Southern Methodist University in advancement and advancement services. Merrell holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York University.

Marcel is the Senior Director of IT & Reporting Services at The University of Cincinnati Foundation. With experience in the IT industry, Marcel specializes in cybersecurity, data governance, and cloud computing. His leadership, hands-on, and entrepreneurial skills make him remarkable and resourceful.

Since joining the UC Foundation, he focuses on building a digital workforce partnering with the Advancement Services team in making technology the fundraising backbone.

Before the UC Foundation, Marcel was Vice President of IT at a FinTech company in New York responsible for building, managing large data centers located in 4 physical locations and blockchain solutions.

Marcel is a Fulbright Scholar, Yale World Fellow, and founded a media for peace company in Rwanda that helped the post-genocide country healing and reconciliation. He holds a Master’s in Business Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Rochester Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Information technology from Mount Kenya University.

Floyd Akins brings more than 25 years of experience in advancement to his work and serves as Vice President for Advancement at The University of Toledo. He has experience in major and principal gift fundraising, diversity in philanthropy, advancement career counseling and consulting, executive search, advancement organizational structures, and corporate and foundation engagement.

Floyd came to UToledo from Michigan State University, where he served as Associate Vice President for Advancement, overseeing constituent fundraising, individual giving and prospect development, and corporate and foundation engagement. Prior to that, he served as a senior consultant for the Aspen Leadership Group where he executed non-profit executive search and counsel in advancement and fundraising strategies.

As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he provided leadership and managerial support for UT’s Regional Major Gift Officers and Corporate and Foundation Engagement Team. He also helped develop the framework for and oversaw the creation of UT’s principal gifts program. He has been a strong advocate for diversity in advancement and higher education at all levels throughout his professional career and was the Co-Chair of UT’s Council for Diversity and Interculturalism.

In his career, Floyd has raised numerous multi-million-dollar gifts and managed staff at institutions in billion-dollar campaigns including at The Ohio State University where he served as Senior Associate Vice President for University Development and Vice President of the OSU Foundation. Prior to that role, he was Assistant Vice President for Principal Gifts at the University of Iowa Foundation. Other positions include Executive Director of Development at Iowa’s Henry B. Tippie College of Business, and Director of the Capital Campaign at Grinnell College where he started his advancement career. In addition to his fundraising positions, he held positions at both Grinnell College and the University of Iowa that included admissions, public relations, and multicultural affairs.

Floyd has been an active faculty member for CASE since 1998 and has chaired numerous conferences on major and principal gift fundraising in both the US and Canada. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and his master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Journalism and Mass Communication. Outside of his career in advancement, Floyd was one of the original members and lead vocalist of the band Funkdaddies in Iowa City that opened for the Beach Boys at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Freedom Festival and celebrated the band’s 20th anniversary in Iowa City in October 2023. He also sang in the gospel choir at St. Dominic Parish in Columbus and was a member and soloist in the Harmony Project in Columbus, a 500-person choir that connects people across social divides through the arts, education, and volunteer community service. In keeping with his passion for the arts and music, Akins is on the board for the Toledo Alliance for Performing Arts (TAPA).