There has never been a more urgent need in our profession to ensure that it is nurturing and developing leaders equipped to overcome the wave of global challenges and local threats to education. To be an advancement professional means committing to sharing best practices and approaches in community, while investing in the success and development of colleagues. CASE Academy is yet another opportunity for us to come together to continue advancing ourselves and our institutions.

CASE Academy will provide concrete information that rising stars can use to do their work and enhance their careers, as well as offering excellent networking opportunities.

I’m honored to be among this great group of volunteers that is designing a brand-new program for CASE—one focused on the people who will lead the profession forward 5-10 years from now. And I am particularly excited about the opportunity to meet with fellow faculty and these next-generation leaders through a program designed to bring greater continuity to the teaching and learning experience.

We’re all lifelong learners and growers and deeply committed to the development of our teams. The CASE Academy is a community of practice centered on your growth. 

The traits that make us great individual performers are not necessarily the same traits that make great team leaders. Through CASE Academy, we will work to broaden horizons and provide tools to help shape future careers. I hope that every participant will come away with a network of friends and colleagues that they will be able to draw upon in the years to come.

I’m thrilled to be involved in this pioneering initiative—a new format for a new world.  I’m looking forward to working with my fellow faculty and to meeting a great cohort of participants.

An intensive leadership program I attended some years past was a turning point for me. We have designed the CASE Academy to provide rising advancement stars with a similar opportunity.

Fritz Schroeder became vice president for development and alumni relations at The Johns Hopkins University in October 2012 and has just completed his 20th year at the university in progressively senior management roles.

Gord Arbeau is a seasoned and respected leader with more than 25 years’ experience leading advancement, communications and marketing teams in the public and private sectors. Currently, he leads the advancement and external relations activities for Brock University, a public comprehensive institution with over 19,000 students and 1,000 faculty and staff.

Sue Cunningham is president and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), which supports more than 3,600 schools, colleges and universities worldwide in developing their alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing operations in order to advance their institutions.

Ian Edwards is Partner at More Partnership with 29 years of fundraising experience. He has advised on some of the highest profile university campaigns undertaken outside North America including Oxford, UCL and Trinity College Dublin. 

Liesl Elder directs the University Development Office, overseeing philanthropic fundraising for the University across the academic divisions, museums and libraries. Her teams work worldwide, including the University’s offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Mike Goodwin is a nationally recognized leader in higher education fundraising and management, known for his ability to adapt business practices to nonprofit organizations. 

Nationally and internationally recognized as an excellent consultant, executive coach, and presenter, Karen Osborne receives invitations from across the globe. She makes presentations to and consults with large and small not-for-profits and institutions. 

Since 2009, Paul Rucker has served as chief alumni relations officer at the University of Washington, one of the world’s leading public research universities with 59,000 students on three campuses, 20,000 faculty and staff and more than 475,000 alumni worldwide.