Jorge Ancona joined the University of California, Riverside as Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director in 2013. Ancona provides executive leadership to the UCR Alumni Association and its board of directors, overseeing the campus protocol and events management office. He is responsible for managing the Alumni Association's donation funds and developing fundraising initiatives for the alumni association and student engagement programs to involve its over 126,000 alumni worldwide.

Ancona came to UC Riverside after over a decade at the University of California, Irvine, where he increased the association's scholarship programs from $1.5 million to $4 million; grew the association's assets from $3.4 million to $8 million; and grew attendance at the welcome program from 150 participants to over 4,000. He also led the development of the $8 million Newkirk Alumni Center. Before his appointment at UC Irvine, Ancona spent eight years in alumni relations at UCLA, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and Latin American studies.
Ancona served on the CASE Alumni Relations Commission from 2013 to 2016 and was co-chair of the CASE Senior Alumni Relations Professionals Institutes in 2015 and 2016.

He has been a CASE speaker for Latin America in 2015, 2017, and 2019 and was a faculty member for two Minority Advancement Institutes in Washington, DC. He served on the CASE Summit Advisory Committee in 2017 and as one of two co-chairs leading an advisory group to establish the CASE Center for Minority Serving Institutions Advancement. Additionally, he has been an active member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CAAE) Executive Council from 2004 to 2013 and from 2016 to the present. In 2018, Ancona was elected to serve on the CAAE Board of Directors.

Eduardo Behrentz, Ph.D. (UCLA, 2005), is the President of the Colombian Learning Institute (INCAP). He is a columnist for the newspaper Portfolio and a member of the board of directors of Banco Finandina and the executive committee of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Behrentz is also the Vice President of RedTec Latam, a member of the Sustainability Committee of Bavaria S.A., and the President of the Board of Trustees of the Colombo German University Foundation. He is a panelist on the program Hora 20 on Caracol Radio and a full member of the Pan American Academy of Engineering. He won the National Engineering Award of Colombia 2016 (Julio Garavito Order of Merit).

Behrentz has directed and participated in nearly a hundred research and specialized consultancy projects on topics including energy efficiency, air quality and public health, epidemiological surveillance, economic regulation, transportation planning, and urban and health public policies.

At the University of the Andes, Behrentz has served as Vice President of Administration and Finance, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Director of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director (founder) of the Group for Studies in Urban and Regional Sustainability, and Director of the Center for Research in Environmental Engineering. He also served as Vice President of the board of the University of the Andes Foundation in New York.

He has been a member of the World Council of Engineering Deans, the board of directors of the University of the Andes Alumni Association, the higher council of the Colombian Association of Engineering Faculties, the District Environmental Council, and the higher council of the Anglo-Colombian School.

Behrentz has also been a member of the advisory council of Colciencias' National Engineering Program and the board of directors of the Tecnnova Foundation and Teleférico a Monserrate S.A. He has been a columnist for Semana Magazine and the newspaper El Tiempo and a Senior Researcher within Colciencias' recognition scheme. He is the author of numerous publications in indexed technical literature, where he has a high number of citations.

Josh Harraman serves as the Director, Constituent Experiences- Strategy for The Ohio State University. He recently returned to the University in January 2023. In this role, he is responsible for central engagement and individual annual giving efforts that include digital engagement, annual giving, lifelong learning, alumni travel, alumni career services, and episodic volunteerism. He is also responsible for developing partnerships with college and units in the annual giving and early engagement acquisition space. 

Prior to returning to Ohio to start a family, Harraman served as the Vice President for Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving, and Advancement Communications at the Rutgers University Foundation. For over 5 years, he had responsibility for University-wide alumni engagement and annual giving activities and the Foundation’s communication professionals. In addition to his experiences at Rutgers and Ohio State, Harraman previously worked at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and focused on student leadership and involvement. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from The Ohio State University, master’s degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and completed his doctoral degree in educational philosophy at The Ohio State University in 2019. 

Harraman has presented at multiple CASE conferences including CASE Districts V and VI, CASE Young Alumni and Student Engagement Conference, CASE ASAP conferences, and served on the faculty and as co-chair of the CASE Summer Institute in Alumni Relations. He has also volunteered for nearly two decades with CASE District V and has served as Conference Chair and District Chair-Elect in addition to other roles. In 2020, Harraman was recognized by his peers for service to CASE District V by receiving the Mike Ziemianski Distinguished Service Award.

As the Associate Senior Vice President, Alumni Relations at the University of Southern California, Erika Jordan serves as the chief alumni engagement officer for the campus and plays a key role in providing leadership and strategic guidance to ensure uninterrupted engagement for the nearly 500,000 alumni in the Trojan Family. 

Prior to this role, Erika served as the Vice President, Alumni Engagement at Boston University where she led the Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving, and the Development Events & Communications teams. Additionally, she spent six years serving as Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni & Constituent Engagement at UC Irvine. Throughout her career she has been instrumental in exponentially growing alumni engagement and annual fundraising, elevating communications and events, establishing UCI’s dual alumni engagement campaign goal and leading special projects.

Erika has spent her career in politics, special events, alumni relations, frontline fundraising, and served as the Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving for the USC Marshall School of Business. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Howard University and executive masters in leadership from USC.

Angharad was previously Director of Development, leading on all philanthropic income generation and the UCL supporter experience. Angharad is a deeply experienced fundraising professional, contributing to and leading philanthropic income delivery across several income streams in both the charity and higher education sectors.

The £600 million It’s All Academic campaign officially launched in 2016 following a very successful private fundraising phase. Under Angharad’s leadership a network of fundraisers and supporter experience professionals worked across all income streams including individual, corporates, trusts, foundations and legacies to engage a global network of donors who support the strategic vision of UCL.

The campaign closed in 2020, having raised nearly £624 million, and inspired over 263,000 volunteering hours. Gifts given to UCL under the campaign are transforming areas like diversity and scholarships, access to justice, the arts, global prosperity and diagnostics, research and treatment in cancer and neuroscience.

Prior to joining UCL, Angharad worked within the charity sector working at the NSPCC in several frontline fundraising roles during the Full Stop Campaign – the largest charity fundraising campaign of its time. In addition, Angharad was a senior account manager at Goodwork, a social enterprise delivering marketing and communication outputs for a range of clients in the not-for-profit sector in both the UK and internationally.  Angharad also worked in Thailand coordinating an international volunteer program which spanned a number of education and conservation projects across the country.

Angharad has a degree in Theology, Religious Studies and Philosophy from the University of Leeds and is a Trustee at Mercy Ships UK, an international development organization.

Angharad regularly speaks in the UK and Europe for The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, primarily speaking on developing major gift programs, legacy fundraising and securing complex seven and eight figure gifts.

Lil O’Rourke took on the leadership of the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement in the spring of 2016.
A seasoned university advancement professional with more than three decades of development, campaign, alumni, and trustee relations experience, O’Rourke works side-by-side with university leadership to implement strategies that support URI’s growth, competitiveness, and mission.

Working with URI President Marc B. Parlange and URIFAE Board Chairman Alfred J. Verrecchia ’67 M.B.A. ’72 Hon. ’04, O’Rourke and the staff of URIFAE professionals are focused on engaging alumni, parents, and friends to support the faculty and students of URI in their scholarly activity and research.

With O’Rourke at the helm, the URI endowment has experienced significant growth in earnings and returns. The organization has also aggressively raised its annual fundraising goals and, in FY2022, surpassed $30 million in new commitments for the sixth consecutive year, something that has never happened at URI before.

Prior to coming to URIFAE, O’Rourke served as senior vice president for principal gifts and international advancement at Syracuse University. A longtime member of the University’s Division of Advancement and External Affairs, she served in many key positions, including as vice president for development. She played a significant role on the leadership team that led a successful $1 billion campaign, which ended in 2012 and exceeded its goal ahead of schedule.

An alumna of Syracuse University, O’Rourke earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts and Sciences and a Master of Arts in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Jenny Petty has over eight years of experience in marketing, communications, and enrollment management. Jenny currently serves as the Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the University of Montana.

Petty began their marketing career at IGT in 2012 as the Digital Marketing Manager/Brand Manager. In this role, they were responsible for developing the company's social media strategy, expanding their Facebook audience, and assisting in two major rebrands.

In 2015, Petty transitioned to the University of Wyoming as the Director of Enrollment Marketing. In this role, they led a team of marketers who collaborated with Admissions to fill the prospective student pipeline. Petty also oversaw the social and content marketing strategies, all media buying and campaign development.

Most recently, Petty has been serving as the Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the University of Montana since 2021. In this role, they are responsible for leading the university's marketing and communications efforts.

Jenny Petty has a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. Jenny also has certification from LinkedIn in Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, as well as certification from HubSpot in Inbound Certification.

Fardin Sanai was appointed UAlbany’s vice president for university advancement and executive director of The University at Albany Foundation in 2007, with responsibility for all fundraising and alumni relations functions. As executive director of the Foundation, Sanai serves as liaison to its board of directors and oversees Foundation operations including investments, real estate, and governance. In addition, Sanai oversaw UAlbany’s division of communications and marketing 2017-2021.

Since 2011 Sanai has served as chair of the executive committee of chief advancement officers for the State University of New York, working closely with his colleagues and the SUNY chancellor to guide the system’s 64 campuses in their fundraising efforts. He has chaired multiple national CASE conferences on Development for Deans and Academic Leaders, and as a faculty member for the SUNY SAIL Institute, has provided executive coaching for new presidents, provosts, and deans.

Under Sanai’s direction, UAlbany’s advancement program has routinely been recognized for industry best practices, receiving ten CASE Circle of Excellence Awards – including a Grand Gold for best online magazine – and seventeen CASE District II Awards.

Sanai is a board member of 15-Love, a non-profit offering free educational programs for inner city youth, the University at Albany Biosciences Development Corporation, and the University Auxiliary Services.

Prior to joining UAlbany, Sanai served as senior vice president for development and foundation operations at Albany Medical Center, and as vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the Foundation at SUNY Cobleskill. He began his fundraising career at Albany Law School and spent two years as a fundraising consultant for Morin & Anderson, Inc. Sanai holds a bachelor’s degree from Marist College.

Inés Teressa-Palacio is a global education specialist, advisor and consultant with 17 years of experience in marketing, communications, student recruitment, business development, alumni engagement, fundraising and internationalization targeting both B2C and B2B audiences. She has held senior roles at UK and Spanish institutions and has led successful strategic projects in multiple countries including the UK, South Asia, Latin America, Spain and rest of Europe. Inés is currently based in Barcelona, Spain and works with clients and organizations worldwide. 

Inés has been directly responsible for developing positioning, go-to-market, growth and engagement strategies in all those countries and has also initiated, cultivated and negotiated strategic partnerships with foreign governments, funding organizations, businesses and donors. Her senior leadership experience alongside her international background makes her highly adaptable to multicultural settings, commercially astute and able to engage with stakeholders at all levels from all the advancement disciplines and from different regions. 

Inés is a former member of the CASE Europe Council and the UK Universities Marketing Forum, and she currently sits on the Planning Committee for the 2024 CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement. She has presented at CASE All Districts Conference (US), CASE Europe Annual Conference (UK), and CASE ToGather events (Spain). She is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing, a member of the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations, IESE graduate and UCLA scholar.

Thomas is the Chief Communications Officer and Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Jackson State University. She manages a team of 12 dynamic innovators, and is responsible for university brand and reputation management, marketing, media relations and strategic communications. Previously, Alonda served as director of public relations and interim vice president of communications at Howard University; senior PR manager at TV One; and publicity consultant for Liquid Soul, where her client roster included ABC Network, CNN, Walt Disney Studios and Fox Searchlight. Alonda earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She received her master’s degree in integrated marketing and management communications from Florida State University where she served as a university fellow and taught public speaking. Alonda is a sought-out speaker on media relations, branding and crisis communications. She has received several awards for her work and leadership, including PRWeek Hall of Femme Women to Watch Award (2021), and the PRNews Top Women Award (2020, 2023).