David S. Jones has built a twenty-eight-year career in higher education and served in advancement roles for the majority of that time.  He presently leads a department at UGA including the unit areas of Annual & Special Giving and Advancement Services. A large and critical component of the overall Development operation, the department is a catalyst for both annual and major gift support bridging the flow between annual giving cycles, data analytics, alumni engagement, and the systems for marketing, prospect identification and management.

He began his work experience as Director of Student Activities at Gordon College, a small two-year school in Barnesville, GA.  Returning to his alma mater with a deeper understanding of the student experience influence on philanthropic support, he then coordinated the alumni and development programs for UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources.  David transitioned to the university’s central advancement office in 1998 overseeing the annual giving programs for the institution and later also provided leadership for donor relations, advancement research, and prospect management.  The Georgia Fund presently raises more than $20 million through an integrated phone, mail, and digital campaign.  David led Georgia’s annual giving programs through several strategic transitions including multiple-ask strategies and a shift from alumni dues to charitable giving. He was the lead contact for development in a donor database conversion to Blackbaud CRM and is a change agent for continued innovation in fundraising marketing approaches and processes. His latest projects at UGA include centralizing all solicitation marketing efforts for 13 Schools and Colleges and also evolving the calling program into the University’s first Alumni Digital Engagement Center.

David is a “double dog” alumnus of UGA, with an undergraduate degree in public relations from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master’s degree in organizational development from the College of Education. A CASE Crystal Apple award recipient for excellence in teaching, he has chaired numerous CASE programs and is a frequent presenter and facilitator at professional regional and national conferences including Persuasive Development Writing and the CASE Summer Institute in Educational Fund Raising.

Jennifer Bowie is Chief of Staff for University Advancement at Ohio University. She serves as a key member of the advancement leadership team—managing executive communication, helping to facilitate fundraising efforts for priority institutional initiatives, supporting VP and University President prospect management, and managing Advancement human resources and division-wide strategy. Prior to that appointment, she had been AVP of advancement communication and marketing and chief of staff (since July 2018), and prior to that had been executive director of development, advancement communication and marketing, since March of 2011. She also has served OHIO as director of development for annual giving and was the director of development for the annual fund & communications. She began her career in development in 1999 at OHIO as a major gifts officer. In 2001 she became the director of development communications.

Jennifer is a two-time Ohio University graduate, having earned her bachelor’s of science in journalism from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism in 1994 and her master’s of science in communication in 1999. While pursuing her master’s, Jennifer taught a number of courses in the Scripps School including feature writing and essential college grammar.

Prior to beginning work on her master’s in 1997, and embarking on a career in higher education, Jennifer worked in healthcare communications for Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Matt Honeycutt is Chief Development Officer for the Food Bank for New Yok City. He joined the team in July of this year as Food Bank was just coming out of its COVID crisis response. Today, Food Bank is on track to deliver over 100 million pounds of food to families in need across the five Boroughs, and Matt leads the team of marketing, advocacy, and fundraising professionals dedicated to ensuring the resources are there to provide healthy meals to over 1.8 million families in New York City.

Before joining Food Bank, Matt served as the Vice President of Development at Feeding Westchester where he developed an amazing team of professionals and helped create and cast the vision for the organization’s marketing, fundraising, and volunteer initiatives. 

Most recently, Matt helped lead Feeding Westchester’s response to the COVID pandemic.  During this time, Feeding Westchester doubled distribution to 20MM pounds, grew revenue by more than 400%, and gained international, as well as national attention, for its response to the crisis. Since March, the Feeding Westchester team has consulted with Feeding Hong Kong to develop its Mobile Pantry program, assisted over 100 food banks in the Feeding America Network with material support for fundraising, doubled the organization’s major giving program, and produced the first televised celebrity fundraising television show for Feeding Westchester.

Before food banking, Matt spent over two decades in education as a teacher, coach, and senior fundraiser for schools from Charlotte, NC to Greenwich, CT. He also led fundraising and marketing for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National MS Society where he developed a diverse family of special events, created the Chapter’s first major giving program, and doubled the size of the organization’s corporate giving and engagement initiatives.  

Matt is a graduate of Winthrop University in South Carolina, where he earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing and a Master's Degree in English literature.  Because of this, he’s been asked to lead the creative process on every case statement, proposal, annual fund solicitation, and thank you letter ever written –everywhere he’s ever worked.  And, his father is still surprised, to this day, that Matt managed to actually have a career with not one, but two degrees in English Literature.

Tracey Palmer is a storyteller on a mission. She loves crafting compelling stories that build relationships and drive results. An award-winning marketing and development communications professional with more than 20 years' experience, Palmer specializes in writing, editing, coaching, and project management for education clients, healthcare organizations, and other nonprofits, through her consulting company, Palmer Communications.

Some of her recent clients include MIT Sloan, Brown University, St. Mark’s School, Sutter Healthcare System, and the University of Colorado.

Formerly, Palmer was senior university writer and magazine editor for Suffolk University; director of publications, public relations, and advertising for Curry College; and marketing associate for an international academic publisher.

A highly rated workshop leader and coach, Palmer is a longtime CASE faculty member and volunteer, serving on the Development Writing Conference faculty since 2004. Most recently, she served as a judge for the CASE District 1 best Magazine Article competition. She is a CASE Crystal Apple recipient and a CASE Laureate. Palmer also presents workshops for APF-Massachusetts, Cape Cod Philanthropy Day, the Brand Together Conference, and the Northeast Annual Giving Conference. She is the founder of Chicks Who Write—a 300-member professional networking group for women who freelance as writers in greater Boston.

Palmer has a bachelor's degree in American literature from The George Washington University and a master's degree in communication from Suffolk University, and studied in England at the University of East Anglia. She completed Grub Street's Novel Incubator program in Boston in 2016, and serves on the group's alumni board.

Maura King Scully is an award-winning marketing communications professional and writer. Since 1999, she’s specialized in writing, editing, and project management for a variety of clients in education, health care, and other nonprofit fields.

Maura has a particular expertise in advancement communications. At last count, she has produced materials in support of 70 fundraising campaigns—everything from developing campaign themes and messaging platforms to college and university case statements, school and unit case statements, campaign websites, as well as major gifts and grant proposals. Her campaign communications work has been completed for clients ranging from small private day schools to major research universities.

Maura is active in a number of professional organizations, particularly the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Over the past 18 years, she has served on the faculty for CASE’s Persuasive Development Writing conference, presented conference sessions at a number of CASE district conferences, chaired workshops, judged publications contests, and served on conference committees. She holds CASE’s Crystal Apple award, recognizing stellar conference speakers, and has been named a CASE Laureate, an honor society for senior advancement professionals.

Maura holds a B.A. in communications and an M.A. in administration from Boston College.

Robin Torbron Warde is Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement at Bryant University. A thirty plus year veteran of higher education including fund raising leadership positions at Columbia and Brown Universities and Wheaton College, Robin has found her passion in developing meaningful ways to connect alumni back to their alma mater, Bryant. Robin and her team connect alumni and parents through integrated communications, involve alumni and parents to insure student success, and promote alumni and parent leadership and innovation through creative programming. In addition to her role with Alumni and Parent Engagement, Robin maintains a portfolio of alumni and parent major gift prospects from across the US and around the world.

Robin also serves her community as a board member and past president of Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, a community service organization serving immigrants and refugees.  She is also on the board of the International Charter School, an IB accredited K-5 school with dual language programs in Portuguese/English and Spanish/English.

Robin received her A.B. in Applied Music from Youngstown State University and an M.F.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University in New York City

Marilyn Woodman is the director of corporate and foundation relations at Smith College, one of the largest liberal arts college for women in the country. She began her career at Smith 26 years ago as the staff writer in the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations. Since that time, her responsibilities have changed and in her current position, she manages the Corporate and Foundation Relations Department focusing primarily on overall strategic planning, developing and sustaining partnerships with corporations and foundations, writing proposals, and making visits.

Prior to working at Smith, she held positions at the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, Amherst College, and the Williston Northampton School. She serves on the United Way Board.

Woodman earned her bachelor's degree in English Literature from Antioch College, and she completed a master's degree in arts and teaching, with a focus on English, at Rhode Island College. She taught English in high school and has taught writing at Holyoke Community College for more than 20 years.