Faculty
Meet Your Chair
Paul Rucker
Since 2009, Paul has served as senior alumni relations administrator at the University of Washington (UW), one of the world’s leading public research universities with 60,000 students on three campuses, 25,000 faculty and staff and more than 525,000 alumni worldwide. As vice president for alumni and stakeholder engagement, Paul also serves as executive director of the UW Alumni Association, an independent 130-year non-profit organization committed to advancing higher education in the State of Washington and supporting the UW. Paul is a member of the UW President’s Cabinet and the Executive Team for University Advancement, which administers the institution’s philanthropic, marketing and communications, and engagement programs and services. In 2020, the UW successfully completed Be Boundless — For Washington, for the World, its ambitious $6.3 billion campaign to transform the student experience, drive public good, expand impact and empower innovation.
From 1992 to 2004, Paul served in student affairs and workforce development leadership roles at Washington community and technical colleges, specializing in international education and development programs and services. Paul is the founding director the Washington State Community College Consortium for Study Abroad (WCCCSA), one of the nation’s leading community college study/teach abroad programs.
Paul is a long-time volunteer for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), having served as a Trustee and member of the Council for US and Canada. Paul has also served on the Board of Directors of the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE). He is a recipient of the CASE VIII 2020 Distinguished Service Award and is a frequent speaker on the strategic integration of alumni relations in higher education and alumni legislative advocacy program administration. Paul earned his Master of Public Administration at the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and his undergraduate degree at the UW’s School of Communications.
Faculty
Sue Cunningham
Sue Cunningham is President and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), which supports over 3,000 schools, colleges and universities worldwide in developing their integrated advancement work (alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing operations). As CASE President and CEO, Ms. Cunningham provides strategic and operational leadership for one of the largest associations of education-related institutions in the world with members in over 80 countries. She started her leadership role at CASE in March 2015.
While at CASE, Ms. Cunningham has engaged CASE in two strategic planning processes. The first, which engaged thousands of CASE volunteers, resulted in Reimagining CASE: 2017-2021, and created an ambitious framework for serving CASE’s members and championing education worldwide, which included a comprehensive restructure of CASE’s volunteer leadership and governance structure. Building on the strengths of this plan, she led a recalibration exercise that resulted in Championing Advancement: CASE 2022-2027. This Plan articulates a clear strategic intent: that CASE will define the competencies and standards for the profession of advancement, and lead and champion their dissemination and application across the world’s educational institutions.
Among the key initiatives that have developed under her leadership include the redesign and delivery of a new global governance structure. In addition, CASE acquired the Voluntary Support of Education survey and created CASE’s Insights, CASE’s global research and data efforts. CASE published the first global and digital edition of CASE’s Global Reporting Standards and Guidelines, which operate as the industry-leading Standards for the profession, and launched the first global Alumni Engagement survey in addition to annual fundraising surveys. CASE created an ambitious competencies model across all advancement disciplines and a related career journey framework; opened the CASE Opportunities and Inclusion Center which focuses on equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging; and has reinvigorated a global advocacy agenda to communicate the value of education. Ms. Cunningham serves as a Trustee and Secretary for the University of San Diego, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. She is a member of the Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) Board of Directors, Chairs their Governance Committee, and sits on the Executive Committee. She is a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat steering committee, the International Association of University Presidents Executive Committee, and the International Women’s Forum. She has recently been named to the new, US-based Council of Higher Education as a Strategic Asset. She is the author of ‘Global Exchange: Dialogues to Advance Education’.
Prior to her appointment to CASE, Ms. Cunningham served as Vice-Principal for Advancement at the University of Melbourne where she led the Believe campaign resulting in surpassing its original $500 million goal; and the Director of Development for the University of Oxford where she led the development team through the first phase of the largest fundraising campaign outside of the United States (at the time): Oxford Thinking, with a goal of £1.25 billion. She served as Director of Development at Christ Church, Oxford and as Director of External Relations at St. Andrews University.
Before working in education, Ms. Cunningham enjoyed a career in theatre, the arts and the cultural sector. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2012, Ms. Cunningham received the CASE Europe Distinguished Service Award, and has received the coveted CASE Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. Cunningham was awarded a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from Middlesex University, and is a graduate of the Columbia University Senior Executive Program.
Sheila Edwards Lange
Dr. Edwards Lange has served as president of Seattle Central College since August 2015. She has a wide range of experience in higher education administration and has been a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion throughout her career. Prior to assuming the leadership position at Seattle Central, she served as vice president for Minority Affairs and vice provost for Diversity at the University of Washington (UW). In these roles, she was responsible for increasing diversity and working with senior leadership to improve the campus climate and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff.
Dr. Edwards Lange has served on a number of national, state and local committees and boards to advance educational excellence and inclusion. She is a charter member of the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers; and a past president of the Women in Engineering and Program Advocates Network (WEPAN). Most recently she serves on the boards of the Seattle Art Museum, Washington Campus Compact and the Alliance for Education.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including the University of Washington's 2005 Diversity Award for Community Building, a 2011 Puget Sound Business Journal Woman of Influence, and the 2013 UW College of Education Distinguished Graduate Award.
Rickey McCurry
Rickey N. McCurry, JD, is the Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement and the Executive Director of the NAU Foundation. Prior to NAU, Rickey was the Vice President of Development for the University of Tennessee system, as well as the CEO of the UT Foundation, Inc. and Executive Director for the UT Alumni Association. He has been an active member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) since 1984 including service on the Institutionally Related Foundation Board, the Commission on Philanthropy, Chair of District V, and currently a trustee on the Global Board. In 2009, he was recognized as the CASE-Commonfund Foundation CEO of the Year.
Rickey has extensive experience with comprehensive campaigns, planned giving, nonprofit organizations, annual fund, program evaluation, board and staff development, leadership transitions and conflict resolution.
Kristina Gulick Schaefer
Kristina Schaefer is a senior executive and fundraising professional. As the leader of large multi-dimensional fundraising shops, she has worked extensively with boards, managed complex teams, and raised principal gifts. She is currently coaching non-profit leaders and boards, working with significant philanthropists who are interested in making a difference with their giving, and working to develop programs for a national organization. Most recently Kris was Senior Associate Dean of External Relations and Global Programs at MIT Sloan. During her time there, giving to the MIT Campaign from Sloan graduates topped $525 million. At Sloan, Kris was also responsible for overseeing international partnerships around the world which brought in revenue to the school and included relationships in China, Malaysia, Portugal, a new relationship with Australia, and a dedicated office in Latin America.
Prior to MIT, Kris served as the Vice President of Advancement for Simmons College, Vice President for Development and Director of Foundation Operations for the Children’s Memorial Foundation in Chicago, and Executive Director of Development and the Campaign Director for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Before joining Rice, Kris directed the annual fund at Texas Christian University. She launched her career at the University of Vermont working in the annual fund and with the parent’s fund program.
Kris has served on the National Board of Trustees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and is a highly requested speaker and faculty member for CASE-sponsored conferences and institutes. Kris has been awarded the CASE Crystal Apple Award for outstanding teaching.
Kris is a graduate of Allegheny College with a B.A. in music, where she is an active alumna volunteer. Kris is engaged in community service as a mentor for Conexion, an advisor to OUT MetroWest, and a board member at The Wily Network.
Ronald J. Schiller
Ron Schiller is a nationally recognized advisor to presidents, chief advancement officers, board members, and other leaders and emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector. Since 2011, he has focused his attention on executive search, strategic consulting, writing, and speaking about philanthropy, drawing on his experience as fundraising leader, executive team member, board member, and search consultant built over a 30-year career.
Ron has held leadership positions in seven educational and cultural institutions, including the University of Chicago, where he led a team of more than 450 that completed a $2.3 billion campaign and facilitated two nine-figure gifts. He serves on the faculty of the annual CASE conference, "Inspiring the Largest Gifts of a Lifetime" and has served as co-chair of CASE's Winter Institute for Chief Development Officers. He is the author of four books: The Chief Development Officer: Beyond Fundraising (Rowman & Littlefield); Belief and Confidence: Donors Talk About Successful Philanthropic Partnership (CASE), Raising Your Organization's Largest Gifts: A Principal Gifts Handbook (CASE), and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: A Guide to Strengthening Engagement and Fundraising Through Inclusion (CASE), co-authored with Angelique Grant. He is a regular speaker for regional and national conferences of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, CASE, the League of American Orchestras, and gift planning organizations, among others, and he is a recipient of CASE’s Crystal Apple Teaching Award.
Ron has served on the Cornell University Council and on the boards of the American Friends of Covent Garden, Chicago's Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the Cornell University Glee Club, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Aspen’s Buddy Program, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Salt Bay Chamberfest, and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.
Prior to founding the Aspen Leadership Group, he served as President of the NPR Foundation, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Chicago, and in various leadership roles at Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. He began his career in philanthropy at Cornell during the university’s groundbreaking $1.25 billion campaign in the late 1980s.
Ron earned a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University.