Tahsin I. Alam is Associate Dean of Advancement for the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle. He serves as a member of the Foster Advisor Board and is part of the Dean’s senior leadership team and University Advancement’s Executive Leadership Team.

A higher education advancement industry veteran with over 17 years of experience in Presidential and Advancement professional searches, Mr. Alam began his career as an Associate with Isaacson Miller, a Boston-based national search firm. After eight years of working with the development and alumni relations search practice, Mr. Alam went on to become a Managing Associate with the Nonprofit Professional Advisory Group (NPAG), a boutique consulting firm with clients across the nonprofit sector. Here he served as a partner for the development and communications search practice, where in four years, the practice grew from inception to the most profitable practice at the firm. Tahsin has also conducted Presidential, Dean of Faculty, and Dean of Student level searches.

At the Rutgers University Foundation, Tahsin served as the Vice President for Advancement Services and Talent Management. He oversaw 70 employees across the departments of Talent Management, Donor Relations, Stewardship, Prospect Research, Prospect Management, Board Relations and Campaign Operations. His expertise is people and operational dynamics with a strong focus on data driven decision making and measurable outcomes. Mr. Alam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Economics and Theater from Bates College and a Master’s in Organizational Communications from Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information. He is a native of Bangladesh.

David Bass serves as AGB’s executive director for philanthropic governance, providing thought leadership on board governance and leadership best practices that relate to philanthropy in higher education. He oversees the development of programs and resources supporting institutionally related foundation boards, institutional governing boards, and other senior staff and volunteer leaders of colleges and universities. Bass previously served as AGB’s director of foundation programs and research, authoring the AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Institution-Foundation Partnerships, Illustrative Memorandum of Understanding between a Public Institution or System and an Affiliated Foundation, and Effective Foundation Boards.

Bass also worked for 12 years at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) where he served as senior director of research, as director of CASE’s National Center for Institutionally Related Foundations and director of government relations. 

Bass taught as an adjunct faculty member at Northern Virginia Community College, Georgetown University, and the University of Virginia. 

Bass holds an MBA and certificate in nonprofit management from Johns Hopkins University and an MA and doctoral coursework from the University of Virginia. He received a BA from the College of William and Mary.

Edward C. Bush PhD has 25 years of experience in higher education with 23 of those years serving in the California Community College System.  He is well known throughout the State of California as a leader who has been able to reimagine traditional institutional practices. Dr. Bush holds a PhD in Urban Educational Leadership from Claremont Graduate University, a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from California State University San Bernardino, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California Riverside.

Dr. Bush began his Professional Journey in Higher Education as an Admissions Recruiter for California State University, San Bernardino. He then went on to serve as a faculty member and administrator in the Riverside Community College District for 17 years. During this time, Dr. Bush was widely respected as an equity focused, student centered faculty member and administrator that was able to work collaboratively across stakeholder groups to develop innovative programs to improve the student experience.  

Dr. Bush currently serves as the President of Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. He is a student success focused leader with a clear vision and expertise in leading organizations through periods of change and structural disruption. Dr. Bush is an educational visionary whose innovative approach has improved student outcomes while reducing both achievement and opportunity gaps for students of color and other historically marginalized student populations. Dr. Bush is dedicated to creating teams of Educators who are committed to work towards meeting the evolving needs of students and the communities in which they serve. 

A fundraising professional with over 17 years of experience, George Corton has progressed rapidly through the ranks of the profession. As the Chief Development Officer/Senior Associate Vice President for Development at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, he provides oversight for 36 development professionals with another six indirect reports. He has led his team to record-breaking annual fundraising totals (over $105 million currently in FY’21) as part of an ambitious $750 million capital campaign. Building on this diverse background and on the forefront of inclusive philanthropy, Corton cofounded the FIU Foundation Office of Inclusive Philanthropy.

Dr. Mildred Coyne serves as the senior vice president, workforce education and innovation overseeing the college’s workforce initiatives focused on building the talent supply to meet employer demand. The division supports students in certificate and associate career programs, continuing education, and corporate training, and provides leadership for career & technical education advisement, credit for prior learning, inbound articulation, internships, apprenticeships, and career planning and placement services.

Dr. Coyne oversees Broward UP, a community-centric movement focused on addressing the educational needs of local communities with the highest unemployment rates and lowest education attainment levels. She is also responsible for the administration of multiple grant programs that support students’ success in workforce education. Additionally, Dr. Coyne oversees the offices for grants development, institutional research, and institutional planning and effectiveness. A 30-year professional in the Florida College System, Dr. Coyne has focused her career on ensuring everyone who wants a better life through education has access to programs that lead to life-changing careers.

Dr. Coyne earned her doctorate in leadership and management and her master of science in higher education administration from Capella University.  She is a member of the Aspen Rising President Fellows program, Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class XXXVII, Leadership Broward Class XXXIII, serves on several boards including Career Source Broward, YMCA of South Florida, Urban League of Broward County and is founding Co-Chair for the Florida College System’s Council for Workforce Education. 
 

Cristóbal “Chris” Garcia is a first-generation graduate from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), Colorado State University, and the Latino Leadership Institute through the University of Denver. He currently acts as the associate director of alumni relations at UNC, working to engage alumni from across the country in institutional priorities, alumni career employment and advancement, institutional recruitment efforts, and through alumni social media engagement. Chris is also co-founder of the Latino Northern Colorado podcast, which highlights issues, opportunities, and contributions of leaders in the Hispanic/Latinx community in the area.

Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization. He is a 2018 Honoree of both the '40 Under Forty' from BizWest Northern Colorado and the 'Student Impact Award' from the Colorado Coalition for the Educational Advancement of Latinos, and a 2020 honoree of the 'Best Of Greeley' in the Community Activist category from the Greeley Tribune. In his free time, he enjoys building community in the company of loved ones and friends and hiking Colorado outdoors.

Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a leading scholar on Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), which are colleges and universities that enroll at least 25% Latinx undergraduate students. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in Higher Education and Student Affairs. She is a scholar activist committed to disrupting the status quo of postsecondary education by bringing attention to the ways higher education has historically been committed to whiteness and regularly reinforces white narratives and white standards. Connecting critical and organizational theory, Dr. Garcia’s research centers Latinxs and HSIs, and is guided by the principles of equity and justice.

Dr. Garcia’s work has been recognized by major organizations and foundations. She was the recipient of a Ford Foundation postdoctoral fellowships in 2016 and a National Academy of Education/Spencer postdoctoral fellowship in 2017. In spring 2018, she received the Early Career Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association’s Hispanic Research Issues SIG and in fall 2018 she was the recipient of the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Council for Ethnic Participation’s Mildred García Award for Exemplary Scholarship (Junior). Notably, she is also the author of Becoming Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Opportunities for Colleges & Universities, published by Johns Hopkins University Press (2019)

Dr. Tobias Guzmán serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). He is responsible for the subdivision of Equity and Inclusion, which includes all operations associated with the seven cultural and resource centers, and the departments of Dining Services (catering, vending and board operations) and Housing & Residential Education.

Dr. Guzmán approaches his work with a focus on building relationships and fostering a culture of care. These central tenets drive a culture of care philosophy where students and their experiences are a top priority. He works diligently to provide students with the necessary resources they need to progress along their path to success.

Dr. Guzman’s research dedication focuses on customer service, social justice, equity & inclusion, and preventing student departure. He has created various strategies and initiatives to advance the overall experience for such students. Also, Dr. Guzmán has a particular interest in working with first-generation and historically marginalized populations.

An alumnus of UNC, Tobias returned to his alma mater in 2000 after serving in a various roles at Plymouth State University and University of Toledo. Tobias holds a black belt with 25 years of experience in the traditional Japanese art of karate (Wado-Ryu). As a dedicated member of his community, Tobias has served on numerous University and community committees/boards including Chair of the City of Greeley Human Relations Commission, Board Member of the Greeley Transitional House, presenter and facilitator for Greeley-Evans School District, member of the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education, Board Member for United Way of Weld County and Board Member for UC Health Greeley Hospital. Tobias resides in Greeley with his wife and daughter, who are also actively involved in the community.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Leandra Hayes-Burgess has served as an advancement professional for higher education institutions and nonprofit entities for over 20 years, with 13 of those years dedicated to service in upper administration.

She currently serves as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. Over the span of her fundraising career, Leandra has successfully assisted colleges and universities, secure over $60 million in support of their missions, programs and services. She previously served as the Senior Development Director at the University of Miami, Assistant Vice President for Major and Planned Gifts at Claflin University, the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Talladega College; Director of Development for Bennett College for Women; and Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Director of Alumni Affairs at Livingstone College.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master of Arts degree in philanthropy and development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a certificate in Management and Leadership from Harvard University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.

Leandra is married to Marcus H. Burgess, Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Claflin University. Together, they are the proud parents of three wonderful children, Marcus, II, Mariana and Tyler.

Ms. Rochelle Lindsey is known for her innovative approaches to engage donors in unique experiences that transcend into philanthropic opportunities. Her techniques are multi-dimensional cross-functional solutions that focus on enhancing the donor experience.

As the Director for Constituent Engagement at Morehouse School of Medicine, she is responsible for the institutions' advancement efforts for alumni, partnerships that would lead to philanthropic endeavors and volunteer opportunities and cultivating the student experience for alumni.

Rochelle has a bachelor’s in psychology, Clark Atlanta University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University.

Reshunda Mahone, Ed.D., CFRE, is the Assistant Dean for Advancement and Alumni Engagement with the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. With over 21 years of higher education advancement and development experience, she has supported every aspect of philanthropy and engagement. She has previously held fundraising roles at Virginia State University, Spelman College, the University of Miami, Georgia State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida. She has expertise in campaign fundraising, data analytics, maximizing advancement operations, and leadership development. Her research focuses on leadership development for women and advancing minority-serving institutions through advancement.

As an active member of the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE), she serves on the Commission on Philanthropy, the Minority Serving Institution Advisory Board, and the District III Board, with roles leading the Opportunity & Inclusion task force and HBCU fundraising. She also serves on the African American Development Officers (AADO) Network board and previously served on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) boards for the Central Virginia, Greater Atlanta, and the Miami chapters. Dr. Mahone earned an Ed.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MBA from the University of Central Florida, a B.S. in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida and is a Certified Fundraising Executive.

As the Founding Executive Director for Florida International University Foundation's Office of Inclusive Philanthropy (FOIP), Maia's role includes working with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Team Leads in identifying, cultivating and securing funding that supports DEI goals university wide. In Fiscal Year 20-21, the office worked collaboratively with units in raising $16 million dollars in support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. FOIP is working towards systemic change at the institutional level, to support areas of need identified by the university.

Timothy Minor is the vice president for University Advancement for the University of North Carolina System.  He is responsible for administrative direction and support for external funding to meet the priority needs within the UNC multi-campus university which is composed of all 17 of North Carolina's public institutions, including the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students. 

Prior to joining the UNC System Office, Timothy served as the associate vice chancellor for University Advancement at North Carolina A&T State University for five years where he led fundraising initiatives and day-to-day operations of A&T’s central development office. Minor started his career in university development in 1994 at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., followed by 12 years at UNC at Chapel Hill as a senior member of the Development Office, serving in various major gift director roles in the University’s $500 M Bicentennial Campaign and the university’s largest campaign, the $2.3 billion Carolina First Campaign that concluded in 2007.  He was appointed to the role as Associate Vice President at UNC System Office in September 2013 and became vice president in September 2014.  Minor received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master of Public Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

William (Bill) F. L. Moses serves as managing director for The Kresge Foundation’s Education Program, which supports postsecondary access and success for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students.

The key architect of Kresge’s education programming, Bill leads the team’s continuum of domestic and international grant activities from developing program strategy, reviewing preliminary ideas, and helping grantees develop proposals or initiatives, to awarding funding and monitoring existing grants. Since his arrival at Kresge, Bill has served as a program officer and senior program officer, was instrumental in developing Kresge’s Green Building Initiative and has spearheaded the foundation’s grantmaking in South Africa.

Before joining Kresge, Bill served as executive director of The Thomas J. Watson Foundation in Rhode Island and as a senior analyst at the Investor Responsibility Research Center in Washington, D.C. He also worked as a research officer at TechnoServe and held various administrative positions in Alaska’s state legislature and the federal government, including the U.S. Embassy in Cape Town, South Africa.

A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, Bill holds a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University. He is the author of “A Guide to American State and Local Laws on South Africa” and co-author of “Corporate Responsibility in a Changing South Africa.”  He was the co-chair of the seven-foundation Partnership for Higher Education in Africa and serves on the steering committee of the Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group, an organization he co-founded. He also is a member of the National Advisory Board of The College Promise Campaign and a Board Member of APIA Scholars.

Dr. Nagai joined the University of the Pacific in 2018. As Associate Vice President for Development, she is responsible for leading the fundraising team for five academic units and four professional schools across three campuses, Stockton, San Francisco and Sacramento. The University is in its final year of a $300 million campaign, Leading with Purpose: The Campaign for University of the Pacific.

She has spent more than 20 years in higher education in various development and alumni relations roles. This includes serving as Campaign Director for California State University, Sacramento where she coordinated the launch of the University's first comprehensive fundraising campaign. She has also served as Assistant Dean for Development and External Relations at the University of California, Davis during its $1 billion campaign, Director of External Relations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during its $500 million campaign, and Deputy Director and Class Alumni Relations Officer for the Stanford Alumni Association during the University's $1 billion campaign. Through each of these roles, she works to advance the student-centered mission of each university through fundraising and alumni relations activities.

Dr. Nagai is a cabinet member for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VII and serves as the inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Chair for the district. She is a past board member and current committee volunteer for Capital Public Radio and is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum. Originally from Watsonville, Calif., she is a first-generation college student who holds a B.S. degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, a M.Ed. degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A.J. Nagaraj is the assistant vice president for advancement strategy at Stony Brook University, where he leads cross-team strategy and innovation-related projects focused on leveraging national best practices along with data and analytics to enhance divisional effectiveness.

Prior to joining Stony Brook, A.J. served as senior consultant and director with EAB, where he managed an advancement investment and performance benchmarking initiative for 10 private research universities, conducted best practice research on fundraiser performance management, and later launched the firm’s first programs in the independent school and K-12 public school district areas. Before joining EAB, he worked in human capital strategy roles at the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Teach for America national office in New York City. 

A.J. holds a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he focused on education leadership and policy analysis, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California.

Hieu Nguyen is a seasoned development and advancement professional whose 22-year career in higher education has included service to some of the very best institutions in the nation. Nguyen has served in key leadership positions at Bates College, Bowdoin College, Middlebury College, the University of California - Riverside, Harvey Mudd College and is currently the Vice President for Advancement and College Relations at Reed College.

Versed in different aspects of institutional advancement, Nguyen has achieved success in many areas of fundraising and engagement over the span of his professional career in higher education. He has a proven track-record as a strategic leader and is adept at building innovative, productive, and high-functioning teams for the organizations that he has served.

Nguyen’s campaign experience includes strategic planning and funding for targeted initiatives such as capital and academic projects (from $3M-$50M) as well as the launching of comprehensive campus-wide endeavors (at the $300M-$500M levels).

Prior to joining academia in 2002, Nguyen worked in industry for startups ventures with Qualcomm, Inc. (San Diego, CA) and Burlee.com (Burlington, VT).

Pierre Quinn is a speaker, leadership coach, consultant, and ordained minister who focuses on helping others to assess their strengths, understand organizational culture, and foster the relationships that lead to personal and professional transformation.

He is the author of Leading While Green: How Emerging Leaders Can Ripen Into Effective Leaders and Leading While Scared: How To Find The Courage To Keep Going. He is the CEO of The Cardell Group, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on growing leaders and empowering teams of all sizes.

Del L. Ruff is the Executive Diversity and Inclusion Officer at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Mr. Ruff is an accomplished thought-leader and professional with more than 20 years of experience advocating for diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging. He has worked within organizations as an educator, building principal, district and state-level administrator, researcher, and leader with a future-forward philosophy.

Before coming to North Carolina A&T, Mr. Ruff was the senior director of workforce and education with the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C. In that role, he led a team focused on increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion in architecture, with emphasis on increasing exposure to historically underrepresented students in K-12, supporting the pathway to the profession for students studying architecture in higher education institutions, especially HBCUs, and fostering a more inclusive architecture profession for architects and designers.

As executive diversity and inclusion officer, Mr. Ruff’s primary responsibility is to provide strategic leadership and administrative oversight for researching, developing, implementing, and to maintain a range of successful practices for supporting and prioritizing equity, diversity and inclusiveness.

Justin Schmitt serves as senior deputy of Corporate Responsibility (CR) at USAA, a financial services brand dedicated to serving the U.S. military community. He leads a high-performing team that directs corporate citizenship investments to positively impact our nation’s military families and USAA’s local communities while helping to activate employee engagement, drive operational efficiencies, and elevate stakeholder engagement and connectivity. He serves as an officer of The USAA Foundation, Inc., and provides oversight of enterprise philanthropic investment policies, procedures, and related governance to ensure high standards of compliance and risk management associated with philanthropic investments.

Since 2015, USAA has more than doubled its annual philanthropic giving. Between 2015-20, USAA’s CR team directed more $200M philanthropically to nonprofit organizations; approximately 60% directly in support of currently serving military personnel, veterans, and their families. USAA’s corporate citizenship program achieves top quartile levels of employee engagement through innovative giving and volunteer programs. Annually, USAA employees contribute approximately $10M to nonprofits and log nearly 200K volunteer hours, results that reinforce the company’s values and put USAA in top-quartile levels of employee citizenship engagement.

In 2020, the USAA CR team deployed more than $40 million in grants to assist military families and local communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the innovative Military Family Relief Initiative. The team also developed a place-based strategy for a $50M, three-year (2020-22) commitment to advance racial equality in education and employment, with the desired end-state to close the racial earnings gap. USAA CR ranked No.1 In FORTUNE Magazine’s “Most Admired Companies List” and has received the nonprofit Blue Star Families’ Constance J. Milstein award for innovative military philanthropy.

Justin was a Mayborn Scholar at the University of North Texas, where he earned a Master of Journalism degree and taught undergraduate classes. He received a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Tarleton State University, part of the Texas

Dr. Tammi Summers is the Vice-President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Gateway Technical College and has the distinct honor of overseeing the college DEI initiatives and strategic planning.  Dr. Summers began her journey at Gateway in 2006 working as a Disability Support Instructor. In that role she provided support services and accommodations to Gateway students with disabilities. Dr. Summers has also served in several other administrative positions including Director of Student Support and Dean of Learning Success.

As a young adult, Dr. Summers has always understood the importance of having a good education and what impact education can have in transforming the lives of people. Dr. Summers herself is a proud graduate of the Milwaukee Public School System and believes that with hard work and dedication anything is possible. 

Dr. Summers serves as a catalyst for cultural change and student success within the Gateway Technical College community.  She has the unique ability to facilitate and encourage difficult conversations on topics related to systematic racism, educational equity gaps, privilege and how to be an equity ally. Dr. Summers encourages students and her colleagues to focus on using their personal strengths and life experiences to overcome life barriers, build resilience, and discover solutions that can change our world.

A strong advocate for giving back to the community and helping others, Dr. Summers truly believes it’s important to volunteer in the local community.  She is a 28-year active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she volunteers and gives to projects in the areas of education, mental health, voting, and academic scholarships. Recently Dr. Summers was selected to represent Gateway Technical College, as well as the Racine and Milwaukee communities by serving on the YWCA Southeastern Wisconsin Board of Directors. The YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom is what Dr. Summers stands for.

Dr. Summers received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Special Education.  She also holds a doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Urban Education focusing on Adult and Continuing Education.

Henry W. Taylor is the Founder and Managing Partner of Legacy Consulting Group (LCG), a strategic consulting practice serving non-profits, higher education institutions, churches, religious organizations, K-12 schools and other entities seeking to enhance their mission driven impact. LCG builds on Henry's significant experience in advancement and strategically addresses opportunities for improvement in non-profit management, fundraising, alumni/constituent engagement, communications and marketing, diversity, board relations and operational effectiveness. Most recently, Henry led Golden Gate University's (GGU) advancement division as vice president. His team focused on rebuilding GGU’s fundraising, alumni engagement and communications efforts resulting in improved outcomes and CASE awards recognizing their achievements. 

Prior to GGU, Henry served as Senior Director of Development at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA. He managed the office of development, which included annual giving, corporate & foundation relations, donor relations, leadership and legacy giving, as well as research & prospect management. Under his leadership at Agnes Scott, the college saw a 62-percent increase in money raised from FY19 to FY20, totaling a record-breaking $21.1 million. For FY21, Agnes Scott boasted its highest annual giving total in college history for The Fund for Agnes Scott. Prior to Agnes Scott, he was vice president for institutional advancement at Clark Atlanta University, where he was tasked with strengthening the advancement function and elevating the professionalism of staff, infrastructure and activity to deliver increased outcomes.

In total, Mr. Taylor’s advancement career spans more than 25 years and includes work at California State University-East Bay, Georgia State University, Princeton and Stanford as well as the KIPP Foundation and Level Playing Field Institute. He has successfully solicited more than $65 million personally and has led teams responsible for securing over $150 million throughout his career. His significant experience and expertise as well as passion for philanthropy and commitment to the advancement profession have made him a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at professional conferences including for CASE and AFP. Mr. Taylor received a bachelor’s degree in government and religion from Claremont McKenna College and a master’s degree in leadership at St. Mary’s College of California.

Since 2008, Kenneth Westary has served as the vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the CCBC Foundation, Inc. at Community College of Baltimore County. Ken is responsible for resource development and fundraising programs for both public and private gifts and grants.  Before this, Ken served five years as vice president of IA at Johnson C. Smith University, and as AVP at Tuskegee University (TU).  Before TU, Ken served as director of development at Morgan State University (MSU), and as a program director at Johns Hopkins University.  Ken is a native of Baltimore, and earned his B.S. degree at Towson University and MBA at the University of Baltimore.     

Carla Willis joined Saint Leo University in 2019 with more than 25 years of experience as an advancement thought leader. Most recently, she served as the vice chancellor for University Advancement and executive director of the Foundation at the University of North Carolina- Asheville. Carla has served in advancement leadership roles at Kean University, The Ohio State University, Florida A&M University, the University of Toledo, and the University of Michigan. A long-serving member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Carla is a graduate from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies.