The Council for Advancement and Support of Education will honor two foundation leaders as the 2022 recipients of the CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award. The CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award is underwritten by the Commonfund Institute, the research and education arm of Commonfund, which provides investment management services to nonprofit organizations and other institutions.

Sharon Beales, Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Northampton Community College Foundation, and Jeffery Mills, PhD, President and CEO of the University of Maine Foundation will be recognized for their contributions at the 2022 CASE Conference for College and University Foundations.

“As the global association dedicated to defining the competencies and standards for the profession of educational advancement, CASE embraces this opportunity to showcase senior leaders through this partnership with Commonfund Institute,” says Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of CASE. “We congratulate Sharon Beales and Jeff Mills for their service as champions of their institutions, and celebrate the impact they have made on their foundations, institutions, communities and the advancement community.“

College and University Foundations are nonprofit organizations that cultivate and manage private assets to support the missions of the colleges and universities with which they are affiliated. This prestigious award recognizes professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality, and effectiveness of their foundations and the sector.

“We are excited to once again partner with CASE to honor and recognize two exceptional foundation leaders”, said George Suttles, Executive Director of Commonfund Institute. “Congratulations to both honorees, and special acknowledgement to Sharon Beales, whose institutional leadership Commonfund experiences firsthand as an investment partner to Northampton Community College Foundation.”

Beales, who has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising leadership, joined Northampton Community College in 2014 as Vice President of Institutional Advancement. A few of her many accomplishments at Northampton Community College include growing the endowment from $40 to $65 million, growing programming and private foundation revenue, and conducting the college’s first Giving Day in fall of 2019 and exceeding their goal of $50,000 to raise $76,348 from 623 donors.

“What makes Sharon impressive is that she truly lives the mission of the college,” wrote Denise Spence, Chair of the NCC Foundation Board, in a letter of support. “She is a champion for NCC students and their needs. She develops new and different ways the Foundation Board can support our students to be successful in their academic pursuits.”

Spence says she considers one of Beales’ signature achievements to be the recent closing of the college’s most successful campaign. The campaign exceeded its $17 million goal and raised just over $20 million, making it the most successful campaign in the college’s history.

Mills, who has more than 29 years in educational advancement, was appointed to the University of Maine Foundation in 2012 as the President and CEO after serving previously as the Vice President of University Advancement and President and CEO of the University of Maine Alumni Association from 2002 to2005. Highlights of his accomplishments at the University of Maine Foundation include the launch of a comprehensive giving campaign with a $200 million goal, ending the campaign with over $208 million raised. The campaign also increased fundraising to an all-time high average of $36 million and secured the largest capital campaign gift in university history. Additionally, Mills launched the faculty, staff and administration giving campaign, which raised more than $1.2 million this past year.

In his letter of support, Robert Strong, Chairman of the University of Maine Foundation wrote: “Under Jeff’s leadership every capital campaign during his tenure has exceeded its fundraising goal." Strong also notes Mills' leadership during the merger of the university's Office of Advancement and the University of Maine Foundation, leading to greater alignment and greater philanthropic success.

Most recently, through its ongoing collaboration with the Harold Alfond Foundation, the University of Maine System received a $240 million grant in support of academic, student welfare, and athletic activities. This is the largest ever to a public institution of higher education in New England and the 9th largest gift ever to a public university.” Mills will lead the private fundraising efforts to fulfill this historic gift.

Both Beales and Mills are active members of CASE and have led development programs that have received CASE Educational Fundraising Awards.