Janell currently serves as director of annual giving at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. As director, Janell is responsible for administering a comprehensive annual giving program to include annual direct mail solicitation appeals, phone solicitation program, electronic solicitation appeals, gift societies, and other projects. Prior to this position, Janell served as assistant director of annual giving at Western Michigan University where she was responsible for the phone solicitation program. Janell began her career as a fundraiser ten years ago as a student telemarketer at Michigan State University.
For nearly five years, Tiffany has worked to create a culture of philanthropy at Kent State University through direct marketing. Tiffany’s fundraising career began in 2004 when she joined Kent State’s advancement team as the assistant director of annual giving. Currently, she serves as the associate director of annual giving. In both capacities, Tiffany has successfully expanded the annual fund’s direct marketing program to include multimedia campaigns, soliciting alumni, young alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Her multidimensional approach combines direct mail, e-marketing, web advertising, telemarketing, and events to increase donor retention and acquisition. The key to her success is her donor-centric strategic planning: market to the needs of the donor in order to fulfill the needs of the organization.
Ken is an expert in the uses and applications of social media in educational contexts. He established the Second Life program at Loyalist College which received the college’s Ontario award for innovation for 2008. At Loyalist, Ken designs applied learning experiences using Second Life, including a recent Canadian border-crossing simulation. He is a regular speaker at conferences and online seminars. The Virtual World Design Centre at Loyalist works with educators and organizations to develop integrated virtual environments that support instructional outcomes. Ken is a Senior Fellow at the Beal Institute for Strategic Creativity, Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto.
Christopher has been building and managing the development of technologically mediated learning experiences for nearly a decade. He specializes in integrating highly engaging animated simulations, virtual environments, and games into educational experiences that can either stand alone or support blended delivery formats. Christopher also consults with teams in industry and higher education on appropriate utilization of technology for learning and leads the development and deployment of these technologies.
Kurt Thiede has worked in higher education administration for over three decades. His senior management responsibilities have included strategic enrollment planning, student recruitment and admission, student retention, financial aid, marketing communications, student life, intercollegiate athletics, and alumni relations. Viewing enrollment management within the context of the prospect-student-alumni lifecycle, Kurt employs strategies and tactics that establish relational pipelines to build and maintain quality and diverse enrollments at the institutions he has served on staff and as a consultant. He believes in collaborating with an institution’s leadership to create and implement solutions that address needs and interests specific to their situations. Through his commitment to the Community College Pathways (CCP) program, Kurt assists four-year institutions with establishing sustainable partnerships with community colleges; these educational pathways provide access to high-quality education for motivated and deserving students, while helping institutions meet their enrollment and graduation goals. Kurt held leadership appointments for 18 years at Muhlenberg College and nine at Bucknell University. He served as an enrollment consultant to a variety of higher education clients before committing his professional efforts to the CCP initiative.
