2010 Conference Speakers

CORE FACULTY

Kathy Cole, CFRE, founded West Wind Consulting in July of 2002 (incorporating in 2009 as West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fundraising, LLC) following a nineteen-year career in fundraising and institutional advancement, most of which was spent at Cornell University. In service to her clients, Kathy conducts development assessments and feasibility studies, serves as campaign counsel, guides the development of major gift programs, provides extensive CEO, staff and volunteer coaching and training, and conducts board and staff retreats in strategic planning, major gifts, solicitation techniques, and capital campaign planning.  Kathy's current and former SUNY clients include Oswego, Potsdam, the College at Brockport, and Onondaga Community College.

Scott Jaschik is one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed, a free daily online publication that has become a major source of news and opinion about higher education since its inception in 2004. With fellow editor Doug Lederman, Scott leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, resources and interactive features. With wide areas of interest and expertise across academe, he has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon, and elsewhere. From 1999 to 2003, Scott was editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Scott grew up in Rochester and graduated from Cornell University in 1985.

Fritz McDonald has more than 20 years experience as a professional writer, editor, and creative strategist. He earned his bachelor’s degree at UCLA, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. At Stamats, Fritz has created marketing communications, digital strategy, and branding programs for colleges and universities across the U.S. He has an extensive background in Web 2.0 technologies and social media, has delivered webinars on the subject and written an industry-leading white paper on social networking strategies. He has been a keynote speaker for CASE, CCAE, SUNY CUAD and ACT, and presented at such well-known conferences as HighEd Web, EduWeb, and The AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. He has written articles on higher education marketing for Admissions Marketing Report, and on social media for University Business and among other social media projects, is currently helping Furman University build a proprietary social network.

Elizabeth Scarborough, CEO of SimpsonScarborough, is a nationally recognized expert in the use of research to drive marketing and branding efforts. With 18 years of experience conducting market research and providing strategic solutions to colleges and universities, she is an innovative leader in developing marketing intelligence. Early in her career, Elizabeth founded the marketing research division for Boston-based Carnegie Communications, which became a leading firm providing research, consulting and creative services to colleges and universities. She has spent her career melding research data and strategy into actionable marketing plans with measurable goals. Her groundbreaking approaches to marketing and research have become industry standards. She holds a B.S. in mathematics from James Madison University and an M.B.A. from Fordham University. Her clients include Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of California-Berkeley, College of the Holy Cross, American University, University of Michigan Alumni Association, Lafayette College, Loyola University Maryland, and MIT Sloan School of Management.

Jerry F. Smith, CFRE: Following a successful development career as executive director of alumni and development at Auburn University (including a $110 million dollar capital campaign, ending in 1985), Jerry founded the J.F. Smith Group in 1991. Since then, the J.F. Smith Group has conducted feasibility studies and capital campaigns for clients all across the country.  Significantly, the company has conducted two or three campaigns for many of these same clients. Jerry is a popular and respected conference presenter.  He has conducted seminars on an assortment of fund-raising topics in the United States for CASE, ACSI, Blackbaud, AFP, AHP and NAADD.  He has taught fund-raising courses at Troy State University and is also the recipient of the 2000 NSFRE Award for Civic Philanthropy.

PRESENTERS

Michelle Ashby has over ten years experience with non-profit organizations and academic institutions that demand results-driven marketing solutions. Michelle is passionate about developing successful campaigns that are tied closely to performance metrics and she drives the charge for innovative marketing strategies and conducts media training for many agencies across New York State.  

Jodi Bailey is the director of marketing at Alfred University. During the four years of Jodi’s leadership, AU has organized a web advisory group to prioritize web requests, hired a web editor to assist faculty with content pages, established a private social networking site for prospective students, created a web group for parents, and revamped every recruitment publication. Prior to Alfred University, Jodi served as the executive director of the Red Cross in a neighboring community. She has a B.A. in marketing from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio..

Laurie Bennett leads media planning services at Tipping Point Media and has more than 30 years of experience working with educational, business-to-business, health care, non-profit, and retail clients on a regional and national level.  Laurie earned her degree from Alfred State College, with additional coursework at UNC Greensboro. She has developed and implemented strategic media plans for a diverse client base including several college and universities.

Josanne DeNatale co-founded Cognitive Marketing in 1993 and directs the firm’s brand communications work, including the development of integrated marketing plans. She has extensive experience in traditional and internet-based communication design, which she applies to the marketing needs of institutional advancement and admissions initiatives. Josanne has served on the executive board and the cultural diversity committee of the Arts & Cultural Council of the Greater Rochester Region, and on the board of Writers & Books Literary Center. She has also been an adjunct faculty member at Rochester Institute of Technology. Josanne is a graduate of the State University College at Buffalo (B.S., Design).

Susan C. Goetschius is the director of communications and the government relations representative at Alfred University. In the position for the past 11 years, Sue has implemented a comprehensive news/publications/web operation designed bolster admissions and to keep Alfred University’s national, regional, and local presence in the forefront. Most recently, she launched an online alumni magazine and assisted in developing a makeover of the University’s web pages. She has also assisted in a number of successful state and federal grant applications for the University. Prior to being named communications director, Sue was director of external affairs and communications at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and before that, director of the Alfred University news bureau. A former mayor of the village of Wellsville, Sue served as Allegany County bureau chief for the Olean Times Herald. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell University.

Nicolette Hawks is a new media specialist with international business and global marketing experience, Nicolette specializes in digital marketing. She is a skilled online ad buyer and strategic planner. Ms. Hawks works with corporate and non-profit organizations to market using social networking and online services.

John Heiser is the Director of Graphic Design and Printing Services at Hudson Valley Community College. John has more than 15 years experience in the design and printing industries and has been with Hudson Valley since 2000. John additionally serves as a SUNYCUAD board member on the publications track. John has served the board as editor, designer and prepress for the Direct newsletter, as well as Hall of Fame coordinator, online directory/listserv coordinator, and programming committee member for the 2010 conference. John has garnered four SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence, including a Best of Category in 2009 for course listings. 

Carol Leven, vice president for communications at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, has worked in higher education marketing communications for 20 years at institutions such as New York University, the New School, and Parsons School of Design. She has managed creative professionals from writers to designers, web specialists to video producers, advertising and media buyers to market research consultants. She is currently responsible for the college’s publications, advertising, direct mail, web site, alumni magazine, and internal communications, as well as overseeing institutional market research. She has chaired college-wide committees on web development and on marketing and recruitment. Under her direction, FIT has received numerous awards from CASE, the Educational Marketing Association, the University College Design Association and NCMPR.  

Kimberly MacLeod has conducted public relations for non-profits for over 15 years and currently serves as communications and new media manager for SUNY Delhi. She assists the college in achieving its public relations goals and is responsible for implementing Web 2.0 strategies to engage SUNY Delhi's prospective students and alumni. A graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, she holds a B.S. in television, radio and film production. Kim is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Dan McCormack was an administrator, faculty member, and grant writer at Binghamton University for over 30 years before he retired in December 2003. Since then, he has remained at the university in various part-time roles where he works with faculty and staff to submit grants. In addition, he contracts with other colleges, as well as community and state agencies, to write specific individual grants. He has also conducted numerous two-day grant writing workshops for the SUNY Professional Development Center. Dan holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

Ryan A. McPherson is the University at Buffalo’s chief advocate to federal, state, and local elected officials and community leaders, and employs an integrated advocacy model that leverages partners from inside and outside the university to amplify UB’s core message of becoming a premier public research university and building an innovation economy.  Ryan leads a dynamic team of senior staff in government and community relations, provides strategic counsel to the President and senior leadership on a daily basis, and works closely with university communications, development, and other university administrators to advocate the university’s government and community agenda.    

Paula Monaco oversees all marketing, advertising, and public and media relations at the largest undergraduate college in the Capital Region. She is also the college’s primary spokesperson. She has more than 20 years of experience in the communications industry, including for state government at the New York State Office of General Services (OGS) where she served as the agency press officer and was responsible for the media relations and communications for all departments of OGS. She also developed briefing materials, press releases, and speeches for the Governor and the Commissioner of OGS.  Prior to state service Paula was director of communications for a financial institution. After graduating from Siena College in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in English, Paula moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked at various public relations firms including Ogilvy and Mather. College, Brockport, Monroe Community College, Nazareth College, and RIT..

Colin Nekritz works at the intersection of branding, technology, and what it all means, knowing disruptive ideas happen outside the curve of competition. Currently executive director of ImageWranglers, his past work includes international work on household names for both The Coca-Cola Company and Adobe while being on the bleeding edge of all things digital.

Barbara O'Malley has over twenty years experience in strategic planning, marketing, and research, and integrated marketing communications. She earned an M.B.A.with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Denver and a B.S. degree in communications/journalism from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD. Prior to joining UA, Barbara served as the executive director of marketing and communications at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Illinois where she implemented an integrated marketing and communications department. Prior to her institutional appointments, she consulted nationally in the areas of integrated marketing and communications. She served as a state examiner for the Colorado and Ohio Baldrige Quality Award Programs.

Rob Pasquinucci has made content his career – from newspaper reporting to custom publishing to the Web. After beginning his career at a daily newspaper, Rob went on to become director of communications for Phi Delta Theta, a 200,000-member Greek-letter organization. He also developed the fraternity’s first Web site. Rob’s career took him to two of the region’s largest integrated marketing firms, where he served clients in both the business-to-business and consumer sectors. Rob returned to higher education in 2005, taking a position at Northern Kentucky University. There, he revitalized the alumni magazine, developed the school’s online social networking presence, established an alumni e-newsletter, and supplemented the print magazine with an HTML edition. He is an accredited member of Public Relations Society of America and holds an M.A. in communication.

Paula Peter (nee Sidle) founded The Solstice Group, Inc. in July 2002, after decades of experience with a wide range of not-for-profit organizations. She has particular strengths in board development, campaign feasibility, planning and management, major gift fund-raising, and training.  She began her career in 1983 with Cornell University's annual fund office where she managed several multi-million dollar reunion campaigns.  She later served as director of public affairs and development for the Cornell Plantations and as a senior member of the major gifts staff at Cornell.  Paula is a co-founder of the Ithaca Institute, an organization dedicated to the professional and personal development of advancement officers and not-for-profit leaders, offering leadership development for chief advancement officers and courses such as the Art and Discipline of Major Gifts and Preparing for a Campaign.

Kevin Prentiss has been an internet entrepreneur for 12 years. He is the founder of Red Rover, a student directory designed to increase engagement. He has presented lectures at over 200 college campuses. Kevin is the author of Bedford's upcoming social media and higher education 2009 curriculum supplement and he is the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Campus Speaker of the Year.

Christopher Quereau is the creative director and owner of GrafiQa Creative Services, a marketing firm that helps institutions better use the web to communicate with their constituencies. Before starting GrafiQa in 2002, Christopher worked in New York City at advertising agencies and design firms as a designer and brand marketing professional. Christopher graduated from SUNY Oswego with a B.F.A. with a specialty in design. Christopher donates marketing services to select non-profit organizations through GrafiQa’s “Brand Karma” program each year.

Tracy Rammacher serves as director of publications and electronic media at SUNY Cortland. She has been with the college for 18 years and is responsible for print and electronic materials as well as overseeing the campus web site. Tracy was a SUNYCUAD board member in 1999 and a program chair for the publications track in 2007. She has won 12 SUNYCUAD Awards for Excellence as well as a CASE bronze award and an honorable mention. She holds a B.A. From SUNY Fredonia and an M.S. from Syracuse University.

Gary Roberts is the director of information technology at Alfred University. His background is in database-driven web applications and his administrative interest has been in finding cost-effective and innovative solutions to capital-intensive technology challenges. Gary has been in his current position for five years and prior to that he was an information systems librarian. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Geneseo and an M.L.S from the University at Buffalo.

Bob Russell is the Director of Enterprise Account Development for Océ North America.  Bob is responsible for the strategic growth of large, enterprise account opportunities for Océ.  Bob has been with Océ for 10 years and has over 13 years of experience in this space.  Océ is a global leader in the printing and document management industry with a rich, 133-year heritage in technology innovation, R&D as well as sustainable business products and practices.  Bob’s background includes delivering document-centric services and print products – including managed print services and assessment services – to the office environment.  Océ optimizes document workflow from the desktop all the way to the print shop and data center. Bob’s focus is on taking cost out of print, improving business processesand reducing carbon footprint within the enterprise. 

Jonathan Schwartz is senior associate vice president for advancement and director of university campaigns at the University of Rochester, a position he has held since January 2007. In this role, Jonathan has responsibility for all activities related to campaign planning and management. He oversees the units of capital and special projects, advancement communications, alumni relations, donor relations, and advancement administration and finance. In the latter role, he works very closely with the senior vice president and chief advancement officer on key strategic and operational initiatives for the entire division. Jonathan previously served as assistant vice president for development and senior director of capital projects at Washington University in St. Louis for six years, where he played a central role in execution of that university’s most recent comprehensive campaign. Jonathan’s career in development started at the California Institute of Technology, where, over nine years, he served in a variety of roles, including principal and major gifts work, and management of the campaign for the biological sciences in the 1990s. Jonathan is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he majored in history and English. He also has a master’s degree in radio, television, and film from Northwestern University.

Tom Tozier is the President of TNT Sustainable Business Solutions, a consulting firm that promotes and provides services for creating sustainable business practices, measuring print shop effectiveness, improving operational effectiveness, and sustainability marketing. These services are primarily for the operations of higher education and corporate in-plant print operations and commercial printing companies. Tom’s roots are in the printing industry, with over 30 years of experience. Tom most recently held the position of Director of Imaging Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2008-10) and prior to that as Director of Print Services at the University of California Santa Cruz (2003-08). He is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics at events sponsored by PIA, IPMA, ACUP and the Big 12 Print Council. 

SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTER

Nancy L. Zimpher is Chancellor of the State University of New York.On June 1, 2009, Dr. Zimpher became the 12th Chancellor by unanimous vote of the SUNY Board of Trustees. With more than 440,000 students, SUNY is the nation’s largest comprehensive public university system.

A dynamic and nationally-recognized leader, Chancellor Zimpher is known as an effective agent of change in higher education.  The Chancellor began her career as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in the Ozarks and has never lost her passion for providing accessible, quality education for every student. As the first academic in recent memory to be appointed Chancellor, she is also the first woman to serve in this capacity in the system’s 60-year history.

As President of the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Zimpher led a bold, aggressive strategic planning process, UC|21: Defining the New Urban Research University, which transformed the campus into a national powerhouse and a model for urban universities in the 21st Century. Under her leadership, UC’s retention and graduation rates, student satisfaction ratings and national rankings all improved.
Prior to her tenure at UC, Dr. Zimpher served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Executive Dean of the Professional Colleges and Dean of the College of Education at The Ohio State University.

Chancellor Zimpher began her work at SUNY with a statewide tour of SUNY’s 64 campuses, and has engaged a strategic planning process for the SUNY system that will serve as a model for statewide collaboration for public higher education in New York State and beyond.  She has authored or co-authored numerous books, monographs and academic journal articles on teacher education, urban education, academic leadership, and school/university partnerships.

Chancellor Zimpher holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education and Speech, a master’s degree in English Literature, and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Higher Education Administration, all from The Ohio State University. 

Chancellor Zimpher also chairs the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities Board; is a past chair of the National Association of State University and Land-Grant Colleges Board of Directors; and is a member of the National Board for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

She is married to Dr. Kenneth R. Howey, a nationally recognized expert and researcher in teacher preparation, particularly in urban settings. Dr. Zimpher has one son, Fletcher, and two step-sons, Mark and Michael.