Responsibilities and Major Accomplishments
(HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College)
Responsibilities
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Developed, implemented and evaluated strategic plans in support of the Office of College Advancement, HACC Foundation Inc. and HACC Alumni Association
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Monitored, reviewed, edited, and approved plans for compliance with policies, procedures and strategic objectives
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Participated in external legislative and regulatory decisions that guide business processes
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Participated in high-level meetings with boards, external and potential partners, the College president and/or donors to assist in making legislative and regulatory decisions that guided the business process for the College
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Participated in staff, student events, activities and recognition programs
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Participated in the College’s strategic planning and budgeting processes
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Provided leadership and direction for the College
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Provided leadership and direction for the Office of College Advancement, HACC Foundation Inc. and HACC Alumni Association
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Provided leadership in the following areas: admissions, advertising, alumni affairs, branding, community engagement, fundraising, grants, graphic design, marketing, photography, public relations, publications, scholarships, special events, sponsorships, videography and website development.
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Provided overall management and development of operating and capital budgets for the Office of College Advancement, HACC Foundation Inc. and HACC Alumni Association; reviewed and approved expenditures and needs; and solicited and monitored revenue
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Reported to the College president and served as a member of the president’s Cabinet
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Served as chief spokesperson for the institution
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Set the tone, climate and vision for the Office of College Advancement, HACC Foundation Inc. and HACC Alumni Association
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Supervised and evaluated staff, provided direction for yearly goals and determined priorities for staff progress in meeting those goals
Major Accomplishments (under my leadership):
Admissions
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Assumed leadership of the Admissions Department in January 2021 and transformed it into a high-performing team:
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Improved the admissions application
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Developed a process to accept online admissions applications for workforce development programs
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Enhanced student recruitment presentations, email templates and phone scripts to be more student-centered
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Implemented an online form to streamline the coordination of student recruitment events
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Implemented an online form to streamline the distribution of swag for student recruitment events
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Enhanced the use of an online student recruitment system
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Improved the customized communications sent to future students via an online student recruitment system
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Hired, trained, coached and mentored high-performing hybrid and digital admissions professionals
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Increased the number of student recruitment events by more than 6% from 2021 to 2023
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Increased the number of completed admissions applications by more than 20% from 2022 to 2024
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Conducted surveys about one-on-one on-campus and virtual admissions appointments (beginning in February 2023):
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 83% rated the appointments as 5.
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 12% rated the appointments as 4.
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Conducted surveys about admissions special events (beginning in February 2023):
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 73% rated the special events as 5.
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 24% rated the special events as 4.
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Communications, Marketing and Public Relations
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Produced publications, including a monthly newsletter for external stakeholders and annual reports
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Unveiled, promoted and executed new branding campaigns and updates
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Developed and promoted online photography archives
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Revamped the College’s social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and X/Twitter)
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Developed and successfully implemented communications plans for many crises, including an accreditation warning, embezzlement and student abduction
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Conducted surveys about communications, graphic design and print requests (beginning in 2017):
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95.5% answered “The quality of the materials met or exceeded my expectations” as “yes”
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95.8% answered “Customer service met or exceeded my expectations” as “yes”
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Fundraising
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Raised $23,423,286.79 for the HACC Foundation from March 12, 2012, until March 31, 2026
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Awarded $14,334,712.00 in credit and noncredit scholarships from March 12, 2012, until March 31, 2026. Awarded $1,233,752.50 in tuition giveaways from March 12, 2012, until March 31, 2026.
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Awarded $591,237.38 in emergency assistance funds from March 12, 2012, until March 31, 2026
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Awarded $15,801,195.68 in support of mission-critical and student-centered initiatives from March 12, 2012, until March 31, 2026
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Reached $53,643,110 in HACC Foundation’s assets (as of March 31, 2026)
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Completed a five-year comprehensive fundraising campaign:
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Raised $5,215,608 for scholarships from 1,155 donors between Aug. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020. The fundraising goal was $2 million.
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Raised $637,318 for emergency assistance funds from 698 donors between Aug. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020. The fundraising goal was $500,000.
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Raised $2,844,950 for funds for excellence from 1,201 donors between Aug. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020. The fundraising goal was $1.5 million.
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Raised $1,027,072 for funds for the Bruce E. Cooper Student Center renovation from 529 donors between Aug. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020. The fundraising goal was $10 million. This fundraising goal was suspended in March 2020 due to the global pandemic and the need to focus on more mission-critical initiatives.
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Facilitated many major gifts from individuals, organizations and estates, including:
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Organizations:
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The GIANT Company:
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Netted more than $100,000 from each of the 2013, 2015 and 2016 golf tournaments
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Developed a 50th anniversary sponsorship program that raised more than $250,000 within three months
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Raised $63,768 for the first-ever Day of Giving, surpassing the goal of $51,000
Impact
The impact of the HACC Foundation is measured in changed lives, student persistence and stronger academic programs.
Under my leadership as vice president of college advancement at HACC and executive director of the HACC Foundation, donor support helped remove financial barriers for students. This philanthropic support also strengthened the College’s ability to deliver innovative programs, modern learning environments and workforce-relevant training.
HACC Foundation support provides students with opportunities to apply for scholarships and assistance for tuition, books and fees. For many students, this support can be the difference between continuing their education and stopping out because of financial hardship.
The outcomes demonstrate the importance of this work. For example, in fiscal year 2023-24, students who received HACC Foundation scholarships or other assistance achieved the following results:
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33.2% subsequently graduated during or after their award year
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43.8% had at least one term on the Dean’s List
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75.3% re-enrolled after the aid year
These results reinforce what I have seen throughout my career: philanthropy is not simply about dollars raised. It is about student momentum, academic persistence and life-changing opportunity.
In addition to direct student support, HACC Foundation donors invested in academic innovation and campus improvements. For example, donor funding supported the Lancaster Campus FLEX Classroom project, a high-tech learning space designed to enhance instruction for in-person and remote students. The classroom includes technology that allows teaching from multiple angles, tracks instructors as they move throughout the room, captures audio from classroom participants and enables remote learners to see both the classroom and their in-person peers.
This is just one example of the power of philanthropy. Evidence of the transformational and legendary impact of the HACC Foundation is evident throughout all of HACC’s campuses.
This is the kind of impact that defines effective advancement leadership: connecting donors’ generosity to student success, institutional priorities and measurable results.
Leadership
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Provided exemplary, empathetic and student-focused leadership during the global coronavirus pandemic
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Provided courageous leadership and led challenging conversations about equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging
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Implemented OCA 101 sessions to better educate HACC employees about services provided by the HACC Office of College Advancement
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Helped to establish the Harrisburg Promise
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Developed a new unit (Office of College Advancement) at the College
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Transformed siloed departments into a high-performing, collaborative and well-respected team
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Reorganized the Office of College Advancement, creating a healthy, productive and fun work environment that has attracted and retained high-performers
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Revolutionized the HACC Foundation scholarship program by implementing a new online scholarship management system and executing two scholarship award cycles (instead of one cycle)
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Improved the accuracy and timeliness of donor thank-you letters and pledge reminders
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Created and automated financial and donor reports for the first time since 1999
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Developed an online request form and process for communications and graphic design-related projects
Organizational Development
Strategic Planning
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Assisted with the development of HACC’s strategic plans, including the 2022-25 Strategic Plan
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Led the development of the HACC Foundation’s strategic plans, including the 2022-25 plan
Volunteer Management
Recruited new, engaged and positive HACC Foundation Board members and committee members
Website Development and Management
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Revamped the HACC website twice
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Revamped the HACC Foundation website twice
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Conducted surveys about website updates and customer service (beginning in September 2018):
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 94.12% rated the website updates and customer service as 5.
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, 4.2% rated the website updates and customer service as 4.
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