RAISE Podcast

Troy Finn leads campaign and fundraising efforts for the University of New Hampshire across 13 colleges and schools, athletics, centers, and institutes. He joined UNH in 2017 from Development Guild DDI where he provided campaign and fundraising counsel to institutions ranging from large, research-intensive public universities to private liberal arts colleges, schools, and non-profit organizations. Having been a member of fundraising teams during campaigns of historic magnitude at Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Troy has led both front-line philanthropy efforts and back-end development operations. Troy obtained a master’s degree in Management and Finance from Harvard University Extension School and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the College of the Holy Cross. He’s the youngest of ten kids and loves exploring the northern New England coast with his husband and their German Shepherds, Candide and Cunegonde.

Debbie Dutton has served for the past nine years as the Vice President of Advancement and President of the Foundation at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) where she leads a team of 130 advancement professionals in the leadership phase of capital campaign that follows the University’s most ambitious and successful capital campaign to date, Celebrate 150, the Campaign for UNH. During this effort, UNH has surpassed all previous records in fundraising and engagement and just closed the campaign June 2018 at $308M well above the $275M goal. Prior to this role, she served as vice president for development and alumni relations at Colby College. During her six-year tenure at Colby, and before being promoted to vice president, she served as campaign director and led the school’s largest fundraising effort, the Reaching the World campaign, which surpassed its goal to raise $376 million when it concluded in 2010.

Debbie’s career in development began at the Maine chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She has held development positions in major gifts and senior management at three Harvard teaching hospitals: the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Children's Hospital, and the Joslin Diabetes Center. She also was a senior leadership giving officer at Bates College.

Debbie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Maine and a Master of Science degree in business management from Lesley College. She lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband and their two children.

Todd founded Pledgemine, a marketing technology company, in 2009. With a diverse background in brand strategy, database marketing and digital print technologies he has developed a highly effective, personal approach to business communication. As Founder and Principal of Strategy One for twelve years, Todd led creative teams serving Motorola, AT&T, AstroTurf and Wheaton College. He has consulted many companies and non-profits on direct mail strategy. Todd has a B.A. in Economics from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

Rodney M. Grabowski is Vice President for University Advancement at the University at Buffalo (UB), a position he assumed in December 2017.

Rod has more than 30 years working in higher education advancement, and he is passionate about raising funds to supporting education.

Prior to beginning his tenure at UB, Rod was the President of the University of Cincinnati Foundation, as well as Vice President of Advancement at the university and President and CEO of the UC Health Foundation. He has held similar leadership advancement positions at the University of South Florida and the University of North Florida. His fundraising career began at Alfred University in Upstate NY.

Rod is a native of Phoenix, N.Y. He holds an MBA from the University of North Florida and a BA in international relations from Syracuse University.

Terri Goss Kinzy Ph.D. serves as the 20th President of Illinois State University. She started her career at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) rising to professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Pediatrics. At Rutgers, Dr. Kinzy served as Vice President for Research. Dr. Kinzy then joined Western Michigan University in 2018 as Vice President of Research and Innovation and Professor of Biological Sciences. Previously Dr. Kinzy was elected to the University Master Educator Guild, selected as a Bridges to the Professoriate Faculty Mentor of the Year from the Compact for Faculty Diversity, and named a Crain’s Detroit Notable Woman in STEM. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her mentoring of others has been recognized with the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research Outstanding Mentor Award and the R. Walter Schlesinger Basic Science Mentoring Award. Dr. Kinzy is recognized as a world leader in the study of protein synthesis. Her work has been funded by numerous sponsors including the NIH, the NSF as a CAREER Award recipient, the Human Frontiers Science Program, and numerous foundations and corporations.

Rod Kirsch, Senior Vice President, brings a wealth of experience in alumni relations and higher education fundraising to the firm. Over his 34-year career in university advancement, he has provided executive leadership in raising more than $5 billion of philanthropy.

Rod is currently Senior Vice President Emeritus for Development and Alumni Relations at The Pennsylvania State University after serving as Senior Vice President for 20 years. Rare in the length of tenure and record of accomplishment at one institution, he led two seven-year, billion-dollar-plus capital campaigns from start to finish. Under his leadership, Penn State’s endowment sextupled, its annual donor base increased from 125,000 to 193,000, and the Penn State Alumni Association grew to 177,000 members, the largest of any dues-paying university association in the country.

Kirsch is widely credited as the driving force behind the success of “For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.” This seven-year $2 billion effort took place amid an historic economic upheaval and during one of the worst crises a higher education institution has ever faced. The campaign concluded on schedule and exceeded its goal by raising $2.19 billion with donations from 176,000 alumni, setting a new alumni participation record among public and private institutions. Other institutions, such as Michigan State University, the University of Missouri, and professional organizations like the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Association of Donor Relations Professionals, have benefitted from his expertise and experience as a leader during a major crisis.

Rod currently consults on a range of topics, including campaign planning and management, organizational design and assessment, resource development and budget planning, crisis fundraising, professional staff development and mentoring, the alignment of academic and philanthropic priorities, and the role of academic leadership in fundraising.

Rod serves as a faculty member of the Big Ten Fundraisers Institute, a premier educational seminar for senior development professionals, and as vice-chair of the Board of Nurturing Minds in Africa, a non-profit working to educate girls in Tanzania. He has been a frequent speaker at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) seminars.

He previously served as Senior Vice President for Development at the Indiana University Foundation; Executive Director, Capital Campaign at the University of California at Berkeley; Director of Annual Giving at Drake University; and Director of Undergraduate Chapter Services at Delta Upsilon International Fraternity.

Rod is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Education at Indiana University. In 2014, the Penn State Alumni Association granted him Honorary Alumnus status. In 2016, he was recognized by Penn State as its Renaissance Honoree of the Year.

A proud native of North Dakota, Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of North Dakota, as well as a Master of Science in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University Bloomington.

Mike Goodwin joined the OSU Foundation in 2004. With Oregon State President Ed Ray, he launched the university’s first capital campaign in 2007 with a goal to raise $625 million. The Campaign for OSU concluded in 2014 after raising $1.14 billion from 106,000 donors.

“Mike Goodwin is a remarkable champion for Oregon State University,” President Ray said, reflecting on Mike's leadership. “The university has benefitted beyond measure from his vision, leadership and far-reaching contributions while leading the OSU Foundation. His many contributions will continue to have an impact on current and future generations of students, faculty, staff and Oregonians.”

Goodwin came to Oregon State after a successful career at Georgetown University, where he built a fundraising program and led a billion-dollar campaign. He also served in leadership in fundraising at Washington State University. During Goodwin’s tenure at Oregon State, the foundation has almost doubled in size and recently integrated with the OSU Alumni Association. Fundraising totals have grown from $30 million to more than $100 million annually, and foundation assets have increased from $430 million to $850 million.

An active member of the Oregon community, Goodwin serves on the boards of the Portland Business Alliance; Medical Teams International, which he chairs; and The Beaver Caucus, the OSU Foundation's new legislative advocacy effort. A respected leader in his profession, he has also served as board chair of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

In Mike's words, “I’m deeply grateful to all the incredible people I have worked with here at Oregon State and for all the success we have had together."

Bringing over 20 years of successful fundraising experience to Cranbrook, Eileen’s expertise includes development leadership for complex organizations in higher education and the arts. As Chief Advancement Officer, Eileen directs campus-wide fundraising efforts designed to achieve Cranbrook's institutional priorities for the next decade.

Eileen joins Cranbrook most recently from the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, where she has been Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement. She also served as Acting Vice President for Institutional Advancement from March 2014 through February 2015. Prior to her position at the Getty Trust, Eileen was at the Indiana University Foundation for 17 years. She served in positions of significant responsibility and complexity, including as Associate Vice President for the Principal Gifts Program and Assistant Vice President for Major Gift Programs.

One of the world's leading centers of education, science, and art, Cranbrook was founded in 1904 by George Gough and Ellen Scripps Booth. Today, the Cranbrook Educational Community comprises an Academy of Art and Art Museum, a Center for Collections and Research, House and Gardens, an Institute of Science, and Pre-K through 12 independent college preparatory schools. Its National Historic Landmark campus is graced by architecturally significant buildings, outdoor sculpture, and natural and tended landscapes. The Cranbrook community receives more than 300,000 people annually, engaging learners of all ages and interests in educational programs and experiences.

About Jonathan:

Jonathan Purvis is a respected leader in higher education advancement with over 20 years of experience. He was named Butler University’s Vice President for Advancement on April 16th, 2018. Purvis leads the public fundraising phase of Butler Beyond: The Campaign for Butler University which surpassed it’s $250 million goal in February 2022. The largest campaign in the University’s history, Butler Beyond will conclude on May 31, 2022.

Prior to arriving at Butler, Purvis held progressive leadership positions at Indiana University including Vice President for Development and Regional Campuses, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the Indiana University School of Education, and Executive Director of Special Gifts and Annual Giving.

Purvis holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential (CFRE) and has taught a variety of fundraising courses. He is a frequent presenter on a range of Advancement topics and a contributing author to the third edition of the acclaimed Achieving Excellence in Fundraising. He holds a BA in English and Master of Public Affairs, both from Indiana University.

About Stephen:

Stephen is currently the Associate Vice President for Development at Brandeis University where he leads major and principal gifts, leadership annual giving, planned giving, and direct marketing. He is playing an integral role in shaping the direction of a future campaign to support the aspirations and goals of the Brandeis community.

Stephen previously served as the Senior Director of Development, Major Gifts, at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences where he oversaw a team of 15 gifts officers and the direct marketing team, raising over $40 million annually through major gifts, planned gifts, and innovative strategies to build the pipeline.

Prior to Harvard, Stephen was the Director of Annual Giving at Phillips Academy, overseeing Andover’s work with engaging alumni in support of the Academy’s priorities. During Stephen’s time at the Academy he revamped the volunteer management structure, launched a loyalty giving recognition society, leveraged two Giving Days that resulted in almost $3 million raised for scholarships from over 7,000 gifts, and positioned the Annual Giving team to be successful gift officers, engaging alumni and volunteers in thoughtful and direct conversations about their impact on campus.

Prior to Andover, Stephen was the Director of Annual Leadership Giving at MIT where he developed the structure of leadership giving at the Institute, which lead to a record number of leadership giving society members and formed effective partnerships with colleagues across the Institute. Stephen was also the Director of Annual Fund Leadership Gifts at Boston University where he similarly was charged with enhancing leadership level support across the University.

Stephen began his fundraising career at Berklee College of Music where he served in a variety of roles from coordinator to Director of the Berklee Fund and Alumni Affairs while the college launched its first ever comprehensive campaign.

Stephen, originally from Oregon, is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and completed studies towards a masters degree in jazz studies from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He is 9 days away from finishing his MBA at Syracuse University. A keen interest of Stephen is the intersections of philanthropy, blockchain, and innovation, exploring the ways more missions can be impact by philanthropic support. Stephen lives in Reading with his wife, 7-year old son Aidan, and 18-month old daughter Ella, along with Dexter the cat.