RAISE Podcast

Roger Divine is the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Operations at Pomona College, where he is instrumental in leading the digital transformation of the institution’s advancement operations. Roger's journey into advancement is a testament to his diverse interests and relentless curiosity.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, and having grown up in the Midwest, Roger’s early years were marked by a passion for languages, spurred by a cultural exchange program in Spain during high school. This experience not only honed his Spanish skills but also ignited a lifelong interest in language and culture. Roger pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, where he initially majored in computer engineering before switching to a focus on languages, ultimately studying Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Roger's career in IT began at the University of Michigan’s Central Information Technology Division. His expertise in data and analytics led him to a pivotal role at the Ross School of Business, where he was instrumental in developing analytics and annual giving programs. This role marked his formal entry into the world of advancement.

In 2015, Roger transitioned to the University of Southern California (USC), where he led significant advancements in data-driven decision-making within the university's advancement operations. His leadership at USC was characterized by fostering a culture of data utilization and proactive strategy, contributing to the institution's substantial fundraising achievements.

Now at Pomona College, Roger is spearheading the college's CRM conversion to Salesforce, aiming to create a cohesive and integrated advancement ecosystem. His vision is to leverage technology, including AI, to enhance connectivity with alumni, families, and friends, ultimately driving the institution's mission forward.

Roger's leadership style is marked by his emphasis on teamwork, continuous learning, and the strategic use of data to inform decision-making. He is passionate about using his skills to support philanthropic efforts and is dedicated to creating meaningful connections within the Pomona College community.

In addition to his professional achievements, Roger is an advocate for lifelong learning and encourages others to explore their interests and passions. His journey from the Midwest to California and his varied experiences in language, technology, and education highlight his adaptability and commitment to growth and innovation in the field of advancement.

John Stark, President and CEO of the University of Wyoming Foundation, joins Brent on The RAISE podcast to share his fascinating journey in the world of higher education and fundraising. John's story begins with a move from Boston to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, sparking a lifelong connection with the University of Wyoming. In this episode, he reflects on his transition from law to fundraising, the pivotal role of relationships in his career, and the unique challenges and rewards of working in a small, close-knit community. Tune in to discover how John's innovative approaches and deep commitment to the university have helped shape its success and what lies ahead for the University of Wyoming Foundation. Don't miss this insightful conversation about leadership, resilience, and the power of community in the world of university advancement.

Since joining Marts&Lundy in 2016, Jim has provided strategic counsel to many schools and other organizations and conducted numerous campaign planning studies and development program assessments.

Previously, Jim served as Chief Evangelist at EverTrue, helping hundreds of organizations understand how technology and innovation can transform their fundraising programs. His frontline experience in campaigns and as a leader of development programs allows him to form strategies that align operations and technology for exceptional results.

Jim currently serves as Chief Advancement Officer at The Branson School. From 1993 to 2011, Jim served as Director of Development at Middlesex School, where he managed the then largest independent school campaign in history which raised $127 million. Jim’s development career includes leadership roles at Francis Parker School, where he was Assistant Head for Institutional Advancement, Cate School, where he served as Director of Development, and The Lawrenceville School where he was the Director of Capital Programs. Jim began his career at his alma mater, Bucknell University. He later served as President of the Bucknell University Alumni Association and as a Bucknell trustee from 1998-2002.

Suzanne Hilser-Wiles, President, partners with GG+A clients around the globe to help them elevate their fundraising by offering more than 25 years of experience in advancement, program building, and campaign planning and implementation. Throughout her career, she has helped design, rebuild, and reimagine programs by applying her experience with a wide range of advancement programs and institutions. Her extensive previous professional experience includes fundraising, alumni relations, communications, and marketing.

Suzanne joined GG+A in 2011 and was appointed to the firm’s executive committee in 2013. In 2016, she became the firm’s first woman president in its nearly 60-year history. In addition to her other responsibilities, she leads the firm’s Europe and UK practice.

She has worked closely with her clients through their individual challenges and opportunities, including ambitious campaigns, changes in leadership, crises, and restructuring.

Suzanne has partnered with GG+A clients across all of the firm’s sectors, providing strategic counsel to advancement teams and institutional leadership. This vast array of clients includes the Art Institute of Chicago; Carnegie Mellon University; Charlotte Country Day School; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Drexel University; Fuller Theological Seminary; IESE Business School; Indiana University; The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Pomona College; and Tate.

Prior to joining the firm, Suzanne served as Vice-Chancellor for Advancement at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), overseeing fundraising, alumni relations and all marketing and communications for the university. She also served on an executive team advising the university’s chancellor on all major policy decisions and as the primary staff member for the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees. Suzanne joined UNCSA from CancerCare, a national healthcare nonprofit based in New York City, where she served as Director of External Affairs.

Before joining CancerCare, Suzanne served as Senior Development Officer for Corporate Annual Programs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she oversaw the Museum’s annual corporate fundraising program and staffed the Museum’s business committee. Previously, Suzanne served as Associate Director of Individual and Leadership Giving at the Museum of Modern Art. Suzanne began her career in institutional advancement with Pets are Wonderful Support in San Francisco, where she served as Director of Development.

Suzanne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master of Arts degree in arts administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She has served as a board member of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City; as a class agent for the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY; and as a parent fundraiser for Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC and The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, among other volunteer positions.

Sergio M. Gonzalez joined Brown University as Senior Vice President for Advancement in 2017. He oversees all advancement areas across the institution, including development, alumni relations, corporate and foundation relations, international advancement, the Brown Sports Foundation, and the Brown Annual Fund. Before landing at Brown, Gonzalez served as Senior Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs at the University of Miami from 2001-2017. He was the architect and leader of two successful fundraising campaigns that together raised more than $3 billion.

Prior to joining the University of Miami, Gonzalez served in multiple roles in Miami-Dade County government, including Chief of Staff for the Miami-Dade County Executive Mayor, Director of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, and Executive Director of the South Florida 1999 Super Bowl Host Committee. Gonzalez is chair of the Board of Trustees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He also chaired the CASE U.S./Canada Regional Council. Gonzalez also chaired an annual CASE conference for Latin American university presidents and advancement practitioners over a number of years, and speaks frequently on the advancement profession to diverse audiences in the US and abroad. Gonzalez has a long history of civic service both in Miami and since coming to Providence. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and has served on the Board of Directors of UnidosUS, the largest national Hispanic advocacy and civil rights organization.

Other past board service includes Belen Jesuit Prep School in Miami, the Orange Bowl, Breakthrough Miami, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. In Providence, Gonzalez served on the board of the Trinity Repertory Theater and currently serves on the board of the Wheeler School.

Prior to joining Carolina in 2023, Andreasen served as senior vice president for university advancement at the University of Oregon, overseeing all aspects of advancement including development; state, community and federal affairs; advancement operations; stewardship and public events and alumni relations. During his tenure, he consistently increased annual fundraising totals and secured some of the largest donations to any public flagship university.

Andreasen began his time at UO as the vice president for development, leading efforts to establish campaign priorities, setting a working goal of $1.2 billion and developing a communications plan for the public launch in collaboration with the president, executive leadership and deans. Over 12 years, he served as a member of the University of Oregon Foundation Board, the Alumni Association Board, the Portland Business Alliance Board and the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining UO, Andreasen was at the University of Michigan for seven years — first as executive director and assistant dean for advancement for development and alumni relations and then as executive director and assistant dean for advancement at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. His more than 32 years of fundraising experience include roles in major gifts and campaign leadership at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the American Film Institute. He began his career as the director of the annual fund for the University of California, Irvine, where he also earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

Jeff Webb, U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1995, is President and CEO of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation. Prior to assuming this role, Jeff spent 15 years in the wealth management industry. In his most recent position as a Principal with Bessemer Trust, he led new client development efforts in a four-state region. Before joining Bessemer, he served in a similar capacity with J.P. Morgan. He previously served as a vice president of Business Development for a renewable fuel company and was the general manager of a group of luxury automotive franchises in Virginia.

Jeff spent five years in Naval Special Warfare. He served as a SEAL Platoon Commander as well as a Task Unit Assistant at SEAL Team Eight. He deployed twice aboard EISENHOWER in those roles and operated in Europe and the Middle East. He served as an Assistant SEAL Platoon Commander at SEAL Team Four, where he deployed to Latin America.

Jeff co-founded Run to Honor, a nonprofit dedicated to perpetuating the memory of Naval Academy alumni lost in combat or training operations. He was an elected trustee of the Naval Academy Alumni Association (2011-17) and served on the Naval Academy Superintendent’s Memorial Oversight Committee (2010-22). He also served as a director of Students Run Philly Style, a nonprofit that trains and mentors high-risk high school youth through the completion of endurance running events.

Jeff earned a B.S. in Ocean Engineering from the Naval Academy, where he was captain of the cycling team. He later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia. He is married to Shannon Revell Webb, a 2004 Naval Academy graduate and a former EOD Officer. They have four children, all named in honor of Naval Academy graduates. The Webb family resides in Annapolis.

Mark Delos Reyes Davis is Vice Chancellor for University Relations at UC Santa Cruz and President of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation. He leads the university’s external engagement efforts overseeing raising philanthropic support, strengthening relationships with university stakeholders, and promoting the good work of the campus.

Davis has spent more than two decades in higher education administration with responsibility for driving a wide range of initiatives. He previously served as senior adviser to two university presidents and has overseen alumni relations, international relations, executive communications, and campaign planning. Prior to joining UC Santa Cruz in 2020, he served as the associate vice president for university advancement and campaign director at Carnegie Mellon University and held senior roles at Rice University.

About Alex: Alex Lawrence is the Executive Director for the Advancement Leadership Lab (ALL). Alex is no stranger to the leadership lab as she developed the pilot curriculum in 2018 and is thrilled to be back in this capacity as the organization expands its impact across the Advancement industry.

Alex’s professional passions have always been rooted in people-focused work, with her career start in human resources consulting. Alex focused on leadership development, mergers and acquisitions, and recruitment strategy in Fortune 500, start-up, and non-profit environments throughout North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Arizona, England, Germany, and Tanzania. This global experience led her to higher education Advancement, where she has led organizational and people operations in multiple chief of staff roles over the last decade. After being in an advisory role for the lab over the last few years, transitioning to this work full time as its own 501c3 has been an exciting opportunity to build the foundation for ALL’s long-term success and sustainability.

Alex has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services and Counseling Psychology from Elon University and a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University. She lives in Columbus, OH with her husband, Danny, and puppy son, Larry.

About Michael: A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, Mike Eicher began his career in higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he rose from associate director of development in the School of Medicine to deputy director and director, and from there to vice provost for medical science development, then assistant and associate vice chancellor. Under his leadership as vice chancellor, Campaign UCLA, a 10-year effort completed in 2005, raised $3.05 billion.

Prior to joining Ohio State, Mike served for six years as senior vice president for external affairs and development at Johns Hopkins University, where he led the Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World Campaign. That effort focused on student aid and faculty support, construction of clinical buildings at the medical campus and important renovation projects. It closed in 2008 with commitments of more than $3.7 billion.

Mike returned to a public university because he believes in its noble mission and great power. He joined Ohio State in fall 2012 as senior vice president for Advancement and president of The Ohio State University Foundation. Building on his goal to inspire people to choose Ohio State – for their education, medical care, research support, entertainment and more – he has set out to share the university’s most compelling stories, engage more than half a million alumni, and expand private philanthropy to support Ohio State’s core priorities.

Under Mike’s direction, Ohio State streamlined and integrated its communications and marketing, alumni relations and fundraising teams. He led the But for Ohio State Campaign, which raised over $3 billion from more than 750,000 donors and became the university’s most successful fundraising effort ever. Mike built upon that momentum and, along with his team, planned and launched Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign in fall 2019. While its financial goal is the largest in Ohio State’s history — $4.5 billion focused on student success; discovery; and healthy, vibrant communities — what truly sets this campaign apart from all others is its goal to engage 1 million supporters, which is unprecedented in higher education.

Mike is focused on organizational growth, health, and wellness, which led to Advancement’s establishment of a chief diversity officer position and the Advancement Inclusion Council. Both serve as resources by providing personal and professional development opportunities for staff.

Mike’s commitment to putting people first has been instrumental in the transformation of Advancement during his tenure. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Inez, and travels frequently. They have two grown children: Brandon Eicher (Kate) and Christine Peterson (Shane). They also have three young granddaughters who they love to spend time with.

Scott Rabenold was appointed Senior Vice President for university advancement at the University of Southern California in February of 2023. In this capacity, he leads the university’s comprehensive efforts to build relationships with its philanthropic communities, including alumni, friends, corporations and foundations, and to secure resources to ensure the university’s global leadership in higher education.

As the leader of the Advancement Division, Rabenold works closely with the deans and advancement professionals across every USC school and unit to advance the university’s strategic priorities and raise financial support for students, faculty and research, health care, the arts, athletics, community programs and many other initiatives. The USC Alumni Association, which builds programs to engage more than 463,000 USC alumni worldwide, is also a major focus of the Advancement Division.

An accomplished development leader with a history of building high-performing teams, Rabenold comes to USC from the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as vice president for development since 2016. During his tenure, the university launched the $6 billion “What Starts Here” campaign.

Previously, he served as vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs and in other leadership roles at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Earlier in his career, he worked at Wake Forest University and the University of Memphis.

A native of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Drake University. He and his wife, Sarah, reside in Pasadena with their four children, Spencer, Sam, Senait and Suri.