Making a Difference

Category: February 2018

Coming soon! Spring Trustee Meeting 2018

The Spring 2018 Board of Trustees Meeting is coming soon! We hope you plan to join us on Friday, April 20, for an action-packed day with your K-State family. Your full invitation will arrive in the mail soon, but a number of you have already begun to make your plans. Here are some key start times to keep in mind:

Board of Trustees Meeting
Friday, April 20, 2018

8 a.m.: Coffee, pastries and social time
Courtyard, K-State Student Union

9 a.m.: Morning sessions begin
Forum Hall, K-State Student Union

Noon: Trustees luncheon/2018 Medal of Excellence recipients recognized
Ballroom, K-State Student Union

1:15-3:30 p.m.: Trustees-in-Action Engagement Activities (New this year! See your invitation for more details).
2nd Floor Concourse, K-State Student Union

4 p.m.: Board of Trustees Reception
KSU Foundation, 1800 Kimball Ave.
Continue reading “Coming soon! Spring Trustee Meeting 2018”

It’s K-State PROUD week!

On Monday, the Student Foundation kicked off their Spring 2018 K-State Proud Campaign Week! As they have for more than a decade, members of K-State Student Foundation and K-State Proud volunteers can be found in the Student Union collecting donations and distributing this year’s Proud T-shirts to be worn to the K-State Men’s Basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday! Continue reading “It’s K-State PROUD week!”

Trustees in action: Trustee-Student Foundation Mentor Program

The KSU Foundation was excited to host Trustee Diane Patrick, a 1970 graduate in political science, and her Student Foundation mentee, Tori Thomas, a junior in biological systems engineering and Spanish, at our January All-Staff meeting. The pair shared the story of their incredible mentor/mentee relationship. We will share their story and more at the Spring Meeting of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees on Friday, April 20!

Staffing update: Leadership changes in KSU Foundation Development Division

Chris Spooner will serve as the key leader for corporate and foundation engagement as the Associate Vice President of Development. Chris will work closely with campus entities to expand our partnership opportunities with industry. His focus on this area will help evolve our relationship with industry to be more holistic in nature and respond to the changing needs of our industry investors. Chris will continue his leadership to both the University Programs and Gift Planning teams.

Sheila Walker has been promoted to Associate Vice President of Development. Sheila will provide leadership to our Manhattan campus collegiate fundraising teams. As she has done so successfully in her role with the College of Arts and Sciences, Sheila will coach and mentor our collegiate fundraising staff while continuing to build and maintain collaborative relationships with our deans and academic leaders.

Eric Holderness has been promoted to Associate Vice President of Development. In this new role, Eric will provide leadership to the annual giving, universitywide fundraising teams along with supervising our development staff for K-State Polytechnic. With the impending evolution of our annual giving program, Eric will provide strategy and leadership as we focus on lead generation and expanding our donor base. In addition to coaching and developing these teams, Eric will remain an active fundraiser, working closely with colleagues.

Kent Sedlacek will serve as Sr. Director of Gift, Estate & Trust Planning and will provide essential oversight to the administration and process of structuring, documenting and administering deferred gifts. He will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to donors on complex transactions and collaborate with development staff across the enterprise. Capitalizing on his expertise and communication skills, Kent will lead estate planning outreach activities and education opportunities to prospective donors, volunteers and staff.

Ben Johnson has been promoted to Sr. Director of Planned Giving. Reporting to Chris Spooner, Ben will provide direct supervision to the gift planning officers while continuing to serve as a frontline officer.