The funniest thing happened this week at the office. We now have a dedicated Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations and the crickets are chirping… the phones are quiet, emails are trickling in, no one has stopped by… Wow!
Jillian Rosato and her family moved to Banner Elk two years ago. Husband, Frank is a big deal over at Grandfather Home for Children and their son is at Banner Elk Elementary. They aren’t just passing through—they are committed to living and working here.
So what does Jillian bring to the Alumni Relations table? Oh my… alumni take note! Your LMC world is about to be ramped up more notches than you can count. Jillian is bringing back Alumni Chapter areas. She has already mailed a letter to the Alumni Board and is already organizing a local alumni event in February. Jillian is preparing for the February Alumni Board meeting and she is excited about the weekend at Ski Beech. She is already talking about a new alumni directory and has already reconnected alumni to the College. Jillian is gearing up for a great set of class reunions in 2013. And I’m not going to reveal any of the other ideas we’ve already discussed over the past four days—having her here is so awesome, I’ve been downright giddy. Jillian is more than an extra set of hands. Her presence in the Alumni House is making everything better. I can now pour all of my concentration into annual giving initiatives, including 25 dedicated, successful and hard-working Class Agents and the Bobcat Club; the Welcome Center at the Historic Cheese House, Phone-a-thons, and Thank-a-thons, etc. Caroline Hart, our vice president for advancement has juggled her responsibilities as a vice president with being the interim director of annual giving and alumni relations—no more! None of us in the house could be more pleased now to have Jillian in the Alumni House completely dedicated to our most important advancement constituents: Alumni.
One year from now… I predict that things will not be so quiet around the Alumni House.
