Alumni Relations
Learn the latest in Alumni Relations with dynamic speakers from across Canada.
Session descriptions and speaker biographies are all listed below. Read what's in store, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for the sessions that interest you most.
Session One: Sunday, June 4, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
CONVERGENCE SESSION:
Innovative Alumni Programming
Creative and innovative alumni programs are taking place in Universities across Canada today. A recent study of programming at 15 universities highlights new developments in the quest for alumni lifelong engagement. Learn about the components that drive a successful alumni program, and what other alumni professionals have done to keep their alumni in-tune and engaged.
Christy Ross
Manager, Alumni Relations
University of Regina
Christy joined the University of Regina as Manager, Alumni Relations in 2004. Within the first year at her alma mater, she conducted an environmental scan of best practices in alumni services across Canada, a market research survey of alumni, and designed a model of best practices for the U of R. This research and concluding report led to a significant increase in support by the University and the Alumni Association for programming in the following year. New initiatives, redesigned programs and positive relationship building have followed, paving the way for continued growth and development of the alumni program at the U of R.
PLUS: 30 great ideas in 30 minutes
On the heels of Christy Ross' presentation on Innovative Alumni Programming, we're asking participants to share some of their own best practices. Please come prepared to discuss, in about one minute, some aspect of your own Alumni programming of which you are particularly proud. Anything goes, including programs, services, ideas for special events, ways to engage students or young alumni, sources of information, tips on recruiting or dealing with volunteers...anything! Bring us your best "take away" idea, and help us to come up with 30 great ideas in 30 minutes!
Tyler Forkes
Executive Director, Alumni Relations
Ryerson
University
Before joining Ryerson in February of this year, Tyler spent seven years as the Alumni Relations Coordinator, and ten years prior to that as the Director of Athletics, at St. Lawrence College. Having served as President of the Queen's University Alumni Association, he possesses a unique perspective from both the professional and volunteer sides of Advancement. Tyler has been invited to speak at a number of conferences and workshops. He is currently the President of CCAE-Ontario, and is Chair of the Alumni Relations track for this National Conference.
Session Two: Sunday, June 4, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Can-Am Trends in Alumni Relations
Join industry-leading Advancement consultant, Dan White, Principal,
eAdvancement and former Director of Alumni Relations at Princeton, as he
examines the notion of integrating advancement in Canada and the U.S.:
the opportunities and challenges. Dan's experience as an advancement
professional in the U.S., and a sought-after consultant on both sides
of the border, make him uniquely qualified to facilitate what is sure to
be a much talked-about session.
Dan White
Principal, eAdvancement
Former Director of Alumni
Relations at Princeton
Dan White is past director of the Alumni Council at Princeton University, 1980-1999. During that time, he served in various capacities with CASE, most recently as a member of the Commission on Alumni Relations and chair of the sub-committee on continuing education for Advancement professionals. Dan earned an A.B. at Princeton in English (1965). After a brief stint as a teacher at St. Christopher's School in Richmond, Virginia, he returned to Princeton to work in the Alumni Council, becoming director in 1980. He also served as interim editor for the alumni magazine, and as a member of its publications board, and has written extensively for a broad range of publications, including CASE. As a consultant, he has worked with clients to assess and help strengthen the participation of volunteers in the institution, has done executive coaching, performed program audits, and led strategic planning exercises. He has a special interest in helping institutions form effective partnerships with their volunteers.
Session Three: Monday, June 5, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
CONVERGENCE SESSION:
Centralization vs Decentralization in Alumni Relations and Development
Susan and Natalie will explore the pros and cons of the various Advancement models – recognizing that in our complex institutions, no “one size fits all” approach is best. This interactive session will explore the various models and offer practical advice on building relationships and getting the all-important buy-in and support we need from across our campuses to be successful! This session will be of interest to both development and alumni professionals. Bring your questions, an open mind and enthusiasm to this session!
Susan Rankin, McMaster University
Susan Rankin is the Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations at McMaster University. In this role, Susan leads the development of all comprehensive stewardship and donor relations programs for McMaster.
Prior to joining McMaster, Susan was the Director, Alumni Affairs at the University of Guelph, a position she held since 2001. Susan was responsible for the overall management of the Alumni Affairs program and led a team of 9 staff including college decentralized alumni officers. Susan has also held other positions at McMaster University in the areas of Alumni Advancement and Campaign Donor Relations.
Susan has presented at numerous CCAE conferences on topics including Chapter/Branch development, engaging alumni at a distance, and effective event and volunteer management. In 2002, she chaired the CCAE Summer Institute for Newcomers to Advancement, as well as participated on the CCAE-Ontario Privacy Task Force. Susan is currently Secretary on the CCAE-Ontario Board of Directors.
Natalie Cook Zywicki
Director of Development (acting)
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Natalie has been working in the university advancement field for fifteen years at a variety of Canadian universities. During this time, Natalie successfully led and provided strategic direction in development, alumni, student recruitment, communications and marketing activities. Natalie is currently acting as the Director of Development for the Faculty of Medicine at UBC which just celebrated its most successful fundraising year to date with just over $30 million raised.
Session Four: Monday, June 5, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Small Shops, Huge Results - Part II
What are the bases “small shops” need to cover to effectively manage a professional alumni relations operation with minimal staff and resources? This panel discussion will provide the audience with processes used by “small shops” to cover the bases as well as survival tips on how to keep the ship afloat.
Lisa Demers-Brooks
Director, Alumni Relations
Laurentian University
Lisa Demers-Brooks is a two-time Laurentian University graduate, having completed both her BA in Political Science as well as her Bachelor of Education. Lisa has been employed in the University Advancement field for over 15 years. Her career in Advancement began in student recruitment where she successfully raised awareness of Laurentian University with the Ontario high school market. Lisa then moved to the Alumni Relations field where she is currently coordinating the business operations for Laurentian’s Alumni Association. She is fortunate to work with an energetic team of alumni volunteers as well as a dynamic staff who are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service to Laurentian’s 33,000 graduates.
Randy Paquette
Director, Alumni Affairs
Mount Royal College
Randy began as Mount Royal College's first Director of Alumni Affairs in October 2005. Prior to this, he was Mount Royal's Director of Admissions and Client Services, responsible for student recruitment, academic advising and financial aid and awards. In his new role, Randy has accountability for expanding the scope of alumni activities within the Mount Royal community and establishing a strategic focus for Alumni Affairs. Although the Mount Royal alumni office is truly a small shop, the team of three is focused on big results. Recent initiatives include the launch of a new alumni association, a new alumni office at the centre of the college, and a new 'Alumni Online' community.
Lori Connor
Alumni Officer
Durham College
Lori has been with Durham
College for 19 years, with her last
eight years as the Alumni Officer.
She is responsible for all aspects of alumni relations for the college’s
34,000 alumni. Lori has worked
closely with the alumni association
board to introduce several affinity
programs. Lori was a member of
the CCAE-Ontario board for six
years and during that time co-chaired the Fall Workshop and
the CCAE Summer Institute for Newcomers to Advancement.
Sherri Magson
Director, Alumni Relations
British Columbia Institute
of Technology
Sherri is the director of Alumni
Relations at the British Columbia
Institute of Technology (BCIT), one
of Canada’s leading polytechnic
institutions. Sherri joined BCIT in
2001, following a 14-year career
in Advancement at Simon Fraser
University (SFU) where she served
as acting director of Alumni
Relations, Advancement officer for the Faculty of Education,
and development officer, Annual Giving Programs. Currently,
Sherri participates as a director-at-large for the Canadian
Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), treasurer
of the CCAE-Pacific council, and treasurer on her strata
council. Sherri also served for six years as a member and
vice-president of the board of directors for the Vancouver
Theatre Sports League, an improvisational comedy troupe.
Session Five: Monday, June 5, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
A Homecoming to Remember
Laura Stanbra, Concordia University
Session Six: Monday, June 5, 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
CONVERGENCE SESSION:
Who Owns Your Alumni Magazine?
This presentation will explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of administering a university's alumni magazine from an Alumni Relations unit.
Ken Cuthbertson
Editor, Queen's Review
Queen's University
Luke Muller
Editor, Green and White
University of Saskatchewan
Luke Muller graduated from the University of Calgary with a B.A. in English and completed his graduate work at the University of Saskatchewan. He worked briefly as a video clerk, landscaper, and lecturer before stumbling into the Alumni Relations business in 2001. He is currently the editor of the University's alumni magazine, the Green & White, a position he's held since 2003.
Session Seven: Tuesday, June 6, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Planning an Outstanding Alumni Event:
2005's Prix D'Excellence Winners
Download this presentation
Planning an event can be fun and its a great way to engage your alumni. Conversely, the thought of planning another event can be daunting and your anxiety builds as you think about limited resources, meeting expectations, and achieving your metrics of success. Through the sharing of our own winning event secrets, the Universities of Victoria and Manitoba have teamed up to provide you with a toolkit full of interesting and celebratory ideas that will help you organize your next outstanding alumni event. Featured events include the UVic Aboriginal Alumni Celebration, UVic Legacy Awards and University of Manitoba out-of-Manitoba events.
Linda Nicoll
University of Victoria
Linda joined the University of Victoria in May 1999 and has been the manager of Alumni Programs at the University of Victoria since September 2000. In this role, she is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating alumni benefits, services, and programs. Linda works with other university departments across campus to develop and implement joint student programs and events, and with university development officers and other staff to support alumni services at the Faculty level. She also provides ongoing consultation and support to alumni branches and chapter members and is the advisor to the Student Ambassador Association. Linda was instrumental in increasing the SAA’s annual fall student scholarship reception attendance from 100 to over 400 students. Linda developed the Grad Year Connection program for students and alumni in partnership with Career Services and the Student Transition Centre which reaches over 4,200 students and alumni annually. In 2003, Linda presented on engaging students with alumni with Western University at the CCAE conference in London, Ontario. Last year, Linda received the university’s 2005 President’s Distinguished Service Award as part of an 11-member team across campus who help students make the transition from new student to grad. Before moving into alumni relations, Linda worked ten years in various post secondary administrative roles including the Faculty of Business at UVic, where she was instrumental in the planning and delivery of many campus events. She has an undergraduate degree in business from Lakehead University and is pursuing a public relations certificate from UVic. Linda lives in Victoria with her husband, Jim. They have one son.
Don Jones
University of Victoria
Don Jones is the Director of Alumni Services at the University of Victoria. In that capacity he is responsible for strategic direction of the Alumni Services Department and functions as the Executive Director of the Alumni Association. Don joined the university in 1991 and has been the Director since 1995. In 1996 he founded and still manages Alum-Can, a listserv for Canadian alumni professionals that now has 280 subscribers across Canada. In 1998 Don oversaw the development of the first alumni online community in Canada and subsequently created the OLC Network which presently serves 12 other universities and colleges across Canada. In 2002 he guided the development of The Legacy Awards, an evening of outstanding achievement which won the PRIX D’EXCELLENCE Gold Award in 2003. This event has been repeated as a sell out occasion every year since and has become the premier community event for the university in the fall of each year. The event, reception and dinner, provides a prestigious occasion to honour Distinguished Alumni, recipients of the Alumni Award for Excellence in teaching, and inductees to the UVic Sports Hall of Fame. The event also is a fundraiser for athletic awards, bursaries and scholarships, and raised over $35,000 last year. In 2005, Don was the recipient of the Manulife Financial Outstanding Achievement Award, presented at the CCAE National Conference in Banff. Prior to working at the university, Don was with the United Way of Greater Victoria and before that the CNIB in Alberta and BC. Don is married to Lois who often accompanies him to CCAE National Conferences. She will be in attendance at the social functions of Converge on the Capital.
Jana Thorsteinson
University of Manitoba
In September 2002, Jana joined the Alumni Association and is
responsible for
building relationships and planning events for University of Manitoba
alumni
across Canada, the United States, and around the world. She is also
responsible for coordinating Homecoming Weekend and other events in
Winnipeg.
She brings more than 14 years of experience in special event planning, marketing, promotion, fund raising and public relations and relationship
building.
Jana has worked in private industry, a non-profit organization as well
as with
the provincial government. Her experience varies from planning gala
dinners,
ministerial conferences, political events, opening ceremonies, and
extensive
sports marketing, event coordination and merchandising with the
Winnipeg
Goldeyes, Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Thunder and the Winnipeg Blue
Bombers.
Please let us know which sessions you might be interested in attending, so we can select the right rooms.
