Alumless

Most advancement teams spend their weeks reacting to whatever's next on the calendar. The teams that do truly great work do something harder: they step back and design the conditions that make excellence possible. In this episode of Alumless,   Ryan   and   Chris   sit down with   Shara Freeman Hoefel   — Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations at   UC San...

Every alumni organization eventually hits a season where everything seems to change at once. For Northwestern, that season is now. In this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sit down with Lindsay Vahl Dean — Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Executive Director of the Northwestern Alumni Association — to talk about leading through it. Lindsay shares how she approaches organiz...

At institutions with centuries of history, traditions can be both a source of strength and a barrier to change. On this episode of Alumless,   Ryan   and   Chris   sit down with Carolyn Gray Kimberlin, Vice President for Alumni Relations at Dartmouth College, to explore the tension between preserving institutional identity and evolving alumni engagement for a changing community...

On this week’s Alumless, Kim and Chris sit down with Scott Rosevear, Senior Vice President for University Strategy and Advancement at Bucknell University, to explore what happens when advancement is positioned as part of the institution’s strategic core, not downstream from it. The conversation centers on a simple but consequential shift: aligning engagement, philanthropy, and institutional priori...

In Australia, university philanthropy is still finding its footing, which makes it one of the most interesting places to watch what comes next. On this episode of Alumless World, Ryan sits down with Margo Powell, Chief Advancement Officer at La Trobe University, to talk about what it really takes to build a campaign in an environment where donor culture isn’t fully formed yet. Margo pulls back the...

What does it take to truly align a campus around alumni engagement? On this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sit down with Kris Bosman, Chief Alumni Officer at the University of Utah, to explore how collaboration across campus can create scale and deepen alumni connections. Using Utah’s 175th Anniversary as a case study, Kris shares how her team led a university-wide effort that brought togethe...

In this special announcement, Ryan Catherwood introduces Speaking Engagement — a new professional development designed as a “conference on engagement that never sleeps.” Speaking Engagement brings together weekly Keynote interviews, Breakout conversations, articles, and live Agora events to create a continuous learning experience for engagement professionals. Instead of attending a conference once...

What does it really take to step into a new advancement role and chart a new course in year one? This week on the show, Ryan and Chris Marshall chat with Jim Broschart, Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at the University of Louisville, to reflect on the realities of leading through transition. Jim shares what he saw in his first year at Louisville and how he assessed the health...

What happens when advancement communications is no longer a support function, but a central driver of alumni engagement? On this episode of Alumless, Lori Hurvitz, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations at Tulane University, joins Ryan and Chris to explore what it means to align communications and engagement under one unified strategy. Lori shares the thinking behind Tulane’s recent reorgan...

In this episode of "Alumless Takes," Ryan Catherwood and Nick Kallail discuss the evolving role of regional engagement in alumni associations. They explore the effectiveness of formal versus informal volunteer-run organizations, with Nick emphasizing the importance of building flexible, community-driven networks that align with alumni interests. The conversation highlights the shift from tradition...

What do alumni really think about their alma mater today, and what does that mean for the future of advancement? On this super sized episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sit down with Howard Heevner, Co-Founder of the The National Alumni Survey, Executive Director of Annual Programs at the University of California, Berkeley, and Vice President and Consultant with CMAC, to unpack insights from the 2...

Metrics are shaping the future of alumni engagement, but only if institutions are willing to use them strategically. On this bonus episode of Alumless World, Ryan and Nicole Hess Kempton are joined by special guest Barbara Dick, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations at the University of Toronto, for a global conversation on innovation in alumni engagement metrics. Barbara reflects on her p...

Mentoring has long been part of alumni engagement, but what does it really take to make mentoring flourish at scale? Is that even possible? On this episode of Alumless, Ryan is joined by Kim Infanti and special guest Allison McWilliams, Assistant Vice President for Mentoring and Alumni Personal & Career Development at Wake Forest University, for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolving role...

In this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan interviews Meg Lysy, the Senior Director for Alumni Relations at Dartmouth College. They discuss the various alumni initiatives in the admissions process, including the long-standing alumni interviewing program and the Dartmouth Book Award. Meg shares insights on how alumni engagement enhances the admissions experience for applicants and the organizat...

As universities rethink how they support students and engage alumni, some have been experimenting with a bold structural shift: bringing alumni engagement and career services together under the advancement umbrella. On this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sit down with John Jensen, Executive Director of Alumni and Career Services at Washington and Lee University, to explore what happens when t...

At a time when many universities are moving toward fully integrated advancement models, other successful structures exist, like the one at Georgia Tech. On this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris are joined by Janet Kinard, Vice President for Engagement at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, to explore how an independent, alumni-led association can thrive alongside a separate foundation and deve...

For this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan is joined by Ashley Watts, the Director of Annual Giving at Georgia State University, who shares insights from the busy end-of-year giving season. She discusses the lessons learned from video appeals, the importance of intentional messaging, and the role of data in enhancing fundraising strategies. Ashley emphasizes the need for collaboration and add...

Alumni engagement strategies are evolving beyond events and programs toward something more profound: identity, psychology, and intentional journeys. In this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris are joined by Jay Le Roux Dillon, Ed. D., Chief Alumni Officer at the University of California, Berkeley, for a conversation on how institutions can design engagement experiences that reflect how alumni actu...

As 2025 comes to a close, Alumless is considering alumni engagement technology for 2026 and beyond. On our special holiday edition, Chris Marshall and Kim Infanti are joined by Max Leisten from Protopia, Renee Quinn of Givzey, and Steve Rittler of AlumnIQ to reflect on where ed tech for advancement stands today and where it is headed next. The group explores how engagement teams are thinking about...

For two decades, Penn Traditions has been shaping the way students at the University of Pennsylvania learn about philanthropy and discover what it means to be part of a community that lasts long after graduation. On this week's episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris sat down with Elise Betz , Senior Executive Director for Alumni Relations, to look back at how the program began and how it grew in...

In this week's episode of Alumless Takes, Ryan chats with Andrea Devine, Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement at the University of Virginia. They share reflections and advice on how to create meaningful alumni volunteer engagement. She also shares challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a new CRM system at UVA. She emphasizes the need for data standardization and the importa...

How do you hold the attention of alumni and donors in a world that never stops scrolling? In this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris talk with Josh Harraman, Director of Constituent Experiences – Strategy at The Ohio State University, about what it means to build alumni engagement in the attention economy. Josh shares how his team studies audience behavior, experiments with content, and uses both...

In this episode, Ryan interviews Pat Fligge, the Director of Alumni Career Engagement at Temple University. They discuss the current hot topics in alumni career services, focusing on the impact of AI and the challenging job market. Pat emphasizes the importance of adapting to AI as a tool to augment career coaching and the need for expanded alumni career services to help graduates navigate the evo...

Can an interim advancement leader make lasting change, or are they just keeping the lights on? In this episode of Alumless, Chris sits down with Dale Wright, Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Senior Vice President of the University of Illinois Foundation. Dale shares how his early work in student and alumni engagement shaped his approach to leadership, and what it really takes to step in...

In this engaging conversation, Ryan interviews Kira Mudd, the Director of Alumni Engagement at the University of Rhode Island (URI) Foundation. They discuss the evolution and significance of homecoming at URI, highlighting the innovative approaches taken to enhance alumni engagement and school spirit. Kira shares insights into the planning and execution of homecoming events, emphasizing the import...