Contact Us
Leadership
| Name / Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Dale Wright Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement |
217.244.0604 | dlwright@illinois.edu |
| Paula Besson Executive Director of Advancement |
217.244.4081 | besson@illinois.edu |
| Erica Finiak Office Administrator |
217.244.4421 | ejhenry@illinois.edu |
Major Gift Officers
| Name / Title | Region | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Backlund Assistant Director of Advancement |
Midwest & Boston | 217.265.0343 | cgaffrig@illinois.edu |
| Tim Cochrane Director of Advancement |
Washington DC, Virginia & the Carolinas | 217.333.1149 | tcochran@illinois.edu |
| Steve Hall Director of Advancement |
Bay Area & Atlanta | 217.300.7830 | stevhall@illinois.edu |
| Todd Hollister Director of Advancement |
Southern California & Minnesota | 217.333.5169 | toddh@illinois.edu |
| Ethan Scott Associate Director of Advancement |
Northeast & Philadelphia | 217.265.0786 | ethans@illinois.edu |
| Heather Vazquez Senior Director of Advancement |
Southwest | 217.333.2517 | hfv@illinois.edu |
| Kendra Wolf Associate Director of Advancement |
Pacific Northwest & Florida | 217.300.7297 | kjwolf@illinois.edu |
| Jana Zollinger Director of Advancement |
Northern California & Michigan | 217.333.5221 |
Note: All of our advancement professionals cover the state of Illinois.
Don't see your region listed? With over 90,000 alumni and friends, Grainger Engineering's advancement team supports relationships across the country. Contact Dale Wright, Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement, with questions or to learn more about how you can have an impact on the college.
Constituent Engagement
| Name / Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Megan Bainter Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations |
mbainter@illinois.edu | |
| Zaheeda Darvesh Assistant Director of Advancement |
217.300.3870 | darvesh2@illinois.edu |
| Brittani Garner Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement & Special Events |
217.333.4563 | bagarner@illinois.edu |
| Jerilyn Hutson Associate Director of Alumni & Donor Engagement |
217.300.2656 | jhutson@illinois.edu |
| Korrine Kuhn Office Support Associate |
217.333.3839 | korrine@illinois.edu |
| Haruka Neiswender Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations |
217.300.5950 | neiswend@illinois.edu |
| Samantha Rupkey Stewardship & Donor Relations Coordinator |
217.333.9340 | srupkey@illinois.edu |
| Julie Smith Office Support Specialist |
217.300.1686 | jsmit@illinois.edu |
Advancement Operations
| Name / Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Hill Director of Advancement |
217.265.6567 | jonahill@illinois.edu |
Corporate Relations
| Name / Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Kent Studer Senior Director of Corporate Relations |
217.300.4671 | kstuder@illinois.edu |
| Melissa Belcher Associate Director for Corporate Relations |
217.244.5956 | stierwlt@illinois.edu |