Advancement Team

Vice Chancellor

Melisa Baldwin

Vice Chancellor for Advancement
303-315-2060
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Melisa sets strategies for the university’s fundraising initiatives, including annual giving, major gifts, corporate giving, foundation relations and gift planning. She also oversees Donor and Alumni Engagement and Advancement Communications. With more than 19 years of experience as a university development professional, Melisa has contributed to growth in fundraising results in every position she has held. She has vast experience in setting the strategic direction and managing the operational execution of fundraising campaigns. Melisa previously worked in advancement at Kennesaw State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and University of Florida.

Melisa and her husband, Mark Reiner, live and play in downtown Denver.

A Message from Melisa

Advancement Communications

Jim Dunn

Senior Director, Advancement Communications
303-315-2018
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A member of the Office of Advancement leadership group, Jim plans and implements communications strategies and creates a variety of print and digital collateral to support fundraising goals and activities. Throughout a career spanning 30+ years in the U.S. and Europe, Jim has worked in nearly all areas of advancement, including major gifts; corporate sponsorships; corporate, foundation, and government support; annual giving; capital campaigns; alumni relations; and marketing and communications. Focusing on the arts and education, he has held positions at The Kennedy Center, New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the University of Maryland, San Francisco State University, and Marymount International School Rome.

A lifelong music lover, Jim has studied classical piano since childhood and took up the cello more recently while living in Italy. He still enjoys playing both instruments in his free time.

Monica Cutler

Assistant Director, Advancement Communications
303-315-2331
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Monica supports the work of the entire CU Denver Advancement team primarily in digital marketing which includes mass emails, event registrations, social media outreach, and website management. In her escape from retail (Sephora) in 2014, Monica began her CU career as a student hourly on the Anschutz Medical Campus and later found her passion in communications as the CU Denver Alumni Relations Coordinator. Since taking a full-time position at CU Denver, Monica has been a part of transitioning eCommunications tools at various levels across the CU system, growing her support position beyond alumni relations, and expanding messaging via collaborations across campuses.

Although technically a native, Monica grew up in rural Idaho at the base of a ski hill. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Boise State University (smurf turf!) where she was also an active participant of the national championship winning speech and debate team (Talkin’ Broncos). In 2013 Monica moved to Denver and completed a Master’s in Public Administration program at CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs with honors and received the Outstanding MPA Student award.

When Monica is not at work she enjoys tackling 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzles, cleaning, learning about and growing plants, and hanging out at home with her partner Jon, rescue Miniature Schnauzer named Tucker, and three birds, Ivy, Peanut, and Pebbles.

Kevin Gardner

Creative Content Coordinator
303-315-3601
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Kevin is a voice for the impact of philanthropy at CU Denver. He seeks out and shares the stories of students, faculty, alumni and donors who are making a difference on campus and beyond. Prior to joining CU Denver, Kevin worked in communications and fundraising across multiple sectors and industries, from an early-stage tech startup to a national nonprofit to a leading global research university.

Kevin holds a degree in English from Indiana University and completed an AmeriCorps fellowship in nonprofit leadership in San Francisco. At various points throughout his education, he was voted most likely to write a book, most likely to be a principal and, in his first grade art class, the winner of the “Best Dressed Turkey Contest” — a true testament to his creative potential. Kevin enjoys hiking, biking, cooking and pretty much any activity that can be done while listening to a podcast.

Donor and Alumni Engagement

Melissa Lukesic

Senior Director, Donor and Alumni Engagement
303-315-0266
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A member of the Office of Advancement leadership group, Melissa directs donor and alumni engagement. She oversees the implementation and execution of programs related to recognition, engagement, stewardship, and gift administration for CU Denver alumni, donors, and friends who support the university in a variety of ways. She earned her BS in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University and an MA in Education from University of Phoenix.

Melissa grew up in and around the Denver metro area and has lived all over the state, from Summit County to Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, landing finally in Highlands Ranch. You’ll find her accessing some of the area’s best trails like Waterton Canyon, Colorado Trail, the Highline Canal, or the Mary Lee Carter Greenbelt. She enjoys yoga, mountain biking, spending time with her dog, reading, hiking, raptor watching, comedy shows, and live music. If she’s ever missing, please search the deserts of Utah, she’s likely on one of their world-class single track trails.

Georgia Brandau

Campus Program Manager, Central Annual Giving
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Georgia is part of the CU Central Advancement team supporting CU Denver and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus through crowdfunding initiatives, annual giving data requests, and key performance indicators management. She is a liaison to our student call center and assists with the implementation of annual giving campaigns.

Georgia is a North Dakota native who spent eight years with the University of Minnesota Foundation’s Annual Giving team. She received her bachelor’s degree in geoscience, with an emphasis in geography, from Minnesota State University Moorhead. It was also at MSUM where she launched her fundraising career as a student caller. Georgia has knocked on thousands of doors, stood on hundreds of street corners, and picked up the phone more times than she can count for local, national, and international nonprofits close to her heart.

She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Chase, and dogs, Hoagie and Morty.

Jennifer Dailey

Assistant Director, Annual Giving
303-315-2061
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Jennifer works with schools, colleges, and programs on mass solicitations, crowdfunding, the student call center, and building relationships with individual donors. She is driven by a desire to ensure anyone who wants to make an impact at CU Denver is able to.

Before stepping into the world of fundraising Jennifer worked as the volunteer coordinator at New Era Colorado and as an English teacher with English First Beijing. She previously worked for Advancement at both the Leeds School of Business and the School of Education at CU Boulder. She earned her B.A. in International Affairs and Chinese Language and Civilization at CU Boulder.

A Colorado native, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her friends and family watching either sports or Broadway musicals.

Lauren Jacobs

Associate Director, Alumni Engagement
303-315-0194
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Lauren works with the CU Denver Alumni Board through advocacy and philanthropy to increase alumni loyalty and engagement to CU Denver. She focuses primarily focusing on enhancing the depth and diversity of alumni involvement at the university through a variety of outreach efforts, events, and volunteer opportunities.

Lauren is a Colorado native who grew up in Arvada and earned a degree from Colorado State University. Outside of work she stays busy with her kids, attends concerts with her husband, and enjoys a good card game with friends and neighbors.

Mollie Loiselle

Assistant Director, Donor Engagement
303-315-2028
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Mollie is responsible for the planning, preparation, and execution of engagement activities for donor and alumni engagement programs. She also designs and implements customized stewardship plans for CU Denver’s most highly engaged supporters in collaboration with the donor and alumni relations team.

Mollie is a Minnesota native and moved to Colorado in 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Winona State University in Minnesota. She has a robust background in fundraising within the hospital and health care industry. In her spare time, she enjoys being active outside and exploring Denver’s arts and culture scene.

Tina Schlichte

Director of Strategic Engagement and Initiatives
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In her role as Director of Strategic Engagement & Initiatives, Tina supports the CU Advancement team in building a campus culture of philanthropy and in expanding the pipeline of major gift donors and prospects. She focuses on strategic research, stewardship programs, fundraising efforts and events to build a pipeline of engaged donors, corporate partners and alumni. In this role, Tina collaborates with colleagues across the Office of Advancement, the CU Denver campus as well as our CU system partners.

Tina brings over 15 years of experience as a national sales and business development leader, having most recently led the sales & business operations team at the University of Colorado’s South Denver location. Being able to make an impact on CU Denver’s current and future students by utilizing her skillset of building strong and genuine connections and providing creative solutions for her internal and CU Denver’s external partners, are just two of the many reasons, Tina is excited to be part of the CU Denver Office of Advancement.

Tina is originally from Germany and has lived in the US for the past 18 years. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her husband and three kiddos either in the mountains or on the soccer field. Her favorite way to connect with old and new friends is a gemütlicher Kaffeeklatsch.

Major Gifts

Shira Moffatt

Senior Director of Development
303-315-0037
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A member of the Office of Advancement leadership group, Shira oversees the major gifts fundraising team and finds inspiration in helping donors match their philanthropic passions with CU Denver’s strategic priorities. She stays abreast of faculty activity, research direction, and academic programs to advise on fundraising priorities and assists campus units in building and maintaining strong volunteer boards.

Shira brings more than 12 years of development experience to her role, with extensive experience in marketing and communications, industry and foundation relations, board development, and nonprofit management. Prior to joining CU Denver, Shira served as Director of Industry Relations on CU Boulder campus, where she worked with corporations and foundations to create mutually beneficial strategic partnerships.

Originally from the Boston area, Shira holds a BS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MS in Management from Lasell University. She spends her leisure time climbing mountains or skiing with her two sons, husband, and dog.

Anna Ramirez Crawford

Director, Foundation and Corporate Development
303-315-2076
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Anna directs the strategy and implementation of foundation and corporate development for the university. Her goal is to secure financial resources for programs and activities that advance equity and serve under-represented communities.

In previous positions, Anna has served as a fundraiser for Native American student programs and tribal colleges, an ESL teacher for immigrants and refugees, an editor at a university press, and a university rhetoric and composition instructor. She serves her community by sitting on nonprofit boards and volunteering for causes that advance gender, racial, and economic justice.

Anna is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at CU Denver's School of Public Affairs, where she also earned her graduate certificate in public policy analysis. She earned her M.A. in English from Penn State University and her B.A. in English and Anthropology from Texas Tech University. Anna met her partner when they were both serving as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukraine, and they now live together in Denver with their son, cats, and books.

Debra T. Robinson-Day

Strategic Thought Partner, School of Public Affairs and School of Education and Human Development
470-723-8455
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Debra is an advancement and development leader with over 25 years of experience in fundraising, the last 15 years of which have been in higher education. Her expertise spans planned giving, faculty and staff campaigns, and principal gifts. Her earlier career began as an Army Officer, which took her from Los Angeles to Germany and many journeys in between. The adventure included her military husband and their two daughters.

Debra is originally from New York, a city she loves almost as much as her top city: Florence, Italy. She received her Masters in Counseling from Long Island University at the U.S. Military Academy West Point campus.

Debra previously worked in advancement and development at Kennesaw State University and Atlanta Metropolitan State College, and she has a boutique consulting business. She lives in the Atlanta Metro area and loves spending time with her family and her black lab, Harley.

Alison Fernandez

Director of Development, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
303-315-2095
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Ali directs the fundraising strategy for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in partnership with Dean Pamela Jansma and the faculty/staff. Ali is driven by the desire to make a lasting, positive impact on the campus and community, while also helping donors realize their philanthropic dreams.

Throughout her career, Ali has worked in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors, fundraising for the arts, environmental issues, and animal care and welfare. A true product of a liberal arts education, Ali holds a M.S. in Geography and a B.A. in Art History.

A Colorado native, Ali enjoys spending time in the mountains with her husband, two dogs, and one grumpy cat.

Jaime McMullen Garcia

Interim Director of Development, College of Arts & Media
719-439-0444
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With over 15 years of experience in fundraising and communication research, Jaime McMullen Garcia is the founder of Jovial Communication. Throughout her career, she has excelled in development and leadership positions in higher education and other nonprofit organizations. Her passion lies in the joy that comes from connecting donors with their philanthropic passions.

Garcia previously served as the Chief Philanthropy Officer for Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, where she directed philanthropic activities. Additionally, she oversaw the successful execution of the UCCS Ent Center for the Arts Capital Campaign that raised over $60 million and opened its doors in 2018. Garcia started her fundraising career at the University of Colorado Foundation in 2003, and eventually served as Executive Director of Development for the Colorado Springs campus.

Garcia received an MA in Communication and a BA in Communication and Psychology with a minor in Professional Writing from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Jaime is currently an adjunct professor at Pikes Peak Community College where she teaches Public Speaking and Group Communication. Garcia served on the board of directors for Classical KCME FM and now serves as secretary on the board of directors for Leadership Pikes Peak. Jaime lives in Falcon, Colorado, with her high school sweetheart, Leo, their two boys, and two dogs.

Marci Grant

Director of Development, Industry Relations
303-315-0405
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To improve educational access for students, Marci has a mission to create collaborative relationships and strategic partnerships between industry and CU. She has 15+ years of experience as an executive recruiter and business development professional within multiple verticals in the Denver market. The majority of her experience in recruitment has been in the technology. Marci has worked in aggressive sales roles on 100% commission and brings her love for developing relationships and making deals come together to serve the greater good, to the CU Denver Advancement team. Additionally, she has worked for CU Anschutz Medical Campus and the Office of Digital Education – CU Online.

Marci is a Denver native and graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in Communications and minor in Spanish. During college, Marci lived in Mexico and studied Spanish. Before debilitating hip injuries, she was a gymnast, dancer, tennis player, marathon runner, Pilates teacher to Division 1 athletes, Spinning instructor and coach for Girls on the Run. Additionally, she attended culinary school and served as Secretary for the D’Evelyn Education Foundation.

Marci is married to Paul Grant and they have three children, the absolute joy in her life.

Meagan Kilcoyne

Director of Development, Business School
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As a member of the Major Gifts team within the Office of Advancement, Meagan builds and oversees philanthropic strategy and manages fundraising activity for the CU Denver Business School. In partnership with Dean Scott Dawson and the Business School’s talented faculty and staff, Meagan engages and connects with CU alumni and friends, and partners with the Denver business community and industry leaders, to advance Dean Dawson’s exciting new strategic vision for the CU Denver Business School.

Meagan brings more than five years of experience in higher education advancement work, board management, and program building. Meagan most recently served as the Associate Director of Development at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, where she oversaw the entire donor continuum experience, from annual giving to major gifts, including corporate partnership and grants/foundation relations. She is a CU alumna (Buff!) and served on CU Boulder College of Music’s Advancement team for three years in the alumni engagement space. Meagan, who is a trained opera singer, holds degrees in Voice Performance and is pursuing her MBA at DU. Meagan enjoys living and playing in the mountains with her husband, daughter, and her red pup Sydney.

Leah Montera

Director of Development, College of Engineering, Design and Computing
303-315-2062
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Leah creates connections with benefactors and matches passions with CU Denver initiatives. She primarily serves as a liaison to the College of Engineering, Design and Computing fundraising efforts.

Previously, Leah served as assistant director of development for CU Anschutz and development officer at Mayo Clinic, where she worked on inspiring gifts that helped to transform medicine and clinical care. She is considers herself a ‘relationship builder’ and ‘joy facilitator’ in the world of philanthropy.
She currently serves on the board of the Colorado Columbines, a women’s run club based in the south Denver suburbs.

Leah loves running, backpacking, mountain biking—anything ‘Colorado’—in her free time.

Erin Brenengen Semón

Director of Development, School of Public Affairs and School of Education and Human Development
303-315-2098
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Erin is development professional with over nine years of experience in higher education and philanthropy in Colorado. She started her career in 2010 at the CU Foundation on the Anschutz Medical Campus in donor relations, where she managed stewardship strategy, events, and gift administration. In 2017, Erin moved to the CU Denver campus as major gift officer.

Erin received a BA in Art History and Economics from Smith College and received her MBA from the Business School at the University of Colorado Denver in 2018 with an emphasis on leadership development.

As a Denver native, Erin is an avid lover of her hometown and in her spare time explores the state with her husband, Evan, and her dog, Wilco.

Meg Touborg

Director of Development, College of Architecture and Planning
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Meg is the Director of Development for the College of Architecture and Planning within the Office of Advancement. In this role, she supports CAP’s unique initiatives to enrich students’ academic opportunities, such as the Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship and Programming fund, the Design-Build program, the Classical Studies certificate, and more.

Before forming a consultancy for architects and designers in 2012, Meg built her career in business development roles for home design and fashion accessory companies. She co-founded the Leaders of Design Council, and is a Board member and the Event Chair for the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art’s Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Meg is a Boston native and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College. After almost 20 years working in New York City, Meg and her family moved to Los Angeles so she could take the helm of a fine furniture and fabric brand and her three then-kids could wear shorts every day. Now in Denver, Meg enjoys decorating her townhouse in Five Points, is obsessed with Liberty Puzzles, and recently completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training.

Operations

Nickolas Chabot-Olson

Assistant Director, Finance and Administration
303-315-0043
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A member of the Office of Advancement leadership group, Nickolas oversees budget & finance, human resources, and the general, day-to-day operations of the Advancement Office. He also supervises the Advancement operations team.

Nickolas is a Colorado native with a finance and economics background. He has spent the majority of his professional career in higher education. In his free time, he enjoys working out and spending time with his wife and Australian Cattle Dog, Sydney.

Gabi Dargis

Office and Project Administrator
303-315-2094
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Gabi supports Vice Chancellor Melisa Baldwin and works on the Operations team. In addition to wrangling calendars, projects, and timelines, she supports the Advancement team with projects as needed.

Gabi moved to Denver from Ann Arbor, MI in 2017 to enjoy more sunshine, the city, and the mountains! In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new places and exploring all the restaurants Denver has to offer.

Emily Peterson

Development Assistant
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Emily serves in her role as Development Assistant supporting the Office of Advancement. She works alongside other members of the Operations team to perform daily administrative tasks and duties. In addition, Emily works with the Office of Donor and Alumni Engagement, serving as the data and records management resource for the team. She also provides support for stewardship and engagement initiatives. Working in higher education advancement, Emily is most looking forward to seeing the impact giving can have on students educational outcomes.

Emily graduated in the Spring of 2021 with a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University and moved to Colorado to begin her Career in Advancement. She is excited to explore her new city, specifically the Denver coffee shops and farmers markets.

Meet the Advancement Team