Hello!

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me and review some of the highlights of my career over the past 10 years including Donor Engagements as the Director of Gift and Estate Planning for Clemson University, Clemson Hot Market Activations, and Sports Matter Community Donations as the Community Marketing Manager for DICK'S Sporting Goods. 

I am a collaborative, results-driven professional with a strong commitment to advancing organizational goals. Three years ago, I joined Clemson University as the Director of Gift & Estate Planning, and it has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Despite entering the role with no prior planned giving experience, I quickly immersed myself in the work, qualifying 45 donors in one week and building a strong foundation through continuous learning and proactive engagement.

I currently manage an active portfolio of more than 100 donors and am on track to raise over $2 million by June 30, 2026, with projections to reach $4 million in fiscal year 2027. I am particularly passionate about building meaningful relationships with donors and find great fulfillment in helping them align their philanthropic goals with impactful giving opportunities.

In the fall of 2024, I had the opportunity to meet Jim Weinert in person to thank him for the scholarship that profoundly shaped my academic and professional trajectory. That conversation led to an extraordinary moment, he made a $2.5 million commitment on the spot to further support the Weinert Center at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. It was a truly meaningful full-circle moment that continues to inspire my work and will stay with me throughout my career.

A little bit about me. I was born in Savannah, GA and have lived all over the country as well as in Germany and Puerto Rico as a professional volleyball player.  I am the oldest of five and a proud aunt to seven nieces and nephews. I attended the University of Wisconsin on a full-scholarship to achieve my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in French and Accounting. In my late 20's, I returned to the University for a Masters of Business Administration due to the generous donation of a former UW track athlete whose bequest was designated for an athlete demonstrating entrepreneurial skills in the real world.  At the time, I was running my own company called Mission Volleyball while playing professional beach volleyball. 

After graduating with my MBA in Entrepreneurial Management in 2010, I started working for DICK'S Sporting Goods as the Community Marketing Manager for the state of South Carolina. During that time, I opened eight new DICK’S locations, developed 100’s of youth and key community partnerships, distributed over $250,000 in Sports Matter grants, and drove over $5M in attributable revenue in 2022. My geography was one of the largest in the company and I covered 19 retail locations ranging from Wilmington, NC to Brunswick, GA and all of South Carolina. It has been an exciting and rewarding career and I can look back with a ton of pride on all the work that has been accomplished to bring the DICK’S brand to life in our communities. 

During the initial COVID shutdown, myself along with 20,000 others from DICK'S were furloughed. It was a shock to the system for sure but I used the downtime to earn a Digital Marketing Certificate from e-Cornell and have developed the digital marketing strategy for multiple small businesses to broaden my skillset. I also painted my house and adopted another pet of course. :)

To read more on my professional accomplishments, please click here.