We’re extremely grateful for the generosity and expertise of our 2026 presenters, moderators and panelists. We’ll have nearly 40 in all, so keep checking for our additions.
🍎 = Returning SEAGC Faculty Member!
🍏 = First-Time SEAGC Faculty Member!
Bob Burdenski 🍎
Conference Committee
Bob Burdenski is an internationally-recognized annual and regular giving programs consultant for schools, colleges, and universities. He is a prolific writer and published author, often appearing in CURRENTS Magazine, the member magazine of the Council for the Advancement and the Support of Education (CASE). Bob is the author of three CASE books: Innovations in Annual Giving: Ten Departures That Worked, which presents ten U.S. case histories of advanced annual giving strategies; More Innovations in Annual Giving, Ten Global Departures That Worked, which features case histories from institutions around the world; and CASE’s first digital book, Online Innovations in Annual and Regular Giving, Ten Dozen Departures That Worked. In 2013, Innovations in Annual Giving was published by Fudan University in Shanghai, becoming the first CASE book translated into Chinese. Bob was named a CASE Laureate in 2029 and is a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Lifetime Teaching Excellence as ranked by his audiences. He has educated (and entertained) at presentations throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including numerous CASE Europe Annual and Regular Giving Conferences and Masterclasses. He presented CASE’s first-ever annual giving training programs in India, Japan, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia. In 2019, Bob was named a CASE Laureate for his volunteer service to the profession. Since 2002, Bob has served as the moderator of FundList, the fundraising e-mail discussion listserv with nearly 4,000 development professional subscribers.
Skylar Beaver 🍏
Skylar Beaver is Chief Advancement Officer at the Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, Florida. Skylar Beaver is Chief Advancement Officer at The Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, Florida, where she leads the advancement team overseeing development, marketing, and communications for the independent PreK-12 school and directs the school’s comprehensive campaign. Previously, Skylar served as Director of Development at The Lawrenceville School, where she played a major role in the school’s record-breaking $475M+ campaign. Her experience spans nearly 18 years in educational advancement, including leadership roles at The Spence School, Washington and Lee University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, with expertise in annual giving, major gifts, alumni engagement, and international fundraising. Skylar is a CASE Laureate and CASE Crystal Apple Award-winning speaker and teacher. In addition to her institutional work, she serves as an Advancement Search Consultant with RG175 and maintains an independent fundraising consulting practice. Beaver holds a BA in Sociology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from SUNY Brockport.
Rebekah Cheney 🍏
Rebekah Cheney is Director of Annual Giving at Winthrop University.
Cheryl Ciucevich 🍎
Cheryl Ciucevich is Vice President for Advancement at Augusta Technical College.
Alicia DeLuca 🍏
Alicia DeLuca is Director of Annual Giving at Florida Atlantic University.
Jennie Dickerson 🍏
Jennie Dickerson is Director of Philanthropy at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. Jennie Dickerson, MBA, CFRE was born to raise money and teach others how to do it. She has a knack for uncovering the negative mindsets that hold leaders back from making the ask and finding just the right role for volunteers. Over the course of her career, she has worked in annual giving, capital campaigns, fundraising strategy, development planning, events, and volunteer management. In her role at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis she is known for asking the right questions and right-sizing strategy to fit an organization’s capacity. Her passion lies in using these skills to help mission-driven organizations achieve their goals with ease.
Diana Forbus 🍎
Diana Forbus is Associate Director, Broad-based Campaigns and Strategic Engagement at the University of Maryland, College Park. Throughout her career, she’s done a little bit of everything—events, appeals, donor relations and stewardship, grants, and front-line fundraising. She currently serves as the Associate Director, Broad-Based Campaigns & Strategic Engagement at the University of Maryland, leading the Annual Giving team in working to inspire giving that aligns with donor interest and the needs and priorities of UMD. Each year this small but mighty team is responsible for crafting integrated, omni-channel marketing outreach that offers broad-based appeal, including a record-setting Giving Day in 2026 that raised $9.4M from 9,988 donors. Diana started her nonprofit career in the arts and carries that creative mindset in her current work in higher education. She loves creative brainstorming and sharing seemingly “off-the-wall” ideas, knowing that sometimes these ideas hold the most potential to be a game changer. Diana holds an M.F.A. in Arts Administration/Theatre Management from the University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival and a dual B.A. in Drama and Communications (with an emphasis in Public Relations) from the University of Hartford.
Dan Gardiner 🍏
Dan Gardiner is Partner Success Manager with GiveCampus.
Heather Locke Green 🍎
Heather Locke Green is Executive Director, Annual Giving at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
Clayton Higdon 🍏
Clayton Higdon is Assistant Director, Strategy & Appeals at Western Kentucky University.
Sharon Horinka 🍎
Conference Committee
Sharon Horinka is the Associate Director of Annual Giving at UNC Charlotte, where she turns big ideas into big results. With 17+ years in fundraising (and a record as the university’s top student fundraiser of all time), she’s led everything from the Student Philanthropy Center and Donor Experience Team to a high-powered texting strategy that keeps donors engaged and inspired. A proud 49er alumna, Sharon now focuses on giving days, and building the pipeline from annual gifts to planned giving – all while keeping philanthropy fun. She bleeds green and gold and believes the best donor relationships start with genuine connection…and maybe a GIF or two!
Heather Junod 🍎
Heather Junod is Associate Vice President, Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at the University of Central Florida.
Morgan Kee 🍏
Morgan Kee is Director of Annual Giving at Davidson College.
Julie Knight 🍏
Julie Knight is a strategic advancement leader with more than a decade of experience driving innovation in annual giving, fundraising analytics, and organizational leadership. As Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving at the University of Central Florida, she leads the university’s comprehensive annual giving strategy, including leadership annual giving and donor participation initiatives. Prior to UCF, Julie held advancement leadership roles at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Miami, and Johns Hopkins University. Julie holds a doctorate from Cardiff University and a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. As a speaker, writer, and consultant, she is committed to advancing the profession through strategic collaboration and the responsible application of technology to philanthropy.
Ryan Laughlin 🍏
Conference Committee
Ryan Laughlin is Leadership Annual Giving Officer with Winthrop University.
Joe Nullet 🍏
Joe Nullet is Digital Communications Manager, Advancement Communications at Florida Atlantic University.
Sadiki Perry 🍏
Sadiki Perry is Associate Director for Digital & Social Giving, Office of Annual Giving at Florida State University.
Desmond Pierce 🍎
Desmond Pierce is Executive Director of Annual Giving at East Tennessee State University.
Sara Pond 🍎
Sara Pond is Vice President, Client Development at MCR, Inc. She is a philanthropic leader with a 20-year career serving educational and non-profit sectors with special focus on pipeline development. Her experience details leading teams, targeted marketing and communications, technical strategy, artful storytelling, and qualitative analysis to build the donor pipeline and raise revenue. She is passionate about helping organizations provide economic mobility, access to educational pathways and healthcare.
Andria Silva 🍏
Conference Committee
Andria Silva is Executive Director of Annual & Leadership Giving and Advancement Marketing at Rollins College.
Christina Stevens 🍏
Christina Stevens is Director of Development, Annual Giving at Tampa General Hospital. Christina brings more than a decade of experience in fundraising and development. She currently leads annual giving strategy for the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, overseeing donor and grateful patient solicitation efforts and helping increase new donor acquisition by more than 50% from FY24 to FY25. She also manages several key philanthropic engagement programs, including the Nancy C. Bruemmer, MD Women’s Leadership Circle, third-party fundraising initiatives, and the TGH Physicians Giving Circle. Prior to TGH, Christina led annual giving at the University of Tampa and worked in major gifts at the University of South Florida. Christina holds a Master of Public Administration degree and serves as an adjunct professor in the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs, where she teaches a graduate-level course in fundraising and resource development. Her expertise spans annual giving, donor engagement, major gifts, and philanthropic strategy, with a strong focus on building sustainable pipelines and growing donor participation.
Matt Sulzer 🍎
Matt Sulzer is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MCR, Inc. For the past 20 years, Matt has served more than 600 college, university and healthcare teams with their direct mail needs. He prides himself on providing clients with excellent customer service, while partnering with them to help achieve and exceed their organizational fundraising goals. In Matt’s tenure, he has achieved Sales Person of the Year eight times and regularly speaks at conferences on different annual giving and direct mail topics.
Alexis Watts 🍏
Conference Committee
Alexis Watts is Senior Director of Communications with the University of South Carolina Alumni Association.
Harold Williams 🍎
Conference Committee
Harold Williams began his career in higher education as an Admissions Counselor for his alma mater Old Dominion University 10 years ago. Since then, his career track includes alum relations and, most recently, as ODU’s Director of Annual Giving. As the Director of Annual Giving, he established digital giving and the current annual gift data collection while leading fundraising events and campaigns. In addition, his experiences have allowed him to lead the University’s strategic planning efforts as part of the brand and marketing committee and the University’s AP Faculty Senate Planning Committee. Outside of the University, he is an active volunteer of the ODU Alumni Association, leading the silent auction efforts of the United Negro College Fund’s Mayor’s Ball, volunteering with the local YMCA, and advising student organizations. Harold holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from ODU and is currently working on his Ph.D. at Hampton University.