As I start my new position at UT Dallas, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with many of you. Prior to joining UT Dallas, I served as the executive director of development and alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering.  During my time there, we built a comprehensive development program which included award-winning publications, exciting alumni events, engaging corporate relations activities and a successful fund raising program which resulted in raising more than $92 million as part of the University of Pittsburgh’s $2 billion campaign. I've previously worked in similar roles at Indiana University, Purdue University, and Florida State University. 

One of the things that really excited me about the opportunity to come here was that UT Dallas has a clear goal of becoming not only a more prominent resource for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, but also one of the nation's leading public research universities. This is a young and dynamic institution, and it's an exciting time to come here and help lead the University's growth.

If you look at this nation’s top research universities, they can all be defined by a similar set of criteria, including distinguished faculty, aspiring students, state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities, and an engaged alumni population.  You are a critical link to the future success of UT Dallas, and I hope you will take advantage of the many new activities and initiatives that have been started to increase opportunities for alumni to get involved.