See How the Advancement Community is Changing
New Staff
Lisa Jennis
Advancement Associate
Architecture
Lisa Jennis will be joining us from the Philadelphia area, where she worked as a Development Representative for the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation. With a background in computer science and education, Lisa enjoys traveling, knitting, and spending time with her two sons and their families.
Ryan Weigand
Senior Director of Corporate Relations & Business Development
Gift Planning
With over 14 years of experience in athletic development, Ryan is thrilled to join the CFR team. He, his wife Darcie, and their sons, Jameson and Sullivan, are excited to become a more integrated part of the UA community. Thank you Kelly and Heather for this opportunity!
Kevin Esteves Pereira
Advancement Coordinator for Event Experiences
Engagement
Kevin previously worked in Graduate Marketing and Admissions at McIntire School of Commerce. He is an alumni of West Virginia University as well as the University of Virginia and is a board certified athletic trainer. In his free time, he enjoys lifting, reading, and spending time with his dog. Kevin resides in Charlottesville, VA.
Madelyn Taylor
Assistant Director of Stewardship
The College Foundation
Madelyn joins the College Foundation from UVA’s Darden School of Business, where she served as the Assistant Director for Student Programs for five years. She is a graduate of James Madison University and lives in the Charlottesville area.
Departures
Gina DeMattia
Associate Director
Leadership Annual Giving
Gina will be leaving the Darden Advancement team to step into a new role as a Director of Development at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. Throughout her time at Darden, Gina has consistently proven herself to be an invaluable member of our team. Her professionalism and expertise as a volunteer and program manager have driven action and strengthened giving efforts across our core classes.
Gina spent much of her time at Darden with the annual giving team, where she was known for her donor-centered approach, strong relationships with alumni and focus on innovation. In her role as a leadership annual giving officer, Gina excelled at engaging donors and inspiring increased giving to the School. She has also been a trusted partner to the Major Gifts team, playing a key role in closing several six-figure gifts while uncovering several opportunities on her own.
While we will miss Gina’s steady approach, strategic thinking, and sense of humor, we couldn’t be more excited for her as she takes this next step in her career.
Best of Luck, Gina!
Previous Staffing Matters Announcements
New Staff
Benjamin Bowery
Assistant Director of Donor Relations
Fralin Museum of Art
Ben Bowery has worked in curatorial and advancement roles across multiple museums, most recently completing a curatorial furniture fellowship with The Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a native of Roanoke, Virginia and enjoys learning about American history and art.
Mollie Bryan
Staff Writer
Health Development
I worked as a Development Associate for UA for about 5 years, and 2 year at UVA Health in Marketing and Communications. I live in Crozet, am the mom of 2 grown daughters, and write mystery novels.
Kittie Abell
Prospect Researcher
Prospect Management, Research & Analytics
I have more than 2 decades of fundraising experience and am happy to be joining the prospect management team after two years with VAF. I live outside Charlottesville with my husband and two labrador retrievers. Our children and grandchildren live near by.
Farewell
Arianna Sherman
Proposal Development Strategist
Corporate and Foundation Relations
Arianna Sherman’s last day on the Corporate and Foundation Relations team was Friday, December 20th. Arianna is leaving for the sunny shores of Australia, where she will join her husband while on academic sabbatical.
Best of Luck, Arianna!
New Staff
Colleen Compton
Assistant Director of Strategic Events
University Advancement
After serving as an Officer in the US Army, and then working as a project manager in the semiconductor industry, I shifted my focus to raising a family and staying connected in my community. My passion projects have included coaching a local high school mountain bike team, beekeeping, volunteering with my local alumni association and I absolutely love spending time with my family.
New Staff
Justin Ewing
Senior Associate Director of Gift Planning
University Advancement
Justin, a Kentucky native, has nearly a decade of experience in higher education. His interest in charitable gift planning began while pursuing his juris doctor at Notre Dame Law School. He comes to UVA from Centre College, where he served as Executive Director of Gift Planning. Prior to his time there, he was Associate Director for Gift Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as liaison to several affiliated foundations, partnering with development officers to advise donors on deferred and tax-efficient charitable gift strategies. He is a licensed member of the North Carolina State Bar and is active in the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. Justin enjoys spending time with his wife, Kayla, and son, Emmett. He looks forward to joining UVA Advancement.
New Staff
Michael Brophy
Director of Pipeline Development
Darden School Foundation
Welcome to Michael Brophy as our new Director of Pipeline Development. Michael brings a wealth of experience in tech and entrepreneurship, beginning his career as a product manager at a tech startup. Since then, he’s worked with small, agile teams to leverage technology and data for smarter decision-making. Recently, he launched a portable storage business with his two brothers—think PODs. Michael is a proud 2019 Darden graduate and Genovese Fellow. He has called Charlottesville home since 2017, where he lives with his wife and their four-year-old daughter.
New Staff
Camille Lipnicky
Advancement Coordinator
Library
Camille is joining UVA Advancement after just over two years as a Senior Administrative Assistant in the College of Arts and Sciences. When she is not at work, Camille enjoys playing board, tabletop and videogames with her spouse and their friends.
Farewell
Astrid Henriksen
Associate Director
Data and Reporting Specialist
Astrid is retiring after 27 years of dedicated service to UVA. Astrid started in Advancement as a prospect researcher and her interests and talents lead to her to become our first data analyst, laying the path for others! Astrid is not only well known as a wonderful source of knowledge, but someone with whom to discuss ideas, collaborate, and gain new perspectives. Her last day in the office will be November 9th.
Thank you, and congratulations on this new chapter, Astrid!
New Staff
Sneha Mandhadi
Salesforce Solutions Engineer
University Advancement
Hi everyone, I'm Sneha. I'm excited to be joining University Of Virginia and look forward to working with and getting to know you all. I have around 6 year of experience in Salesforce Administration/Development. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and discovering new cultures, spending time with my family. Exploring new places and experiencing different perspectives keeps me inspired and energized.
New Staff
Lauren Flora
Project Associate
Event Experiences
Lauren is joining UVA from Shenandoah University, where she led the Admissions events team. Prior to Shenandoah, she was at Bridgewater College where she spent 3 years managing campus-wide events. She is a graduate of Bridgewater College with a Bachelor's degree in Art with a Digital Media Concentration. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, photography, cheering on the Baltimore Orioles, and spending time with her family, especially her two nieces.
Chaitra Madhusudhan
Salesforce Solutions Engineer
University Advancement
Chaitra an experienced Salesforce Developer/Admin with over 5 years of experience in creating Salesforce-centric enterprise solutions, with a focus on Sales and Service Cloud applications. Previously, she worked at Experian Consumer Services, and she holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from California State University, Fullerton. She lives in Irvine, CA with her husband and 8 year old son. Outside of work, she loves spending time with my family, cooking, reading about tech trends, watching movies, staying active through yoga and fitness. She enjoys assisting various programs/services offered by Chinmaya Mission of Los Angeles, a spiritual organization.
New Staff
Madison Hickman
Donor Experience Officer
University Advancement
Madison is a Charlottesville native with a passion for higher education. She earned her Bachelor of Science at Auburn University and her M.Ed. in College Student Affairs at the University of Georgia. Professional opportunities at the University of Georgia, Cal Poly, and, most recently, the University of West Florida have afforded her valuable experience in multiple functional areas. Madison is also the owner of Madly Made, a custom stationery and wedding paper business. She married her college sweetheart, Jake, in 2023 and you can usually find her baking new recipes in her spare time!