Alumni Trending Podcast

Today, I talk with Dr. Kevin Fleming, Co-Founder and CEO of Prosper, a consulting firm that provides guidance to nonprofit organizations to transform their engagement and philanthropic programs, specializing in fundraising practice, Board management, volunteer programs, event planning, and communications.
Today’s trend lines include:
– student experience is the strongest indicator of alumni involvement,
– pots of water framework for alumni engagement, and
– trends in higher education.
Bio
Kevin has 20 years of expertise in alumni engagement and non-profit management, paired with exceptional knowledge and skills within the realms of college student development and teaching. Through experiences at Mount Holyoke College, Emerson College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Bowling Green State University, the University of Connecticut, and James Madison University, he has led transformations of alumni boards of directors, overall alumni engagement and communications strategies, volunteer programs, signature events, staffing alignments, and cross-departmental collaborations at several institutions. Kevin approaches organizational change through excellent listening skills, a positive and collaborative nature, collegiality, humor, and gratitude, providing the foundation through which he fosters unity and common purpose amongst community members and the accomplishment of shared successes.

An educator and researcher by nature, Kevin’s background in teaching makes him an excellent meeting facilitator. Additionally, he is a thought leader in the areas of alumni engagement and fundraising. He authored his dissertation on “Examining the Influence of Graduate Student Experience on Graduate Alumni Giving,” and has published a ground-breaking theory of alumni engagement in the peer-reviewed Journal of Philanthropy and Education, entitled “The Pots of Water Framework for Alumni Engagement.” He also serves as a member of the Council and Support of Education (CASE) District I Board of Directors, and serves as the co-chair of the Horizon Issues Committee.

On this episode I talk with Michael Sgro, higher ed veteran, executive coach, superhero, the godfather and OG of the Alumni Trending brand! Michael is the owner of Michael Sgro Leadership Coaching in Syracuse
Today's trend lines include:
- the Alumni Trending origin story,
- executive coaching,
- and his perspective on higher ed advancement.
Quick Listening Guide
at 3:30 Alumni Trending Origin Story
at 6:04 #AlumChat on Twitter
at 8:35 Creating an Online Community of Practice
at 13:16 Serving your Purpose
at 15:31 The role of an executive coach
at 20:54 Motivation to achieve your goals
at 22:01 The Leadership Challenge for post COVID 19 world

Bio
Michael D. Sgro is a business owner, a certified professional coach, an advocate, a performance expert and empathic leader. He coaches professionals to improve their overall effectiveness, leadership skills, career readiness, digital savvy and so much more. Michael's vision for himself is to help people achieve their human potential through relationship building, developing emotional intelligence and community building.
Sgro, a Syracuse native, ascended the ranks in higher education at several institutions in New York state, earning a stellar reputation for his work with constituent engagement, program management, professional networking and digital marketing. He spent 20- years on college campuses in New York City and the Central New York area before coming home to Syracuse to start his own coaching practice.
Michael has earned several honors through the years, including the NYU Advocate for Change Award, the SUNYCUAD award for best alumni program, the Downtown Syracuse Committee Perfect Partner award and the prestigious Le Moyne College Ignatian Award for Service.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Le Moyne College, a certificate in business coaching from the Professional Business Coaches Alliance of North America, a certificate in project management from the American Management Association and is a certified facilitator of Extended DISC.

What's Up Trendsetters!
Our guest is Chris Vlahos of Chris Vlahos Alumni Engagement Consulting and today's trend line includes:

• Characteristics of High Performing Alumni Relations office,
• Challenges presented by COVID-19,
• and his career in higher education advancement.

Full blog post: The 12 Characteristics of a High Performing Alumni Relations Office

About Chris
After 20+ years in the marketing and public relations world on the private side, Chris took his talents to his alma mater's alumni association at THE Ohio State University where he was the vice president for membership and marketing. He went on to lead alumni efforts at the University of Arizona and Case Western Reserve, before fully committing to his consulting practice first under his own shingle and now under the shingle of one of higher education advancements premier consultancies at Marts and Lundy.

Here’s a quick listening guide:
at 2:21 Revelations of a 20-year marketing veteran upon entry to higher education
at 4:09 Career in Alumni Relations
at 4:40 The truth about the Penn State Alumni Association
at 5:27 Alumni Association as the voice of alumni on campus
at 6:27 Advice for newcomers to the field
at 9:20 Performance metrics
at 10:42 Characteristics of a High Performing Alumni Relations Office
at 12:00 Importance of a strategic planning
at 13:15 Digital first strategy
at 15:30 Stop using the term "friendraiser"
at 16:01 Move alumni to action
at 17:16 Centralized approach to alumni relations
at 21:49 Culture of Innovation and purposeful programming

Full Bio
Chris is the author of numerous blogs and articles, most notably his work on the link between alumni engagement and fundraising. His most recent report is "The Evolving Role of Alumni Relations: How institutions are organizing, mobilizing and measuring the value of alumni engagement." He has assisted numerous institutions in the areas of planning and strategy prior to establishing Chris Vlahos Alumni Engagement Consulting LLC in 2015.
He served as AVP of Alumni Relations at Case Western Reserve University, where he developed engagement strategies that positioned the alumni relations office as the alumni gateway to the university.
Prior to joining CWRU, Chris was President and Executive Director of the University of Arizona Alumni Association. In this capacity, he was a member of the university Cabinet as well as the Board of Directors for the U of A Foundation.
Chris began his alumni relations career as VP of Membership & Marketing at The Ohio State University Alumni Association, following a 20-year career in the field of marketing communications. He is a founding member of the Council for Alumni Membership & Marketing Professionals (CAMMP) and has maintained a long affiliation with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Chris has served CASE as a faculty member in the U.S., Asia and Europe; as a two-time chair of the Summer Institute on Alumni Relations; and as a member of the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations. Chris is a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple award.

On this episode, I talk with Sara Wald, Senior Director of Development with the NDSU Foundation:
Today's trend lines include:
- her career journey,
- support of colleagues through COVID -19,
- and a little NDSU Bison sports talk.
Bio
Sara Wald has worked in higher education advancement for 19 years at North Dakota State University. Passion for keeping alumni and students connected has driven Sara’s career. She has seen how connecting people creates synergy in alumni, donors, faculty, and students. She has been active in CASE District VI for her entire career and currently serves on the Cabinet for the district.

Sara is an avid sports fan and enjoys watching the Bison and San Francisco 49ers.

On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Wendy Wilsker, managing partner, with Boyden, an international executive search firm. Our trend lines include:

• the current state of executive search;
• allyship for the Jewish community; and
• understanding the executive search process.