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Meet the team

OPPA Team

Our Teams: 

Mary Haworth

Director of Philanthropic Partnerships and Alumni

Rebecca Smith

OPPA Administrator

Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy

The Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy team secures funding and pro bono support from companies, charities and foundations. They do this by cultivating long-term relationships with institutions around the world whose interests align with the University's, as well as by responding to open calls from funders. The team often works in close collaboration with relevant colleagues in RIKE, RDMs, ADRs, and faculty departments to do this.

Dan Zastawny

Associate Director (Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy)

Audrey Bounaix

Philanthropy Manager (Sciences - Environmental and Physical)

Helen Bradley

Philanthropy Manager (Social Sciences)

Sharon Godwin

Philanthropy Manager (Life and Health Science)

Ellen Robotham

Philanthropy Manager (Arts and Humanities)

Edward Joyner

Relationship Manager

Lydia van den Dries

Relationship Manager (Corporates)

Eden Doherty

Philanthropy Support Officer

Katie Jackson

Projects and Proposals Manager

Sitting across Corporate Foundation Philanthropy Team, and the Individual Philanthropy and Legacy Giving Team

Fundraising and Community Engagement

The Fundraising and Community Engagement team work with students, staff, alumni and friends of the University to raise awareness of philanthropy and volunteering and drive support in the UK and internationally for our core values of supporting students and public good. They also support the delivery of alumni engagement events.

Tom Piercy

Associate Director (Fundraising and Community Engagement)

Kyla Holt

Volunteering and Alumni Programmes Manager

Aiko Mizumori Hirst

International Volunteering and Alumni Officer

Jennie Ravenscroft

Volunteering and Alumni Officer

Nat Smallpage-Hurst

Volunteering and Alumni Officer

Jessica Roehricht

Philanthropy Officer (Community Giving)

Liz Vazquez

Philanthropy Officer (Leadership Giving)

Em Sinclair

Philanthropy Officer (Regular Giving)

York for Life

The York for Life team sits under the Fundraising and Community Engagement Team. The team works to deliver the University’s lifetime offer of support to our graduates designed around delivering lifelong learning, careers support and networking opportunities.

Thea Windsor

Alumni Platforms Manager (York for Life)

Rachel Collins

Alumni Experience Manager (Learning)

Individual Philanthropy and Legacy Giving

The Individual Philanthropy Team works with individual major donors and those who pledge and leave a gift in their will to the University. They build long term relationships with graduates and friends of the University enabling them to make a transformational impact in their philanthropic giving in areas where their interests and values align with the University's. 

Sarah Disney

Associate Director (Individual Philanthropy)

Laura Dennison

Philanthropy Manager

Kalli Keramari

Philanthropy Manager

Sharon Oakley

Philanthropy Manager

Chloe Manton

Strategic Philanthropy Manager

Helen Iredale

Senior Philanthropy Officer

Emma Stent

Philanthropy Support Officer

Legacy and In Memory Giving

The legacy team sits in the individual philanthropy team. They manage inquiries about gifts in wills or a deed of variation, then steward these legacy pledges and work with executors. They also facilitate in-memory activities, from 'tribute leaves' in the Tribute Garden by the Quiet Place, to in-memory crowdfunding pages and larger gifts in memory.

Mary Taylor Lewis

Legacy and In Memory Giving Manager

Maresa Bailey

Philanthropy Officer (Legacies)

Operations and Experience

Communications

The communications team manages mass communications for both our alumni engagement and fundraising programs. The team produces and delivers engaging content for multiple different channels. This includes email marketing, website design and management including Shorthand sites, case study services, video work, the Alumni Voices blog and social media management.

To have your news or events included in our Alumni Newsletter, please email alumninews@york.ac.uk.

Charlotte Gibbons

Head of Operations and Experience

Communications and Digital Manager

Catriona Nunn

Content and Communications Officer

Mike Bracknell

Digital Communications Officer

Rebecca Bowe

Social Media and Digital Design Officer

Maya Bewley

Communications Support Officer

Supporter Relations

The Supporter Relations Team is responsible for the stewardship of our donor and volunteer community. They develop and deliver programmes of stewardship which thank supporters for their gifts of time and money and demonstrates the impact of their giving. They ensure supporters have an exceptional giving experience with the University of York.

Charlotte Wainwright

Supporter Relations Manager

Miriam Hemingway

Donor Experience Officer (Corporate, Trusts and Foundations)

Michaella Xavier-Jackson

Donor Experience Officer (Mass Participation)

Laura Higton

Donor Experience Officer (Individuals and Legacy)

Claire Farrar

Supporter Relations Officer

Prospect Research

The prospect research team manages the identification of fundraising prospects, and fundraising pipeline management. They also offer alumni research services as well as due diligence and risk assessment analysis.

Em Sequiera

Prospect Research Manager (Also manages due diligence)

Darin Wood

Prospect Research Officer

Savannah Green

Prospect Research Officer

Gifts and Funds

The gifts and funds team are responsible for processing all the donations received and sending the initial thank you to the donor. They also manage gift and donor reporting, gift aid collection and overseas giving including the University of York in America.

Vicky Patteson

Gifts and Funds Manager

Katie Pearson

Gifts Administrator

Information and Insight

The information and insight team works to compile audiences and send mass emails, interact with alumni via the mailbox, import and export mass data into the Raisers' Edge CRM, and provide annual returns to external organisations. They also provide analysis of data to support strategic insights, software and hardware support, and data protection support advice.

Dan Parker

Information and Insight Manager

Hannah Droop

Data Analyst

Andrew Thompson

Information Officer

Clare Moffatt

Information Administrator

Heather Richardson

Information Administrator

Jen Massey

Information Administrator