About Us
Looking to connect with us? Need to reach out to one of our development officers? Wondering where we're located?
Contact us! ›
ASU Foundation Leadership
Meet the ASU Foundation’s talented leadership team.
Gretchen Buhlig
Chief Executive Officer
Gretchen Buhlig is the Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona State University Foundation for A New American University. Since joining the ASU Foundation in January 2012, Gretchen has been a catalyst for transformational change, generating record-breaking fundraising success and surpassing campaign goals year after year. Gretchen’s ultimate goal is to provide the tools, knowledge, and autonomy to enable a pipeline of future leaders to feel empowered and motivated to achieve their goals. She is a relationship-oriented idea-generator and drives large-scale institutional impact through transformative gifts.
Lauren Brown
Chief of Staff & Assistant Vice President, Development Services
Lauren Brown serves as the Assistant Vice President of Development Services and the ASU Foundation Chief of Staff, where she provides oversight of strategic initiatives within transdisciplinary units at the foundation and ASU, leads all central operations, and manages the foundation’s Board of Directors.
Andrew Carey
Assistant Vice President, Alumni Success
Andrew Carey is the Assistant Vice President of Alumni Success. Following his leadership of Campaign ASU 2020, which raised over $2.3 billion for the Sun Devil Community, he now drives pan-university alumni initiatives. He leads collaboration with university stakeholders that cultivate alumni to optimize experiences, promote life-long connections and increase affinity and advocacy. He also manages the ASU Foundation Next Generation Council.
Bill Kavan
Vice President, Engagement & Outreach
Bill Kavan is the Vice President for Engagement & Outreach. He provides strategic management and oversight of the foundation's Engagement and Outreach division, which includes the following teams: Scholarship Advancement, Donor Relations, Annual Giving, ASU Family, Alumni Success, Engagement Programs (President's Club, Women and Philanthropy) and Engagement and Outreach Development.
Briana Cons
Assistant Vice President, Research & Evaluation
Briana Cons serves as the Assistant Vice President of Research & Evaluation, where she oversees research support services for development operations, including prospect identification, wealth analysis, giving trends, engagement strategies, and data management.
Brittney Snyder
Assistant Vice President, Unit Development
Brittney Snyder is the Assistant Vice President for Unit Development at the ASU Foundation. In her role, she supports multiple academic unit development teams and helps philanthropic investors create transformative impact through investments in access to education, student success, and groundbreaking research.
David Wahls
Executive Director of Development, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
David Wahls serves as the Executive Director of Development for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering where he leads a development team to build comprehensive partnerships with industry, alumni, parents, and community individuals to advance the Fulton Schools of Engineering, ASU and our region. The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering is the largest and most comprehensive engineering school in the nation, with over 27,000 students and 450 faculty as of 2021.
Eric Spicer
Vice President, Unit Development
Eric Spicer is the Vice President for Unit Development, where he leads a team of fundraising professionals who are embedded within colleges at ASU. Eric provides vision, strategy, and donor support to Directors and Executive Directors of Development in advancement of the ASU charter.
Jacqueline Smith
Vice President, Presidential Advancement
Jacqueline Smith, J.D. serves as Vice President for Presidential Advancement at the ASU Foundation. Jacqueline designs opportunities for presidential level prospects and organizational funders to invest in Arizona State University as a New American University. She also enhances ASU’s competitiveness for philanthropic “big bet” competitions and funding opportunities.
Kimberly Scott
Senior Fellow
Kimberly Scott is a professor of women and gender studies in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University and the founding executive director of ASU’s Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology. The center is a one-of-a-kind research unit focused on exploring, identifying, and creating innovative scholarship surrounding underrepresented women and girls in STEM. Dr. Scott is also the ASU Foundation’s inaugural Senior Fellow. In this role, she is documenting career experiences and creating pathways for diverse philanthropic leaders.
Patrick McDermott
Chief Engagement Officer, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Patrick McDermott is the Chief Engagement Officer for the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU. Patrick leads a team of fundraisers and alumni engagement staff to increase active engagement levels within Thunderbird and raise revenue for scholarships, research, and advancement.
Roger Edgar
Vice President, Presidential Advancement
Roger Edgar serves as Vice President of Presidential Advancement. In that capacity, he supports President Crow and Foundation leadership to further advance transformational philanthropy in support of ASU as a New American University through raising and investing private contributions.
Ryan Robinson
Executive Director of Development, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
As Executive Director of Development, Ryan Robinson leads the case creation, team building, fundraising efforts and strategy for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. The Global Futures Laboratory serves as the cornerstone of ASU’s commitment to sustainability and shaping a thriving tomorrow for all of Earth’s inhabitants by operating as a first of its kind medical center for our planet.
Scott Nelson
Assistant Vice President, Sun Devil Athletics Development
Scott Nelson is the Assistant Vice President for Sun Devil Athletics Development and the Senior Associate Athletic Director of the Sun Devil Club. Scott works closely with Sun Devil Athletics senior leadership and coaches to develop a comprehensive resource raising strategy with a focus on connecting with alumni, donors, and athletic fans to provide the resources required to support 26 NCAA DI sports and 600+ student-athletes.
Shaun Brenton
Associate Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Relations/Solutions
Shaun Brenton is the Associate Vice President of Corporate & Foundation Relations and Solutions, where she works with organizational funders seeking to make philanthropic investments in ASU to advance research, fund scholarships, and support opportunities that benefit students, faculty and the communities we serve.
Shawn Richards
Executive Director of Development, Learning Enterprise
Shawn Richards is the Executive Director of Development for ASU’s Learning Enterprise, and oversees ASU’s California advancement and development. The ASU Learning Enterprise re-imagines the role of universities in society and serve learners across their entire lifespan, from kindergarten to high school to mid-career to postretirement. Shawn is based at the Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles to advance the mission of ASU in California.
Suzanne Rinker
Vice President, Enterprise Development
Suzanne Rinker is the Vice President of Enterprise Development at the ASU Foundation. Suzanne develops enterprise level fundraising strategies, as well as cross collaboration opportunities across the institution, working closely with the executive leadership for Knowledge Enterprise, Academic Enterprise, Learning Enterprise, Cultural Affairs, and Educational Outreach and Student Services.
Wade Stokes
Executive Director of Development, Knowledge Enterprise
Wade Stokes is the Executive Director of Development for ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise. In addition to advancing research, Knowledge Enterprise trains and supports entrepreneurs, leads the university's economic development activities, engages with corporate partners and international development agencies, and facilitates technology transfer. Wade is based at the Barrett & O’Conner Center in Washington DC to advance the mission of ASU in the Capitol Region.
All boards
The directors establish policy and annual goals, oversee fiduciary responsibilities and business affairs, and oversee management of the endowment and investments.
John W. Graham (Chair), Chairman and CEO, Sunbelt Holdings
Nita Francis (Vice Chair), President, F2 Family Foundation LLC
Hope M. Sharett (Secretary), General Counsel, ASU Enterprise Partners
Lauren E. Bailey ‘02, Co-Founder and CEO, Upward Projects
Steve A. Betts, Managing Director of Development, Holualoa Companies
Gretchen E. Buhlig, CEO, ASU Foundation
Malissia R. Clinton ‘90, General Counsel & Secretary, Meritage Homes
Michael M. Crow, President, ASU
Virginia “Ginny” DeSanto ‘98, CFO and Treasurer, ASU Enterprise Partners
Dan Dillon, CEO, ASU Enterprise Partners
Steve O. Evans ‘67, Chairman, Evans Charitable Foundation
Ira A. Fulton, Founder, Fulton Homes
Doug S. Fulton, CEO, Fulton Homes
Jay Heiler ‘83, CEO, Great Hearts Academies
Mary M. Hentges ‘81, Former CFO, YapStone Inc.
Chris Howard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ASU Public Enterprise
Lisa S. Loo, Vice President for Legal Affairs and Deputy General Counsel, ASU
Anne L. Mariucci, General Partner, MFLP
Morgan R. Olsen, CFO, Treasurer and Executive Vice President, ASU
Harry A. Papp, Managing Partner, L. Roy Papp & Associates, LLP
Bill J. Post ‘73, Chairman of the Board and CEO (Retired), Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Denise D. Resnik ’82, Founder, First Place AZ
Tony B. Sarsam ‘85, President and CEO, SpartanNash Company
Gary Trujillo ‘83, President and CEO, Southwest Harvard Group
Lisa Urias ’86, Chief Program and Community Engagement Officer, Arizona Community Foundation
E. Keith Wirtz ‘83, Vice President and CIO, Union Savings Bank
Roger L. Wittlin ‘76, Principal, Wittlin Investment Advisory
Carl Lee Bach III ’97, CEO, Navigators Underwriting Agency, Ltd. (The Hartford)
Gretchen Buhlig, CEO, ASU Foundation
Virginia “Ginny” DeSanto ’98, CFO and Treasurer, ASU Enterprise Partners
Dan Dillon, CEO, ASU Enterprise Partners
Sir Malcolm Grant, Senior Advisor to President of Arizona State University
Jim O’Brien, SVP and Chief of Staff, ASU
Michelle Senecal de Fonseca, Area VP, Northern Europe, Citrix Systems, Inc.
Hope M. Sharett (Secretary), General Counsel, ASU Enterprise Partners
Mission, Vision, and History
The ASU Foundation builds partnerships and relationships, uniting ideas, people, philanthropic support and investments to advance ASU’s goals for inclusion, student success, discovery and local and global impact.
To become nationally recognized as the model for A New American University Foundation.
The ASU Foundation was incorporated on June 22, 1955, as the Arizona State College Foundation.
The foundation drew inspiration from the generosity of George and Martha Wilson of 20 acres of land in 1885 to create the Tempe Normal School, which would later become Arizona State University.
In the 1930s, the Bulldog Boosters organization actively raised support for athletic programs for the Arizona State Teachers College, as it was known at the time. In the mid-1940s, the fundraising group changed its name to Sun Angels, concurrent with the renaming of the college’s mascot to the Sun Devils.
In 1947, Grady Gammage, president of the newly named Arizona State College, established the Agricultural Advisory Council to advocate for and raise funds on behalf of the school’s agricultural activities. In 1955, the council was incorporated and renamed the Arizona State College Foundation, with its philanthropic mission broadened to serve the entire college.
A state referendum in 1958 renamed the college Arizona State University, with a concomitant name change for the foundation to Arizona State University Foundation, more commonly referred to as the ASU Foundation. In 2008, the foundation was renamed the Arizona State University Foundation for A New American University to reflect the vision laid out for the university by President Michael Crow.
Embracing its innovative reputation, in 2016, the ASU Foundation for A New American University reorganized as ASU Enterprise Partners, which comprises five diverse resource-raising entities, including the foundation, which maintains its singular focus on philanthropy and development on behalf of ASU.
Careers with the ASU Foundation
If you’re ready to change the future of fundraising, let’s connect. Building a movement requires all hands on deck, from entrepreneurs to graphic designers, fundraisers to accountants, filmmakers to investors.
Voted a Top Company to Work for in Arizona 6 years running.