UNIVERSITY OF IOWA CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Alumni and Donor Engagement
As vice president for Alumni and Donor Engagement, Colin leads a team dedicated to supporting the University of Iowa through thoughtful and innovative engagement and programming-overseeing alumni engagement, annual giving, communication and marketing, events, and stewardship efforts.
Before joining the UI Center for Advancement in 2022, Colin held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago, and most recently, was senior vice president at the fundraising management consulting firm Grenzebach Glier and Associates. He earned his bachelor's degree in communication and media studies from the University of Iowa, master's degrees in adult and distance education from the University of Phoenix and public policy and administration from Iowa State University, and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations and Facilities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Secretary
- Vice President for Legal
As vice president for Legal, Diane is responsible for overseeing general legal work and providing legal guidance and solutions to support the organization's mission of advancing the University of Iowa through engagement and philanthropy. Diane joined the organization in 2012. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska Kearney and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. She served as a law clerk for the Hon. Laura D. Stith, former judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri, and immediately prior to joining the UI Center for Advancement was the contracts manager, clinical trials office, at Oregon Health & Science University. She is a member of the bar in Iowa, Missouri, and Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Vice Chair
Jeffrey A. Chapman is a partner at Gibson Dunn in Dallas, maintaining an active Mergers & Acquisitions practice representing private equity firms and public and private companies in diverse cross-border and domestic transactions in a broad range of industries. He is consistently regarded as one of the top Mergers & Acquisitions lawyers in the country. Chambers Global reports that Jeff �is described by peers as the �the cr�me de la cr�me� of the corporate legal world.� Recognized for many years by Chambers USA in its �Band 1� category as one of a handful of the leading corporate lawyers in Texas, Chambers USA singled out Jeff in 2013 as a �Star Individual� and he remains the only corporate lawyer in Texas history ever to be so designated.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Main Campus Development
- Vice President for Main Campus Development, Data Analytics
As vice president for Main Campus Development, Kent oversees fundraising for the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and six academic colleges (Henry B. Tippie College of Business, Graduate College, and the Colleges of Law, Engineering, Education, and Liberal Arts and Sciences). He also supervises fundraising for noncollegiate programs (UI Libraries, the UI Stanley Museum of Art, Hancher, Division of Student Life, International Programs, and Regional Major Gifts). In addition to managing frontline fundraising, Kent oversees the Department of Constituent Insights and Analytics, which includes Data Analytics and Prospect Research and Development.
Before joining the organization in 2015, Kent served in advancement executive roles at Minnesota State University, Mankato; California State University, Fresno; and Utah State University. He received a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State University and a master's in biblical studies from Cincinnati Christian University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Talent Management
As vice president for talent management, Laura oversees strategies, products, and services that help the UI Center for Advancement attract, retain, develop, and reward highly skilled professionals who are committed to its mission and culture. She possesses domestic and international human resources experience in the fields of utilities, aerospace, and education. Prior to joining the center in 2023, Laura was the senior vice president of talent strategy for ACT. She received a bachelor's degree in organizational communications from University of Northern Iowa and a master's degree in organizational leadership from St. Ambrose University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Officers Team
- President
Lynette Marshall is president and chief executive officer of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement and leads the organization's mission to advance the University of Iowa through engagement and philanthropy. During her tenure, the organization has experienced record performance and growth and become a national leader in creating a campus culture of philanthropy.
Lynette provides leadership to several national groups, including the Association of Governing Boards, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the CASE 50 Steering Committee. In 2017, she received the CASE Commonfund Award, which recognizes individuals who have made valuable contributions to the field through best practices, distinguished service, and volunteer leadership. In 2020, CASE honored her with the Frank L. Ashmore Award for Service to CASE and the Advancement Profession.
Lynette came to Iowa in 2006 after 25 years in fundraising at her alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, including two years as associate chancellor for development. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science and a master's in educational policy studies. Lynette grew up on a fifth-generation family farm near Peoria, Illinois. She and her husband, Jeffery Ford, have two adult children, Michael and Katharine.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Secretary
- Member of the Officers Team
- Vice President
- Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Development
As senior vice president for Health Sciences Development, Sheila oversees fundraising for University of Iowa Health Care-which includes the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, UI Hospitals & Clinics, and UI Stead Family Children's Hospital-as well as the Colleges of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. Raising funds for the UI since 1999, Baldwin has served in several positions in health sciences development, most recently as chief fundraiser for UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. She received a bachelor's degree from the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business and, as a student, was a founding member of UI Dance Marathon.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer
- Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations
As senior vice president for Finance and Operations, Sherri is responsible for overseeing Finance, Investments, Information Technology and Facilities. Sherri joined the organization in 1999 and has been providing financial leadership for more than 20 years as both Chief Financial Officer and Controller. Sherri has a unique understanding of the business of advancement, while leveraging a background in accounting, business operations, and financial systems. She received her bachelor's degree in accounting from the UI Henry B. Tippie College of Business, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an active member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants (ISCPA).
Victor M. Alvarez is a 1983 graduate of the UI College of Law and received his bachelor�s degree from the University of Miami in 1980. �He retired as a corporate finance and capital markets partner of White & Case in 2014, after a 30-year career in the representation of financial institutions and sponsors/borrowers in corporate, project and structured finance transactions, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean Basin. �During his career, he also served in a number of senior management positions for White & Case, including Regional Section Head � Latin America (2011 � 2013), with overall executive authority for the firm�s operations in Brazil, Mexico and components of the U.S. offices devoted to the Latin America region, and as Executive (Managing) Partner � Miami Office (2001 � 2013). �He was a previous member of the Iowa Law School Foundation Board (2008 � 2014). �In addition to his involvement at Iowa, Victor�s civic interests include service as Vice-Chair and Secretary, Board of Trustees (2000 � 2016), Museum of Science, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation that developed and financed, and presently operates, the Frost Science Museum, a 250,000 square foot science museum (including planetarium and aquarium) in downtown, Miami.
When asked about his connection to the University of Iowa, Victor wrote, �I completed my undergraduate education in Miami on a fairly accelerated basis and, as a consequence, I started law school at Iowa at 19 and graduated and began working as a lawyer at 22. �The three years I spent at Iowa Law were, for me, a very special combination of undergraduate and graduate school � the first time I was away from home, my introduction to a genuine college town, Big Ten sports, etc., all while confronting the challenges of a demanding professional school curriculum � and I will always be grateful to UI for my time there, the wonderful people and places I came to know and, of course, the exceptional legal education it afforded me.�