Faculty

Prior to joining Northwestern, Lively served as vice president of development at DePaul University. During his nine-year tenure at DePaul, Lively held several positions, including senior director of development at the Driehaus College of Business. Before moving to DePaul, he worked as director of annual giving and director of law development at the University of Denver.

Lively previously worked at Northwestern in the late 1990s, serving as associate director of development at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law during the University’s prior campaign. He began his development career in 1994 at the University of Colorado Foundation, Inc. as the assistant phone-a-thon director in the office of annual giving.

Lively earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Southern Methodist University (SMU), a master’s degree in history from Colorado State University, an MBA from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, and a certificate from the Management Development Program (MDP) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. In April 2017, he authored Managing Major Gift Fundraisers: A Contrarian’s Guide (published by CASE).

Rod is currently Senior Vice President Emeritus for Development and Alumni Relations at The Pennsylvania State University after serving as Senior Vice President for 20 years. Rare in the length of tenure and record of accomplishment at one institution, he led two seven-year, billion-dollar-plus capital campaigns from start to finish. Under his leadership, Penn State’s endowment sextupled, its annual donor base increased from 125,000 to 193,000, and the Penn State Alumni Association grew to 177,000 members, the largest of any dues-paying university association in the country. 

Kirsch is widely credited as the driving force behind the success of “For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.” This seven-year $2 billion effort took place amid an historic economic upheaval and during one of the worst crises a higher education institution has ever faced. The campaign concluded on schedule and exceeded its goal by raising $2.19 billion with donations from 176,000 alumni, setting a new alumni participation record among public and private institutions. Other institutions, such as Michigan State University, the University of Missouri, and professional organizations like the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Association of Donor Relations Professionals, have benefitted from his expertise and experience as a leader during a major crisis. 

Rod currently consults on a range of topics, including campaign planning and management, organizational design and assessment, resource development and budget planning, crisis fundraising, professional staff development and mentoring, the alignment of academic and philanthropic priorities, and the role of academic leadership in fundraising. 

Rod serves as a faculty member of the Big Ten Fundraisers Institute, a premier educational seminar for senior development professionals, and as vice-chair of the Board of Nurturing Minds in Africa, a non-profit working to educate girls in Tanzania. He has been a frequent speaker at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) seminars. 

He previously served as Senior Vice President for Development at the Indiana University Foundation; Executive Director, Capital Campaign at the University of California at Berkeley; Director of Annual Giving at Drake University; and Director of Undergraduate Chapter Services at Delta Upsilon International Fraternity. 

Rod is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Education at Indiana University. In 2014, the Penn State Alumni Association granted him Honorary Alumnus status. In 2016, he was recognized by Penn State as its Renaissance Honoree of the Year. 

A proud native of North Dakota, Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of North Dakota, as well as a Master of Science in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University Bloomington. 

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. 

He also held senior-level positions at Northwest Missouri State University, Clarkson University, University of Arizona, and Iowa State University.  A veteran advancement professional with more than three decades of experience, Moore has also served the profession as a volunteer, speaker, and author.  His service to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), included membership on CASE’s National Committee on Institutionally Related Foundations, the CASE Commission on Philanthropy, and the CASE Board of Trustees. His 12-year service on the CASE Board culminated with serving as chair of the CASE Board from July 2019 to July 2021. Moore is the 2015 recipient of the CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Award. In addition to his volunteer service to CASE, Jim has served on numerous thought-leadership councils, authored book chapters on institutionally-related foundations, and has been an invited speaker and facilitator at several Association of Governing Board (AGB) Leadership Forums. In 2023, he was appointed as a faculty member of the Big Ten Fund Raisers Institute.

Alison has worked in education development for 30 years and previously has held senior roles in the USA.  Alison led a $3bn campaign for the University of Virginia where she was Associate Vice-President for Development.  Prior to this she completed a $25m six-year campaign two years ahead of schedule as Director of Development for the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where she oversaw an increase in giving from $1m to $11m annually.

Over the course of 7.5 years, Rhea led the $5.49 billion Centennial Campaign for UCLA.  The Campaign concluded in December, 2019 – in the midst of UCLA’s 100th anniversary celebration. During the initiative, nearly 220,000 donors from all 50 states and 98 additional countries contributed more than 574,000 gifts, helping to shepherd another century of groundbreaking achievements in teaching, research, and service.  

Prior to her arrival at UCLA in 1994, Rhea held leadership roles at Otis College of Art and Design and The University of Chicago, as well as campaign positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and her alma mater, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.