Meet the Advancement Team
The Office of Advancement connects those who are passionate about education and research to the people and programs at CU Denver who can excel with their support. We serve as a trusted campus and community resource that inspires alumni pride and private support to advance CU Denver's mission, and we work to ensure a bright and promising future for CU Denver through robust engagement, transformative philanthropy, and a deep sense of pride in the university.
Vice Chancellor
Melisa Baldwin
Vice Chancellor for Advancement
303-315-3601
Email Melisa
Melisa sets strategies for the university’s fundraising initiatives, including annual giving, major gifts, corporate giving, foundation relations and gift planning. She also oversees Donor and Alumni Engagement and Advancement Communications. With more than 25 years of experience as a university development professional, Melisa has contributed to growth in fundraising results in every position she has held. She has vast experience in setting the strategic direction and managing the operational execution of fundraising campaigns. Melisa previously worked in advancement at Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and University of Florida.
Melisa lives in downtown Denver and enjoys all the urban setting has to offer. She also enjoys skiing and hiking in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Advancement Communications
Jim Dunn
Managing Director, Advancement Communications
303-315-3601
Email Jim
Jim plans and implements communications strategies and creates a variety of collateral to support fundraising goals and activities. Throughout a career spanning 30+ years in the U.S. and Europe, Jim has worked in nearly all areas of advancement, including major gifts; corporate sponsorships; corporate, foundation, and government support; annual giving; capital campaigns; alumni relations; and marketing and communications. Focusing on the arts and education, he has held positions at The Kennedy Center, New York City Ballet, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, University of Maryland, San Francisco State University, and Marymount International School Rome.
A lifelong music lover, Jim has studied classical piano since childhood and took up the cello more recently while living in Italy. He still enjoys playing both instruments in his free time.
Monica Cutler
Director, Digital Marketing and Strategy
303-315-3601
Email Monica
Pronouns: she/her
Monica supports the work of the entire CU Denver Advancement team in digital marketing which includes mass emails, event registrations, social media outreach, and website management with focused-effort on digital accessibility. In her escape from retail (Sephora) in 2014, Monica began her CU career as a student hourly at CU Anschutz and found her passion for communications in a full-time position at CU Denver when she was a part of transitioning eCommunications tools at various levels across the CU system.
With more than a decade of experience in higher education marketing and communications, Monica brings a strong focus on clarity, accessibility, and consistency in digital messaging and strategy. She develops and maintains email templates and workflows that support sustainable, accessible communication over time, ensuring continuity and efficiency within Advancement. She holds certifications in Accessibility for Marketers from Siteimprove and Introduction to Web Accessibility from W3C.
Monica was born in Aurora, CO and grew up in rural Idaho. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Boise State University (smurf turf!) where she was also an active participant of the national championship winning speech and debate team (Talkin’ Broncos). In 2013 Monica moved to Denver and completed a Master’s in Public Administration at CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs with honors and received the Outstanding MPA Student award.
When Monica is not at work she enjoys jigsaw puzzles, house plants, taking care of her home, and hanging with her rescue Miniature Schnauzer named Tucker and rescue parakeet named Nimby.
Yining Wang
Student Writer
303-315-3601
Email Sally
Alumni Engagement
-300qsh.jpg?sfvrsn=486485ba_0 "Lauren Jacobs")
Lauren Jacobs
Director, Alumni Engagement
303-315-3601
Email Lauren | Schedule a Virtual Meeting
Pronouns: she/her
A lifelong Coloradoan from Arvada, Lauren earned her degree from Colorado State University and brings more than 15 years of experience in advancement and alumni engagement. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her kids, volunteering at their school, enjoying live music with her husband, spending Sunday afternoons with her parents and extended family, and gathering with friends and neighbors for game nights.
Annual Giving
Jennifer Dailey
Director, Annual Giving
303-315-3601
Email Jenn | Schedule a Virtual Meeting
Before stepping into fundraising, Jennifer worked as the volunteer coordinator at New Era Colorado and as an English teacher with English First Beijing. She previously worked for Advancement at both the Leeds School of Business and the School of Education at CU Boulder. She is a two-time CU alumna, earning her B.A. in International Affairs and Chinese Language and Civilization at CU Boulder and an MS in Management at the CU Denver Business School.
A Colorado native, Jennifer enjoys taking her pup Neville to explore (he is a good brewery pup), camping, and watching football or Broadway musicals with her friends and family.
Liz Fagerness
Campus Program Manager, Central Annual Giving
303-315-3601
Email Liz
Liz is part of the CU Central Advancement team, where she supports the CU Denver campus through crowdfunding initiatives, annual giving data analysis, and key performance indicator management. She serves as a liaison to the student call center, helps implement annual giving campaigns, and collaborates on the planning and execution of CU Denver's annual Giving Day.
Originally from South Dakota, Liz earned her bachelor’s degree from Augustana University and her master’s degree from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). She is passionate about advancing student success and views annual giving as a powerful way to enhance the student experience. Outside of work, Liz enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family, baking sweet treats, and playing board games.
Campaign Management & Community Engagement
Tina Schlichte
Chief of Staff
303-315-3601
Email Tina
Tina brings over 15 years of experience as a national sales and business development leader, having most recently led the sales & business operations team at the University of Colorado’s South Denver location. Being able to make an impact on CU Denver’s current and future students by utilizing her skillset of building strong and genuine connections and providing creative solutions for her internal and CU Denver’s external partners, are just two of the many reasons, Tina is excited to be part of the CU Denver Office of Advancement.
Tina is originally from Germany and has lived in the US for the past 18 years. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her husband and three kiddos either in the mountains or on the soccer field. Her favorite way to connect with old and new friends is a gemütlicher Kaffeeklatsch.
Donor Engagement
Mollie Loiselle Sarpong
Director, Donor Engagement
303-315-3601
Email Mollie
Mollie is a Minnesota native and moved to Colorado in 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Winona State University in Minnesota. She has a robust background in fundraising within the hospital and health care industry. In her spare time, she enjoys being active outside and exploring Denver’s arts and culture scene.
Events
Katie Comer
Director, Events & Engagement
303-917-8538
Email Katie
Throughout her career Katie has managed events in both the higher education and non-profit sectors, most recently serving in the Office of Events and Protocol at the University of New Orleans.
A Colorado native, you can find Katie spending time outdoors with her family and friends and attending concerts with her husband.
Grace Dugery
Coordinator, Events & Engagement
303-315-3601
Email Grace
Grace enjoys exploring all that Colorado has to offer. She spends her free time skiing in the winters and camping in the summers. Grace enjoys traveling, attending concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, taking pottery classes, and spending time with friends and family.
Industry & Foundation Relations
Adrian Ingram
Managing Director, Industry Foundation Relations and Principal Gifts
720-339-9965
Email Adrian
As the Principal Gifts Officer, Adrian cultivates and solicits a portfolio of top prospects and donors. She manages a network of relationships with donors in partnership with advancement colleagues, university administrators and faculty. Adrian is highly collaborative and utilizes a team-mentality to increase donor engagement and gift size. Adrian has worked in advancement for 17 years, most recently at the University of Denver, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado, and Denver Rescue Mission and was awarded the Rotary Foundation International Fellowship and El Pomar Foundation Fellowship. Adrian speaks Portuguese fluently and enjoys gardening and travel.
Anna Crawford
Senior Director, Foundation Relations
303-315-3601
Email Anna
Pronouns: she/her
Anna directs the foundation relations strategy for the university, including its seven academic units and various campus programs. With 13 years of fundraising experience in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors, Anna has worked in roles dedicated to corporate and foundation development, major gifts, and principal gifts. Anna is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at CU Denver's School of Public Affairs, where she also earned her graduate certificate in public policy analysis. She earned her M.A. in English from Penn State University and her B.A. in English and Anthropology from Texas Tech University. Anna met her partner when they were both serving as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukraine, and they now live together in Denver with their children, cats, and books.
Major Gifts
Tatjana Chenoweth
Senior Director of Development, College of Engineering, Design and Computing
407-619-3605
Email Tatjana
Tatjana most recently served as a Director of Development for CU Boulder College of Engineering & Applied Science. Prior to joining CU, Tatjana managed advancement efforts for the top ranked organizations such as the Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Florida, and Rollins College.
Tatjana earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas, and received her MBA from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
Susan Cleveland
Director of Gift Planning
310-993-5856
Email Susan
Susan has long been a higher education advocate, working for over 11 years as a Higher Education Counselor and English Teacher, mainly overseas. Before joining CU she was a Major Gifts Officer and managed the Planned Giving program at the United Service Organizations (USO) in Washington, DC. She’s delighted to combine her passion for higher education, and experience in fundraising, to join the CU Gift Planning Team and be the conduit for donors managing their own estate plans; often making the most transformational gifts in their lifetime. Susan completed her Master’s Degree in Education with Bowie State University and her undergraduate at University of Delaware. With her eldest brother being a CU Boulder alumnus, she’s happy to finally be living in Colorado herself, starting a new pollinator garden and finding new camping spots.
Brendan Hagerty
Senior Director of Development, Business School
917-742-1681
Email Brendan
Pronouns: he/him
Brendan directs the fundraising strategy for the Business School in partnership with the dean and members of the faculty/staff. He is driven by a desire to match CU Denver’s donors with their philanthropic passions and to provide all students with the opportunity to enrich their experiences on campus.
Prior to joining CU Denver, Brendan served in multiple major gift fundraising roles, where he focused his work on cultivating and soliciting major gift donors. A Colorado native, Brendan received his BA from the University of Washington and his MA from Northwestern University, where he began his development career working for the annual fund. In his free time, he enjoys a good powder day on the slopes, traveling with his wife and two daughters, and hiking with his rescue Sato, Walter.
Katie Imhoff
Director of Development, School of Public Affairs
720-560-2316
Email Katie | Schedule a Virtual Meeting
Pronouns: she/her
Katie Imhoff serves as Director of Development for the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs (SPA). She is a 2024 graduate of SPA’s Master of Public Administration program and a current PhD student conducting research with the Center for Policy and Democracy. Drawing on her background in international development and nonprofit fundraising, Katie works to build values-aligned partnerships that strengthen public-serving education.
Born and raised in Denver, Katie is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, powder day skier, and arts enthusiast who loves spending time outdoors with her pup Finn, hunting for hidden gems in used bookstores, and exploring local restaurants.
Brett Kinley
Senior Director of Development, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
312-833-3764
Email Brett
Brett is from the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from the University of Kansas, where he got his start in fundraising at the student phonathon. His mission centric approach to development comes from his background in higher education and health care non-profit industries. He moved to Colorado in 2022 with his wife and their two cats and tortoise. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, birding, running, disc golf, and watching college basketball.
Anna Linn
Director of Development, College of Architecture and Planning
720-270-0004
Email Anna
Anna believes fiercely in the impact of education and wants to ensure it is accessible to all who seek it. "Educational institutions shape the human experience in so many ways. From academia, to challenging and reshaping societal norms and knowledge, we have the awesome responsibility of ensuring all those who seek to better themselves and their communities are supported in their endeavors".
Her interests are rooted in the human experience and is passionate about climate change, racial inequities and mental health. As an individual born and raised in Colorado, you'll often find her exploring the wilderness, dancing to live music, and eating tacos with her friends, family, and pup Kingsley.
Operations
Nickolas Chabot-Olson
Executive Director, Finance and Administration
303-315-3601
Email Nickolas
Nickolas is a Colorado native with a finance and economics background. He has spent the majority of his professional career in higher education. In his free time, he enjoys working out and spending time with his wife and Australian Cattle Dog, Sydney.
Gabi Dargis
Project and Gift Administration Manager
303-315-3601
Email Gabi
Gabi oversees the gift administration process, liaising with Central Advancement and the CU Foundation to get gift agreements drafted and signed. She also assists with fund management and manages cross-area projects and campus initiatives for the team.
She lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her husband, son, and dog, Barkley. She enjoys spending time outside, traveling, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops.
Devon Mearns
Development and Prospecting Coordinator
303-315-3601
Email Devon
Pronouns: she/her
Devon supports the Office of Advancement as a Development and Prospecting Coordinator. She supports prospect research and reporting, helping to guide strategy and engagement across campus. She manages the donor acknowledgment and recognition process, supports stewardship efforts, and assists with reporting and prospect research. Devon is also a key contact for daily operations and gift handling.
Initially from Virginia, Devon holds her bachelor's degree in environmental biology from Christopher Newport University. She has a strong passion for the outdoors and four years of experience working in environmental conservation. She’s an avid skateboarder, snowboarder, and mountain biker, and loves inspiring other women to get into boardsports. When she’s not at the local skatepark, you’ll find her adventuring in the mountains of Colorado with friends and her trusty Subaru.