What did you do prior to joining the Faculty of Dentistry?
Before joining the Faculty of Dentistry, I worked in central University Advancement, where I was an Alumni Relations Officer for 5 years- before that I worked in a similar role on the same team for about 2.5 years. I was responsible for building strong relationships with alumni, donors, and volunteers in several of our key alumni communities, including the New York Tri-state and the UK. Much of my work revolved around speaker, professional development, and networking events, and implementing other strategies to maximize philanthropic support and increase alumni involvement with the University. It’s been a pleasure to see vibrant McGill alumni communities all over the world, and to work with wonderful, creative, and dedicated volunteers. One of my favorite parts of working with alumni is learning about their lives and passions, and uncovering their stories. Dentistry graduates have dedicated so much time and energy into their craft and careers, and I can’t wait to tap into what keeps them motivated and discover the areas that matter most to them. I’m looking forward to being in a building where teaching and research takes place, and to getting to know the students and professors.
What do you hope to accomplish in your new role?
My goals here are to promote the Faculty, and to help alumni give back in ways that are meaningful to them. I come with a fair amount of experience working with young alumni, so engaging this group of is certainly something I will look to develop.
What will be your first challenge?
My challenge will be to parlay what I see every day in our clinic and labs to alumni who don’t come back to McGill often. How can I re-engage them with the Faculty, and explain how philanthropy is what takes the Faculty to the next level of excellence, making it one of the top schools in the country and in the world, and how can they be a part of that?
What would you like people in the Faculty to know about you?
I love travel- art and culture- and in fact I left McGill for about 10 months to go travelling. I also run, thanks to the support of running buddies, and plan on doing my third half marathon this year. I would definitely like to participate in the Run for Outreach.