The Advancement team is responsible for engaging stakeholders in meaningful interactions that foster pride, advocacy, and private support for the College of the Environment. We work closely with the College’s academic units, collaborating with Dean Maya Tolstoy, faculty, volunteers, and alumni to engage donors and cultivate gifts that benefit our units, the College, and the entire University.
Mailing address
College of the Environment Advancement
Ocean Research Building II
Box 355055
Seattle, WA 98195
Fax
206-897-1634
Team contacts
Melinda leads the college’s advancement team to engage alumni, build individual and corporate partnerships and to further philanthropic investments in the college. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, her initial work in higher education was in engineering education research to increase retention of underrepresented students. Prior to her career in higher education, she provided research and development support to the U.S.D.A. Forest Service Fire and Aviation program.
- EXECUTIVE SUPPORT
- DAILY OPERATIONS
- BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Nova oversees the day-to-day management of the Advancement team’s operations and is the Associate Dean’s assistant. She is the principal liaison between the Associate Dean and other College of the Environment and University Advancement colleagues as well as senior university officials, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and volunteers. Prior to the College of the Environment, she provided administrative support to teams and executives in healthcare.
- Donor Relations
- Individual Giving
- College Priorities
James is passionate about building and sustaining relationships with individuals to raise private support for the College of the Environment. In his role, he serves as the advancement liaison to the School of Oceanography, Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Program on the Environment. As a Husky alumnus himself, James has worked at UW Bothell Advancement since 2015 and joined the College of the Environment in autumn 2019. When he’s not working, he can be found cooking, reading or traveling.
Rachel is based on San Juan Island and works closely with Friday Harbor Labs' Advancement board. She also coordinates annual Friday Harbor Labs donor events. Rachel dabbles in artistic ventures, but mostly enjoys going to art museums, concerts and dance performances.
- Donor relations
- Corporate relations
- Foundation engagement
Danna comes to UW from the Seattle Aquarium, where she served as Corporate Relations Officer building out a robust corporate relations program. She holds a master’s degree in conservation biology from the University of Queensland and a bachelor’s in marine biology from UCSC. In her role at UW, Danna is responsible for working with academic leaders, volunteers and others to develop and implement strategies for corporate and foundation support that align with departmental and College priorities.
- Event planning
- Event management
- Event design
Monica oversees special events (in-person, hybrid, and virtual) for the College of the Environment Advancement team. She specializes in designing experiences that support fundraising, alumni engagement, and awareness building. She provides full-service event management, from concept to day-of-event services. Outside of work, you can find Monica spending time with family or exploring Seattle’s vibrant restaurant, theater, and art scenes.
- Donor relations
- Endowments
- Stewardship reports
Zanne's work focuses on donor acknowledgments, recognition and accountability, compliance and fiduciary responsibility, impact reporting, and engagement and loyalty. When not at work, you can find her singing with the Seattle Symphony Chorale at Beneroya Hall.
- Fundraiser Support
- Development Services
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Tegan (she/they) supports the team through the fundraising process, including donor discovery, data pulling and analysis, proposal and report writing, gift processing, and stewardship. She is passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in her professional and personal life. Outside of work, Tegan enjoys park walks, reality TV, and karaoke.
- Donor Relations
- Fundraising
- Stewardship
Kathleen develops and executes strategies to solicit significant gifts of impact to support the College of the Environment and leads the major gift fundraising team. She collaborates with the Associate Dean for Advancement, academic leaders and volunteers, and is a key partner in designing and implementing development programs to sustain significant gift identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Outside of work, you can find her exploring local hiking trails or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
