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
- 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, Program on Climate Change, 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.
- 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.
- Donor Relations
- College Priorities
- Stewardship
Eryn is a UW alumna and lifelong Husky who is dedicated to helping donors create meaningful impact through support of College of the Environment priorities. She supports the Department of Earth and Space Sciences and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, including the UW Botanic Gardens. When not at work, Eryn enjoys exploring the outdoors with friends and family.
- Donor relations
- Fundraising
- Stewardship
Ben builds relationships and secures philanthropic commitments with major donors investing in School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and Marine and Environmental Affairs. He collaborates on setting strategic goals with the Senior Director for Advancement, academic leaders, and our community of supporters measurably impacting the important work at UW College of the Environment. Through identification, cultivation, and stewardship of relationships with major donors, Ben drives individual philanthropy to create transformative change. He is a fierce advocate for centering the environment and people furthest from equity as we build a just, sustainable future for all of us.
- Corporate Relations
- Foundation Engagement
- College Priorities
Joaquín builds and develops Corporate and Foundation relations in support of UW College of the Environment priorities. As a life-long and curious learner he enjoys thinking big and is driven by the principle that success and scale bring broad responsibility to do better for future generations and the planet. In his free time, he is relentlessly delighted by spending time with family, outdoors in Seattle parks, and enjoying world cuisine/football with friends.
- 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.
- Fundraising
- Stewardship
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Kearstin is passionate about building and sustaining connections amongst donors to raise private support for EarthLab. She is a proud UW and College of the Environment alumna from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, and has worked within University Advancement since 2019. In her free time, Kearstin enjoys running, hiking, and recreating in the great outdoors of Washington state.
