The University of Texas at Arlington

As Vice President for Development since 2008, Jim is responsible for the resource development efforts at UT Arlington, working collaboratively with the University’s deans, the UT Arlington Development Board and members of his staff to raise funds for endowments, capital and programmatic projects. Prior to his appointment, Jim served thirteen years as vice president of institutional advancement at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He also served six years as vice president for development and two years as executive director of development at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi and has held management positions at Southern Methodist University and Odessa College. Jim is a native of Texas and began his undergraduate career as a freshman at UT Arlington in 1973.

Prior to joining UTA, Cecilia worked as Administrative Assistant to the Principal for a private school in Dallas. Before entering the educational field, she and Marco, her husband of 26 years, built and designed residential homes and performed commercial work for churches and restaurants in Puerto Rico and Irving from 1984 until 2002.

Cecilia has two grown daughters. One will graduate from the University of Notre Dame in the spring of 2009. Her 14 year old son keeps her busy as a ‘soccer and basketball mom.’ Being a practicing Catholic plays a very important role in her life and her family life, too.

Jerri joined the University of Texas at Arlington in 2007. She leads a team of 9 unit major gift Development Directors and support staff. Jerri is responsible for providing strategic leadership for major gifts fundraising success through goal-setting, strategic planning, team management and strengthening relationships between the university and major gift donors and potential donors. She works collaboratively with the Vice President for Development, Deans, Department Chairs and Directors to put in place a major gifts program consistent with strategic vision and goals of the university and the schools/colleges.

Her background includes a twelve-year consulting career where she worked with a number of not-for-profit organizations conducting feasibility studies and managing capital campaigns. Throughout her professional career she has worked with several universities including University of Missouri – Rolla, University of West Alabama, Virginia State University, Jacksonville State University, Troy State University, and Auburn University.

Amy joined the Development Office at University of Texas at Arlington in 2011. She works with the Associate Vice President for Development, major gifts Development Directors and support staff to strengthen and advance the university's prospect management system. Prior to joining UTA, she was employed with an independent consulting firm in fundraising management. While there she assisted over 100 clients in fundraising endeavors. Over seven years of experience in the fundraising industry and 11 years in database management come with her.

Diane brings more than 20 years of sales and fundraising experience to UT Arlington and the Schools of Architecture and Urban and Public Affairs. After careers in teaching and marketing/sales, she began her development career with United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County and has served as a fund raiser specializing in major gifts and planned giving at Brite Divinity School at TCU and Partners Together For Health, the foundation for JPS Health Network.

Diane is a Fort Worth native and a graduate of TCU. She is active in Leadership Fort Worth, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Berry Street Initiative and University Christian Church. Both of her adult children are married and live on the East Coast.

Prior to coming to UTA Mari worked for Arlington ISD for seven years. Mari is married with three children and has always called Arlington home. She enjoys traveling with her family. Her oldest daughter is a UT Arlington graduate, and she has a son who is an A&M graduate. Her youngest daughter is currently attending UT Arlington.

Before UT Arlington, Shaver worked at Southern Methodist University as the Associate Athletic Director of Development. He managed a team of 10 people and oversaw the annual giving program, as well as capital projects for the athletic department.

Before SMU, Shaver worked at Baylor University as the Director of Development for Athletics. At Baylor, Shaver was one of the top fundraisers working in a number of capital campaigns, as well as being involved in annual giving and student-athlete scholarships.

Before Baylor, Shaver was a Business Development Manager at Electronic Data Systems in Plano, Texas, where he was responsible for managing corporate partnerships and alliances. Through these relationships, Shaver participated with his team in winning multi-million dollar contracts for the company.

Shaver has a history in athletic administration. He was an athletic director and high school coach for seven years before entering corporate development. His responsibilities included all administration duties within the athletic program, fundraising, as well as managing coaches and athletic personnel. One of his greatest accomplishments was in developing new organizations and building them into successful athletic programs.

Shaver earned a Bachelor of Science in Education at Baylor University. He lives in McKinney, Texas, with his wife Melissa. They have three children: Caroline, Mackenzie, and Joseph.

Julie Brown joined the college on August 10, 2009. Julie is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and Eastern Illinois University. Julie has more than 15 years of experience developing, managing and implementing successful fundraising initiatives and strategies. Her most recent appointment was Senior Vice President of Leadership Giving with the public broadcast station KERA in Dallas. Her previous roles include fundraising positions with The Trust for Public Land, U.S. Disabled Athletes Fund, Inc. and The University of North Texas College of Education.

A former U.T. Arlington student, originally from Arlington, she was a longtime resident of Dallas during her career at Delta Air Lines. She enjoys a passion for art history and served for many years as a volunteer Docent with the Dallas Museum of Art.

Now a resident of Arlington, she loves classical music and enjoys attending symphonic performances at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth and the Meyerson in Dallas. If it’s culinary, related to a museum or a symphony hall, she’s there. She is very glad to be working in Development for U.T. Arlington.

Cathleen joined the University of Texas at Arlington in 2012 and serves as their Director of Development for Leadership Gifts for the College of Education and Health Professions. Prior to joining the University of Texas System, Cathleen was the Regional Development Director for Major Gifts supporting Washington University in St. Louis. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia and her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Myke joined the University of Texas at Arlington in 2008 and serves the College of Liberal Arts in their development and leadership gifts programs. Before joining the University of Texas development team, Myke was the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth where she helped 700 families per year and coordinated all fundraising and special events for this worldwide-non profit organization.

Myke is a graduate from TCU and a member of Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society. She has a passion for music and likes to cook when time permits. Myke and her husband Steve of 31 years attend Christ Chapel Bible Church where they are active in the music ministry. They live in Fort Worth and have two grown daughters.

Before joining the UT Arlington development team in July 2012, Brandy worked as the Assistant to Special Events for The University of Texas at Tyler where she coordinated campus-wide events for students, faculty/staff, alumni and donors.

Brandy graduated from UT Tyler with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, and is currently working on her Master of Science in Human Resource Development. She enjoys country music, reading, and watching movies with her fiancé, Eddie. Brandy is excited to be back in the DFW area, and looking forward to her future at UT Arlington.

Karen Mullowney began her career as a medical technologist specializing in Immunohematology. She has spent more than 20 years in development for higher education and health care and currently serves as Senior Director of Development and Leadership Gifts for the School of Nursing. Prior to her appointments at The University of Texas at Arlington, Karen served in similar capacities with Austin College, Colorado State University, the University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University and Parkland Health and Hospital System.

She is past president of the Richardson Central Rotary Club and enjoys community service projects including mentoring at-risk teens and working with an outreach organization for abused women. Karen is a native Tenesseean who met a native Texan many years ago and the course of her life was changed forever. They never speak of moving away from Texas but do venture east to see the mountains and visit family.

Sandra supports Karen Mullowney in development activities for the School of Nursing. She joined the University of Texas at Arlington after 24 years in healthcare development. Sandra is an active member of her church as pianist, 3rd & 4th grade Sunday School teacher, participating in activities with the youth and serving on the Administrative Committee. A native of Arlington she now lives in Mansfield with her husband and two children.

Shelly Frank works with alumni and other leaders in the scientific community to fund innovative educational programs and groundbreaking research for the College of Science. She has had ten years experience in educational fundraising in the Metroplex and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive. She is also the Vice President of Nominating for the Fort Worth Metro Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Shelly and her husband, Steve, are members of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth and have two young sons.

Carolyn Stuart joined the University of Texas at Arlington in June 2010. Her background includes 25 years experience as an Executive Administrator to various CEO's and COB's throughout the metroplex. In her last position, Carolyn created and maintained a charitable donations committee and has worked with many non-profit organizations in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington.

Carolyn is an active member of Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Arlington. Carolyn has two grown children and is the very proud grandmother of two. Her son is a UT Arlington graduate, and her daughter graduated from Texas A&M University.

Michelle joined the University of Texas at Arlington’s development team in April 2012 after nearly 18 years of non-profit experience. Most recently, she served as Director of Major Gifts for a local suicide and crisis center where she increased major giving by 213% and annual drive donations by 220%. Prior to her work at the center, she raised more than $16.5 million as Senior Director of Development for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. She began her non-profit career, and 17 year United Way journey, in Memphis, TN. While there she solicited Fortune 100 companies, individual major gifts and managed multi-million dollar government contracts raising more than $90 million in revenue during her employment. Because of her transformative impact to revive declining support among key constituents, she was recognized as a Memphis Area Distinguished Sales and Marketing award recipient.

Outside of work, she is very active in her church, as well as lend her time and talent to mentoring young underprivileged girls to become first-generation graduates. Most memorably, she served as a US Marine during Operation Desert Storm from 1988-1992 as a Small Arms Repairman and was twice awarded the Navy Achievement Medal.

Although Charlotte (known to most of us as Char) recently relocated from Southern California, she considers herself a Southerner at heart and is delighted to be working in development for the School of Social Work. Most of Char’s professional experience is in event planning and fund-raising for non-profits, so she was a natural fit for the job of development assistant. She is a Vegan and lives a cruelty-free lifestyle in Arlington with her canine companion Casey.

Diane brings more than 20 years of sales and fundraising experience to UT Arlington and the Schools of Architecture and Urban and Public Affairs. After careers in teaching and marketing/sales, she began her development career with United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County and has served as a fund raiser specializing in major gifts and planned giving at Brite Divinity School at TCU and Partners Together For Health, the foundation for JPS Health Network.

Diane is a Fort Worth native and a graduate of TCU. She is active in Leadership Fort Worth, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Berry Street Initiative and University Christian Church. Both of her adult children are married and live on the East Coast.

Prior to coming to UTA Mari worked for Arlington ISD for seven years. Mari is married with three children and has always called Arlington home. She enjoys traveling with her family. Her oldest daughter is a UT Arlington graduate, and she has a son who is an A&M graduate. Her youngest daughter is currently attending UT Arlington.

Roni Ido joined the UTA Office of Development in 2011 as the Senior Development Researcher. Prior to joining UTA, Roni owned her own consulting firm that specialized in prospect research. As a consultant Roni worked with leading nonprofit organizations in the DFW area. Before opening her own firm, Roni developed the prospect research area at the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas.

She has earned her BA in Sociology and Education from Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Roni lives in Plano with her husband and two children.

Dr. Jaime Olinske joined the UTA Office of Development in 2008 as the Senior Development Researcher. She relocated to Arlington in October 2008 from Oklahoma, although she was born and raised in Indiana. Prior to joining UTA, Jaime worked as a prospect researcher for The University of Tulsa.

Dr. Jeffrey Steed joined the University of Texas at Arlington in February 2013.  Jeff is responsible for all gift planning activities for UT Arlington including working with prospective donors on gift plan development, existing planned gift donors, professional advisors as a gift planning resource, and other responsibilities.

Prior to moving to Texas, he was the Vice President of the Arkansas Baptist Foundation in Little Rock for over ten years where he worked in the area of gift planning, investment management, administration, marketing, trustee responsibilities and other areas.  Jeff has also served on the adjunct faculty of two colleges as a business instructor.  He has authored several articles in the area of gift planning and nonprofit leadership for various publications.

Jeff is a native of Texas and alumni of UT Arlington. 

Elizabeth has been with UT Arlington since 2008, working both in the School of Social Work and at the Fort Worth Center prior to joining the Development Team. She has lived in Fort Worth for eighteen years, and considers it her hometown. She shares her home with her Australian Shepherd, Hachiko.

Mark joined the University of Texas at Arlington in 2007. He leads the University Development team, which is responsible for UT Arlington’s annual giving programs and for development and leadership gift activity for the UT Arlington Library, Graduate School, Honors College and the Division of Student Affairs. Mark is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri and a graduate of Saint Louis University. Prior to moving to Texas he worked in the development offices of Webster University, Saint Louis University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Michelle joins UTA with an extensive background in fundraising having worked at organizations such as The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, The Women's Center of Tarrant County, Metroport Meals on Wheels and most recently, The University of North Texas Health Science Center. With over 16 years of experience, she has managed fundraising programs which include special events, annual giving and solicitation of major and leadership gifts.

With her role in University Development, Michelle will work with the Assistant Vice President of Development and other members of the Development Team to create and implement a comprehensive annual giving program to support all areas of the university.

Michelle is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Fort Worth and active with the Fort Worth Metro Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and currently serves as president.

A native Texan, Michelle lives in south Arlington with her fabulous and clever son.

Jennifer Hawthorne has more than 26 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and public relations. Before joining UT Arlington she worked at Camp Fire USA First Texas Council, Cancer Care Services and Trinity Habitat for Humanity. Prior to moving to the DFW area in 2004 she worked in nonprofit organizations in greater Kansas City. She is a 14-year member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and was named a Chamberlain Scholar in 2009 by the Fort Worth Metro Chapter. She chaired AFP’s 2012 DFW Philanthropy Conference. She is also a member of the Grant Professionals Association, Council for Advancement and Support of Education and Optimist Club.

Jennifer and her husband live in Mansfield among a herd of grateful rescued cats.

Jason joined the University Development Team after employment with the UT Arlington Division of Student Affairs. Before arriving at UT Arlington Jason worked for Residence Life at Rockhurst University, as well as the Office of Development at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. Jason's main job responsibilities include coordinating giving clubs and developing strategies to retain and upgrade donors in annual giving, fundraising for the Division of Student Affairs, and developing a fundraising plan for parents of UT Arlington students.

Jason is originally from Springfield, Missouri and resides in Arlington, Texas.

Brandon joins UTA team with a variety experiences in higher education, community relations, special events and nonprofit fundraising.  Prior to arriving at UT Arlington he worked within the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Eastern Illinois University, The Steven Jackson Foundation, St. Louis Rams, and Atlanta Braves.

With his role in University Development, Brandon’s main job responsibilities include managing the Dail-A-Mav telephone outreach program, developing the senior class gift program, educating current students and alumni on the importance of philanthropic giving and implementing  strategies to increase awareness of gifts and UT Arlington via social media platforms and electronic communications.        

Brandon is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and resides in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Zach came from Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire-Hathaway corporation based in Mansfield. He spent four years as a Product Assistant completing countless data-entry-based facets of the electronics distribution realm.

Zach was born in Red Oak, but grew up in Arlington. He spends his free time playing music at various venues in the DFW/Austin area with his three bands. He currently lives in Arlington with his girlfriend, Sarah Jane, their Great Pyrenees, Suzy Q.

Tracey has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, advertising, branding, media relations, event planning, social media, website development and promotions. Tracey was most recently with the College of Engineering, where she was the Director of Marketing Services for four and a half years. As a member of the dean's senior staff, Tracey helped to develop and deploy strategic initiatives for the College, helping to raise the profile and awareness of the College. Prior to that position, she served as the Director of Marketing Services for the University for five years.

Before working at UTA, she worked in marketing/communications at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Zoo, Six Flags Over Texas and Computer City USA. She and her husband, Andrew, have a blended family of three daughters and two sons.

Elizabeth has been with UT Arlington since 2008, working both in the School of Social Work and at the Fort Worth Center prior to joining the Development Team. She has lived in Fort Worth for eighteen years, and considers it her hometown. She shares her home with her Australian Shepherd, Hachiko.

Susan joins the Office of Development after a twenty-two-year career working in several different capacities within the Division of Student Affairs. She has been directly responsible for the development of programs within the UT Arlington Leadership Center, worked as an Advisor and consultant for E.X.C.E.L. Campus Activities, and has served on several University planning committees. She brings extensive knowledge of leadership development, and event planning and implementation to this position. A Maverick since 1984, she has seen The University evolve and grow in many exciting ways, and is glad to be a part of it.

Debbie joined UT Arlington in 2006 taking a position in the School of Nursing. She transferred to the Office of Development in 2008. Prior to joining UT Arlington, Debbie worked at Xavier University of Louisiana for nine years. She has 15 years of work experience in higher education inclusive of three years in Development and Alumni Relations. Debbie was born and raised in Louisiana. She currently resides in Arlington. She and her husband have one son and one daughter.

Cindy assists with the logistical aspects of planning, implementation, and evaluation of high profile university and community events. She is also responsible for many of the administrative requirements related to managing over 50 events a year. Prior to joining UTA, Cindy was an Administrative Assistant for five years for the Work Family Division at Camp Fire USA, First Texas Council.

Cindy attended four years at UTA and was born and raised in Arlington. She has been married 29 years, has three grown children, and two sons-in-law.

Salma Adem joined The University of Texas at Arlington in January 2009. Her background includes more than 7 years of development work with United Ways in California and Texas. Prior to her work with United Ways, she worked for the City of San Diego in the Office of the Mayor.

Brian came to UT Arlington from Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, where he was a grant writer for three years. He spent six years as senior writer at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and as a stringer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He began his career teaching composition, English, and journalism at The Oakridge School in Arlington.

Brian was born in Fort Worth, grew up in Euless, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, and is well-traveled in Pantego, where he and his wife live in perpetual motion with two children and a turtle named Tina.

Shawn comes to UT Arlington from historic Jefferson, Texas, where he served as City Administrator.  Prior to his public service, Shawn spent fifteen years in the nonprofit sector.  After beginning his career in social services as a VISTA Volunteer in the Pacific Northwest, Shawn moved to the Mid-Atlantic and transitioned into fundraising.  While in Philadelphia, Shawn worked at the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences, and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at University of Pennsylvania.  In 2008, Shawn relocated to Washington, DC and held national fundraising positions at the NPR Foundation and Americans for the Arts.  Today, Shawn lives in Fort Worth’s Berkeley neighborhood with his wife and two children.   

Suzy is a graduate of UT Arlington. She enjoys working out, attending concerts, and spending time with her family especially her two nephews.

Suzy and her husband Marc met at UT Arlington.

Mat brought his experience in Corporate Relations to UT Arlington’s College of Engineering from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas in 2012.

As Director of Corporate Relations, Mat’s desire is to foster mutually beneficial partnerships between the College of Engineering and the corporate community.

An avid college sports fan, Mat enjoys cheering on his Red Raiders and is excited to do the same for the Mavs.

Though a native of Tarrant County, he and his wife now reside in West Dallas, where they are actively involved in mentoring and youth literacy programs. Mat and his wife Crystal are members of Watermark Community Church.

Elizabeth Coen joined The University of Texas at Arlington in February 2010. She works with the Corporate and Foundation Relations team helping to coordinate relationships that support UTA’s teaching, research, and service mission. Her background includes more than 15 years of non-profit work in Texas.

Selma Permenter has been with the Development Office since 1992. Over the years she has worked in gift processing, prospect research, annual giving and advancement services. Selma earned a BA in English from UT Arlington in 1991 and a Masters in Information Science from The University of North Texas in 1993.

Joan Caudle joined The University of Texas at Arlington after five years of retirement from Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages where she worked for 24 years. Nineteen of those years she served as a manager in yellow pages production. A former UT Arlington student and native Texan, she resides in Arlington with her husband and daughter. Joan worked as a gift processor for her first year at UT Arlington. On February 1, 2007 she accepted a position in Endowment Services for the Office of Development.

Joe joined UT Arlington in 2007. He holds a degree in Information Systems Management from St. Mary's University. Prior to UT Arlington he worked for Trinity University in the Alumni Relations field. As Director of Advancement Services Technology he oversees all technology needs and provides solutions for the Office of Development.

Lisa was raised in Arlington. After ten-years following her husband in the US Air Force, she was glad to return to her hometown. She has three kids and worked for Arlington ISD for four years. Lisa has been with UT Arlington since 2004 and worked in the School of Social Work for three years prior to the Office of Development.

Evelyn started working at The University of Texas at Arlington in 1995. She spent one year in Student Activities working for the Attorney for Students and Director of Special Events, and has been with the Development Office for the last 15 years. She holds a BBA from the University of North Texas.

Jennifer started as a student assistant in the Office of Development in 2004 and is now the Development Funds Assistant. She is from Houston, Texas and resides in Fort Worth.

Jovana joined UTA’s Development team in 2012. She has more than five years’ experience in nonprofit leadership. She has served as a consultant for small nonprofits and currently sits on the board for a childhood cancer foundation. Before joining UTA, Jovana worked with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in an operations role. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at UTA in Public Administration.

Jovana was raised in Dallas and has been married for four years. She enjoys spending as much time with her family as possible and is an advocate for seizure first aid education.

Susan Sodek brings more than 15 years of marketing and fundraising experience to the University of Texas at Arlington development team. Prior to coming to UTA, she served as the Executive Director of United Way of Parker County for more than 5 years.

Susan resides in Parker County with her husband and two children.