LAWTON - Cameron University recently welcomed Julie Briggs Cunningham as Director of Development.
Ms. Cunningham’s career in development and fundraising includes positions in higher education as well as the non-profit sector. “I feel very honored to be part of Cameron University’s advancement team,” Ms. Cunningham said. “I am looking forward to meeting all our partners and doing my best to help the university maintain its focus on providing high-quality education to Cameron students.”
Ms. Cunningham recently served as the Development Manager for the Eastern Region for Project Hero, “a peer-to-peer therapeutic organization that mitigates isolation by providing means for veterans to socialize and reengage with their peers,” she explained. Her experience in higher education includes serving as Director of Development and Foundation Relations at Keuka College in Keuka Park, N.Y., where she managed the institution’s major gift and planned gift programs, garnering $3 million in one year.
She also prepared and submitted $7.5 million in grant applications to secure funds and contributions from private foundations, corporations and governmental agencies. Ms. Cunningham served as Chief Fundraising Officer at Unity College in Unity, Maine, where she pioneered the launch and management of a formal outreach and fundraising framework for the private liberal arts college, which served as the foundation for more than $500K in funds raised annually from a portfolio of 65 donors.
During her three years as Director of Annual Giving Programs at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y., she led all facets of annual giving for the private Catholic university, administering a portfolio of 150 prospective donors and personally raised $700,000 each year while overseeing the raising of $2.3 million in unrestricted funds. As Director of Development, Ms. Cunningham will plan and implement a variety of programs and projects that will engage donors and alumni and which will provide tangible benefits to the Cameron University Foundation, CU alumni and current students.
As an ambassador for both Cameron University and the Cameron University Foundation, Ms. Cunningham will secure commitments from donors to provide professional expertise and volunteer service, as well as partner with development peers to identify, cultivate, solicit and provide stewardship for donor and alumni giving. She will work with departments across the campus to manage events and activities that will meet the needs of donors while at the same time support the strategic goals of the university.
“I just want to meet as many of the Cameron University partners that I can, to help us gauge the university’s part of the Lawton area,” Ms. Cunningham said. “What amazes me so much about Cameron is the students are the top priority. If you look at anything on our website, our strategic plan or anything, that is just what you see. And that’s something I’m proud to be part of.”
“When we received Julie Cunningham’s resume in response to our national search for a Director of Development, we knew we had found someone who had the ability to invigorate fundraising efforts on behalf of the Cameron University Foundation,” says Albert Johnson, Jr., Vice President for University Advancement. “Now that she has officially joined the Aggie team, we are excited to see what the future holds in terms of fundraising campaigns and initiatives. Her experiences will truly be beneficial in continuing the growth of fundraising efforts on behalf of Cameron University,” he said.