I am pleased to announce that Chelsea Ochylski has been hired to serve as our new assistant director of alumni relations. In her role, Chelsea will manage our regional engagement programs and provide counsel to our six Regional Advisory Boards across the country (Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, Kansas City, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix). She starts Sept. 8.

In addition, Chelsea will serve as a staff liaison to our college and school faculty and administrators to ensure we are engaging our alumni through their strongest affinity and interests. As part of her responsibilities, Chelsea will also manage an affinity reunion annually (the Drake Choir Reunion this year).

She is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in Leisure, Youth and Human Services: Nonprofit Administration. Since that time, she has continued to advance her education with certificates in the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Principles and Practices of Nonprofit Excellence, as well as being certified in Fund Raising Management through the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Over the past three years, Chelsea has worked at Make-A-Wish® Iowa as the manager of philanthropy. In this role, she worked with all individual and corporate donors in the Des Moines area as well as the western half of the state of Iowa. She managed a portfolio of donors ranging from annual donors to major gift donors giving $10,000 and up, as well as managing more than 50 corporate accounts throughout the state. She oversaw regional boards and committees across Iowa and executed dozens of events each year with those volunteers and fellow staff.
Chelsea’s combination of fundraising knowledge and experience; strong communication skills with donors, board members, colleagues and wish families; and energetic personality will be a huge asset to our team as we move forward in building and maintaining relationships with our alumni across the globe.

—Submitted by Blake Campbell, Director, Office of Alumni Relations