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• Meet Our Staff

To discuss your individual giving contact:

Sonja Lovell
800 South Main Street
MSC 4401
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
PHONE: (800) 296-6162

Office of Development Staff

A staff member at the Office of Development is available during business hours to answer your questions about giving to JMU. Call us toll free at 800.296.6162. We look forward to speaking with you.

 

Mr. Weston W. Hatfield
Associate Vice President for Development
hatfieww@jmu.edu
540.568.1634
 
Weston joined the JMU development team in the summer of 2004 after a fifteen-year career in development at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Degrees include a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Community Arts Management from the University of Illinois at Springfield.  He and his family (wife Julie and children Ford, Lydia and Weston P. II) are delighted to be a part of the JMU family.

 

Mrs. Sonja Lovell
Administrative Assistant
lovellsm@jmu.edu
540.568.2620

 

 

 

 

Major, Corporate and Foundation Giving

Mr. Jeffrey J. Gilligan
Senior Director of Major, Corporate and Foundation Gifts
gilligjj@jmu.edu
540.568.6278

Jeff began his career as a fundraiser 12 years ago. He spent five years working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 3.5 years as Vice President of the Arthritis Foundation in Washington, DC. In 1999 Jeff joined the Development office of JMU as a Capital Gifts Officer, in 2000 he became the Director of the Madison Fund, and in 2004 was named Director of Major Gifts. He makes his home in Staunton, VA with his wife Tammy, daughter Addison, son Jack, and the family dog, Bailey.

 
Ms. Elizabeth Pharr
Director of Development for the College of Business
pharrge@jmu.edu
540.568.3228
 
Elizabeth joined the development staff in 2003 with territories in Virginia and Atlanta. In early 2005, Elizabeth was named Director of Development for the College of Business. Prior to joining the JMU staff, Elizabeth was the executive director of a domestic violence and sexual assault center for 5 years where through grant writing and fund raising strategies she increased the
operational budget 264%, built a new complex debt free, and doubled the staff. Additionally, Elizabeth has 20 years of teaching
experience in world religions, critical thinking, medical ethics, and business ethics. She continues to enjoy fiction and non-fiction freelance writing.

Receiving her AA degree from Peace College, she completed her BA degree at Wake Forest University. Elizabeth also
holds masters degrees from Smith College and University of Virginia.

 
Mr. Bill McAnulty
Director of Development for STEM/HHS
mcanulww@jmu.edu
540.568.2570
 
Bill joined the University's development staff in January 2005 after a twenty-year public relations career in the electric utility industry. A double graduate from James Madison University, Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications Arts ('81) and Master of Public Administration degree ('87).  He helped co-found the original Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the JMU Alumni Association.  In 1989, Bill was recognized as the recipient of the University's Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
 
 
Mr. David Grimm
Director of Development for the College of Arts and Letters
grimmdl@jmu.edu
540.568.7879
 
David joins the Development staff after 34 years as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. During the same period, David served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations serving in many fundraising capacities. For his leadership, David has been recognized as Hospitality Leader of Virginia (1998), International Franchisee of the Year (1995) and at JMU, Distinguished Alumni of the Year (2005). David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science (’74). He and his wife Debbie ('74) are excited to return home to Harrisonburg. 

 
Mrs. Tassie Pippert
Director of Development for The College of Visual and Performing Arts
pippertl@jmu.edu
540.568.3195
 
Tassie joins the JMU staff with a diverse background in non-profit development and executive business management. As President of The Gourmet Pantry, Incorporated of Harrisonburg, Tassie was responsible for all operations of both a gourmet catering company and a retail kitchen wares store. As Director of Development for WVPT-Virginia's Public Television, Tassie was responsible for the strategy and management of all development divisions of the station. 
 
She holds degrees in Science and Business Management and a Master's degree in Human Resource Management. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Edith Carrier Arboretum, the Harrisonburg Children's Museum, and Shenandoah Valley Council of the Arts. Tassie and her husband, Tom reside in Harrisonburg.  They have two sons Adam and Tim.

 
Karen Ahrens Wheatley ('80)
Director of Development for College and University Programs
gunthaka@jmu.edu
540.568.6605
 
Karen Ahrens Wheatley is a 1980 JMU graduate of the College of Business. She serves as a Director of Development and works with alumni primarily in the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD.  She also serves as the Director of Development for Parents and the Libraries.
 
Prior to her relocation to the Harrisonburg area in 1994, Karen served as a Vice President/ Principal in the Commercial Real Estate Division for Bank of America.  She began her fourteen year banking career after graduating from JMU. Recently, Karen has been an active fundraiser for the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic and other charities through her affiliation with various volunteer organizations.
 
Karen and her husband, Bobby, have four children and live in Harrisonburg.

 
 
Mrs. Jane Lamb
Administrative Assistant
lambjc@jmu.edu
540.568.3196

 

 

 

 

Charitable Gift Planning

 

Mr. Ted J. Sudol, J.D.
Director of Charitable Gift Planning
sudoltj@jmu.edu
540.568.1776
 
Ted Sudol serves as the Director for The Office of Charitable Gift Planning at James Madison University.  In this role, he focuses on charitable financial and estate planning and charitable trust and estate administration with alumni, parents of students and alumni, faculty and faculty emeriti, and other friends of the University.  His work includes the design of strategic gift plans for current, deferred, and complex charitable gifts. Ted is an attorney and, prior to joining the administration of James Madison University in 2002, he was in private law practice most recently within a boutique law firm in New York focused on the planning and administration of trusts and estates for individuals and families, including professionals, entrepreneurs, and farmers; and, previously, as legal counsel for a cutting edge professional firm in Pittsburgh that brought together the disciplines of financial planning, insurance, asset management, accounting, and the law. Earlier in his career, Ted was an executive with United Way for fifteen years and held positions at the national, regional, and local community levels.  
 
He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Temple University School of Law.

 

Mrs. Susan Fersner
Assistant Director of Charitable Gift Planning
fersnesl@jmu.edu
540.568.2698

 

Ms. Crystal Gum
Coordinator for the Office of Gift Planning
gumcm@jmu.edu
540.568.8938

Crystal serves as the Coordinator for the Office of Gift Planning at James Madison University. In this role, Crystal's principal areas of responsibility include the administration of the university's Gift Agreement System, the program of gift planning-related direct mail, and Gift Planning's donor-focused communications and marketing program.

Crystal is a 2005 graduate of James Madison University (B.A. English). Following graduation, Crystal taught 10th grade English at Covington High School (Covington, Virginia) -and, most recently, served as Wine Steward for the famed Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. Crystal resides in Highland County, Virginia.

 

Annual Giving