2026 Big Ten Business School Development Conference

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BIG TEN BUSINESS SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2026

MONDAY, JUNE 15 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2026 CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, ILLINOIS

GIES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides a world-class educational experience for the next generation of business leaders. For more than 100 years, the College has delivered on the promise of innovation in business education, with a commitment to cutting-edge curriculum design and delivery, exceptional experiential learning opportunities, and unparalleled academic excellence.

“Business on Purpose” is the mindset that guides the College’s actions and decisions. Faculty and staff design everything with intention to teach learners how to make an impact, helping them connect the dots from their passions and interests to their purpose and the impact they can make now – and long after they graduate.

Today Gies faculty prepare more than 11,000 on-campus and online learners to be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in the global economy.

MONDAY, JUNE 15 5:00-7:00pm | Welcome Reception Hotel Royer | 210 S. Race Street, Urbana, IL 61801 Welcome from Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott, dinner buffet, networking

TUESDAY, JUNE 16 7:30am-8:00am | Shuttles from Hotel Royer to Wymer Hall 8:00am-8:45am | Breakfast & Registration Wymer Hall, 3047 Susan & Charles Fish Executive Conference Room and Shebik Family Terrace

8:45am-9:00am | Welcome Remarks Wymer Hall, 1010 Rebecca Pagels, Associate Dean for Advancement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

9:00am-9:45am | Board & Volunteer Management: An Alumni Engagement Discussion Wymer Hall, 1010 Christine Beyers, Director of Alumni Engagement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Brandi Host, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement | Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bryan Melvin, Executive Director, Office of Development and Engagement | Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Rebecca Pagels, Associate Dean for Advancement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Moderator: Carrie Ummel, Senior Director For Advancement Operations | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign

9:00am-9:45am | Parents as Partners: Starting the Conversation on Parent Philanthropy in Business Schools Wymer Hall, 1060 Andrew Hanson, Director of Development | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison Katy Hopp, Development Program Specialist | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

9:45am | Break 10:00am-10:45am | More Than a Thank You Note, Humanizing Impact Through Student Voices Wymer Hall, 1010 Jennifer Alderete, Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California Catherine Feathers, Assistant Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

Lori Chan Velasco, Senior Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations | USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

10:00am-10:45am | The Alumni Engagement Flywheel Wymer Hall, 1060 Steve Hasbrook, Managing Director of Development | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

10:45am | Break 11:00am-12:00pm | Transformational Gifts 1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium Fireside Chat with Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott & Larry Gies

12:00pm-1:00pm | Lunch Local Food Trucks will be parked along Sixth Street in front of the Business Instructional Facility •

Pastamania

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Burrito King

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Sidney Dairy Barn “Moo Mobile”

1:00pm | Break 1:15pm-2:00pm | The AI Moment Won’t Wait: A Playbook for Rapid Innovation in Advancement Wymer Hall, 1060 Emily Maltby, Enterprise Account Executive | GiveCampus Billy Tabrizi, Head of Business Operations | GiveCampus Katie Blum, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Innovation | University of Illinois Foundation

1:15pm-2:00pm | Big Goals, Big Gifts: Frontline Fundraising Across the B1G Wymer Hall, 1010 Anthony Lehnertz, Executive Director of Development | Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa Jackie Richardson, Director of Development | Broad College of Business, Michigan State University Courtney Villa, Senior Associate Director, Major Gifts | Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Moderator: Angie Price, Senior Director of Development | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

2:00pm | Break 2:15pm-3:00pm | One School That Won’t Sell Its Name, One That Gave It Away for Free: Unique Approaches to Naming Gifts Wymer Hall, 1020 Jerad Meyer, Associate Vice President & Managing Director | Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison Vincent Martino, Executive Director of Development | Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue University Moderator: Rebecca Pagels, Associate Dean for Advancement | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

3:00pm-3:20pm | Travel to Gies Memorial Stadium, 77 Club Shuttle buses parked on Sixth Street in front of the Business Instructional Facility

3:30pm-4:30pm | The Dean-Advancement Partnership: A Discussion with Leaders Gies Memorial Stadium - 77 Club Dean W. Brooke Elliott | Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Dean Amy Kristof-Brown | Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa Dean Kathy Farrell | Nebraska College of Business, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Moderator: Nerissa Brown | Executive Associate Dean of Academic Programs, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

4:30pm-5:30pm | Happy Hour | Gies Memorial Stadium Tour | Group Photo Gies Memorial Stadium

5:30pm-7:00pm | Dinner Gies Memorial Stadium, 77 Club

7:00pm-8:00pm | Shuttles to Hotel Royer

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 7:30am-8:00am | Shuttles from Hotel Royer to Business Instructional Facility 8:00am-8:45am | Breakfast Business Instructional Facility, Lincoln International Atrium Special Visit from U of I Police Department K-9 Therapy Dogs

8:45am | Break 9:00am-10:00am | Developing the Leader Within 1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium Sparkle Sanders, Certified Leadership Trainer + Coach + Speaker

10:00am | Break 10:15am-11:00am | Leading with Purpose in a Changing Landscape 1100 Wymer Hall, Richard D. & Anne Marie Irwin Auditorium A Fireside Chat with Josh Whitman, University of Illinois Athletics Director and Dean Brooke Elliott

11:00am-11:15am | Closing Remarks 11:15am-12:00pm | Boxed Lunches and Shuttles Available Business Instructional Facility, Lincoln International Atrium

TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS Fireside Chat with Gies Business Dean Brooke Elliott & Larry Gies

Larry Gies Founder and CEO, Madison Industries Larry Gies (ACCY ’88) is the founder and CEO of Madison Industries, an international manufacturing firm based in Chicago. Madison builds entrepreneurially driven, branded market leaders that are dedicated to making the world safer, healthier, and more productive through innovations in a wide range of industries, including filtration, medical, process improvement, energy, and safety.

In October 2017, Larry Gies invested an unprecedented $150 million in the College, launching Gies College of Business into a new era. The generous donation did more than give the College a new name and stronger identity – it strengthened the culture, expanded life-changing access, made new initiatives possible, and inspired others to give.

In September 2025, Gies made a $100 million gift to the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) – the largest in its history.

In recognition of this support, the University’s football stadium was named Gies Memorial Stadium to honor his late father, Larry Gies, Sr., a US Army veteran.

Gies regularly returns to campus to speak with students, teach courses, and inspire faculty, staff, and leadership. He gives generously of his time to show students and student-athletes what real engagement looks like and how to make a lasting impact beyond financial investment.

DEAN’S PANEL – THE DEAN–ADVANCEMENT PARTNERSHIP: A DISCUSSION WITH LEADERS W. Brooke Elliott Dean Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign W. Brooke Elliott is the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business and Dean of Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She leads the College in developing a compelling, strategic vision while continuing to build upon its distinctive brand and identity. Prior to her current role, Brooke served as Executive Associate Dean of Academic Programs and EY Professor in Gies College of Business where she was responsible for providing strategic oversight of the Gies portfolio of academic degree and non-degree programs. Brooke also served as Associate Dean of Online where she was responsible for the development and execution of Gies’ strategy in online education and Head of the Department of Accountancy in Gies, leading one of the most innovative and high ranked accounting departments in the world.

Brooke holds a BS in accounting and an MBA with an accounting focus from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

She earned her PhD in accounting from the University of Washington and joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member in 2003.

Amy Kristof-Brown Dean Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa Amy Kristof-Brown has served as dean of the Tippie College of Business since 2020. She joined the Tippie College after receiving her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Maryland in 1997.

Her research interests focus on the compatibility or fit between individuals and their work environments. She is the co-editor of the book Organizational Fit: Key Issues and New Directions and has published more than 25 articles in academic journals as well as several book chapters. As a mentor, she has served on 30 doctoral and master’s thesis committees.

Professionally, she served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology and of the Journal of Business and Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association.

Kathy Farrell Dean University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Kathy Farrell became the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the University of Nebraska– Lincoln College of Business on Dec. 1, 2017, after serving nearly a year as interim dean.

Under her leadership, the college launched a business analytics major, a business and law major, the Integrity in Business Leadership program and several new online MS and graduate certificate programs.

She also increased donor support to double the number of endowed faculty chairs and expand student services, including providing free tutoring, more scholarships and retention-focused initiatives.

Farrell joined the College of Business faculty in 1993 and taught corporate finance and banking for more than 20 years. Farrell’s research focuses on executive compensation, executive turnover and succession, and other corporate governance issues. An experienced academic and business leader, Farrell serves on multiple boards of directors including Nelnet, Inc., a NYSE publicly traded company.

Prior to earning her Ph.D. in finance from the University of Georgia, Farrell was an auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick in Baltimore and Atlanta and earned the designation of Certified Public Accountant (inactive). She received her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Ohio.

DEVELOPING THE LEADER WITHIN Sparkle Sanders Leadership Consultant & Coach Sparkle Sanders is a Leadership Consultant, Coach & Speaker with Maxwell Leadership. She has 20+ years of experience in business and leadership and owns Addspark Consulting, Inc. where she helps businesses and organizations of all sizes with leadership development and training, executive coaching, workshop facilitation, strategic planning, visioning, workplace culture and more.

Sparkle spent seven years on Illinois’ campus overseeing Marketing for The Career Center and now provides Leadership Development and Executive Coaching/Consulting throughout various Colleges including Gies College of Business, Grainger College of Engineering, College of LAS, and the Division of Student Affairs, to name a few. In addition to Illinois, she has partnerships with organizations throughout the community and beyond including Parkland College, Carle Health, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, Northwestern Mutual, The State of Illinois and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA).

LEADING WITH PURPOSE IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE Josh Whitman Director of Athletics University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Josh Whitman became the university’s 14th permanent director of athletics in 2016. He now has the third-longest tenure among current Big Ten athletic directors. He has led an impressive effort to establish Fighting Illini Athletics among the nation’s elite in both the competitive arena and the classroom.

Whitman is a prominent voice in college athletics. He is currently serving a four-year term as the Big Ten representative to the NCAA Division I Council. In April 2024, Whitman was elected chair of the Council, a position he concluded in the fall of 2025 with the implementation of the new NCAA Division I governance structure. As Council chair, Whitman also has been a voting member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, comprised primarily of presidents and chancellors from Division I institutions, and an ex officio member of the NCAA Board of Governors, the highest governing body of the NCAA. Whitman, a former Academic All-American at Illinois, emphasizes strong academic performance by Fighting Illini student-athletes in the classroom. In each year of his tenure, student-athletes have posted a combined GPA of above 3.12.

During his football career for Illinois from 1997-2000, he caught 52 career passes and scored seven touchdowns. He was a twotime First Team Academic All-American and earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors his senior season.

Whitman received his bachelor’s degree in finance, with Bronze Tablet honors, from Gies Business in 2001. In 2008, he graduated summa cum laude from the Illinois College of Law.

ATTENDEES UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN GIES BUSINESS Brian Agnoletti Christine Beyers Sylvia Briscoe Nerissa Brown Kia Cline Lauren Curtiss Rob Dalhaus III W. Brooke Elliott Luigi Fabi Dawn Huizenga Kelly Janssen Jessica Kant Cindy Kehoe Jim Lukeman De’Jhaye McGrew Renee Mandelbaum Rachel Miller-Haughton Rebecca Pagels Benjamin Peden Angie Powers Angie Price Alison Rodriguez Lacey Smith

Jerilyn Hutson Cari James Joshua Joines Howard Milton Reethika Padithala Eilee Prillaman Paula Santiago Matthew Smith Samantha Stokowski Heather Vazquez Maggie Wave Heather Zorn

INDIANA UNIVERSITY Allie Deerr Melissa Dickson Jeni Donlon Morgan Hicks Brandi Host Austin Lee Bryan Melvin Sam Orbaugh Carmund White

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

Carrie Ummel

Angela Byers

Kelly Wayne

Amy Kristof-Brown

Suzanne Woodward

Anthony Lehnertz

Kate Yeazel

McKayla Mix

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Paula Besson Katie Blum Bobbi Busboom Nikki Duge Nathan Goebel Jonathan Hill Jenell Hironimus

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ellen Kattler

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Evan Bahm

Kara Hefley

Jackie Richardson

Falesha Johnson

Liz Rousseau Amber Stairs

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON Caitlin Gates

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Matt Woebke

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN

Andrew Hanson Steve Hasbrook Jerad Meyer David Pfaff

Kathy Farrell

Will Wait

Amy Kloefkorn

Ryan Weir

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

GIVECAMPUS

David Gillaspie

Emily Maltby

Courtney Villa

Chelsea Nelson

PENN STATE Sean Miller Kathleen Rider

PURDUE UNIVERSITY Cassidy Burrell Vince Martino Devin Rittenhouse Tanner Watkins

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Drew Blon Mallory DeTota Lisa Faiello Matthew Graves

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Jennifer Alderete Catherine Feathers Lori Chan Velasco

Ben Pauli Billy Tabrizi

GIES BUSINESS CAMPUS MAP

Harding Band Building

E Gregory Dr

E Gregory Dr

E Gregory Dr

Steven S. Wymer Hall

Wohlers Hall

S 6th St

Business Instructional Facility (BIF)

Irwin Doctoral Study Hall

Architecture Building

S 6th St

Siebel Center for Design

Main Library

S 6th St

Armory Building

Thank you to our conference sponsors.