Strategy and Administration includes human resources, information technology, business intelligence, prospect development, communicating change management and more, all sharing the goal of providing outstanding service and care to the Ohio State community.
We are the people behind-the-scenes who keep The Ohio State University’s Office of Advancement working every day toward our goal of being the best organization of our kind in higher education. Human resources professionals, information technology staff, fiscal officers, prospect and research specialists, records keepers, customer service, event planners and more. We help ensure that Ohio State’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, patients and friends receive unmatched standards of service and care.
Leadership
Justin Fincher, PhD
Vice President
Advancement Strategy and Administration
In our words
“People will send in a letter with a donation and wonder if anyone actually takes the time to read it. That’s exactly what my team does. We read those letters and shares donor stories, because they are so interesting and inspiring.”
Kristen Regan, Quality Control Supervisor for Advancement Records, spends most of her days ensuring Ohio State’s database is populated with accurate donor information. This involves not only talking with donors and answering questions they have, but also reading the letters that accompany donations. While most are monetary, some donations arrive in the form of people opening up their homes to host a tailgate before a big game or help out in other meaningful ways.
“Maybe it’s a small gift to a fund they’ve been supporting for $5 every year since the 1970s, and we get to see all of that in our database. I can see that, while the gift may be small, this person cares so much that they are giving all they can to support the school that they came from.”
Coming to Ohio State was Kristen’s first choice after graduating from Ohio University, where she worked as a student caller for three years. She loved the fundraising aspect of her student job and the ability to get donors involved and excited about supporting their alma mater. That is what drew her to Ohio State, she says. People are eager to give back in any way they can, and Kristen gets to be a part of that narrative.
“Working at Ohio State has provided me with professional development experiences I wouldn’t receive anywhere else. I’m encouraged to grow as an employee and move to any area at Ohio State that I’m passionate about. It’s such a supportive community.”
Kristen’s role as Quality Control Supervisor is important to all other aspects of Advancement because if the data is incorrect, the integrity of Ohio State’s work is compromised. Every mailing, every phone call and every donor visit use the information Kristen works so hard to verify and maintain.
But her days are also filled with plenty of fun and camaraderie with her colleagues. Kristen leads a recognition committee, which ensures everyone in the department is recognized for their anniversaries, whether it’s one year, two years or 30 years – and there are people who have been in her department for that long! They even have their own awards called the “Advies,” where people strive to earn the Champagne Award for “Most Sparkling Personality” or the Potluck Queen Award.
“In interviews, my department always tells people that if they want to be part of a family, that’s what our department is. It’s a big family.”
Kristen Regan
Quality Control Supervisor for Advancement Records
