Staff
Keith Christensen '80
Vice President for Development
(563) 387-1862
chriskei@luther.edu
Keith oversees all aspects of development, alumni relations, and campus programming, focusing on building relationships with Luther's constituencies. Keith invites gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of Luther and also assists donors with estate and gift planning. An officer of the college, Keith serves on the President's Cabinet.
Ann Sponberg Peterson
Director of Development-Principal Gifts
(563) 387-1510
petean03@luther.edu
Ann manages the team of development officers and encourages leadership gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of Luther. She travels throughout the United States. Together with Jeanie Lovell, Ann serves as co-director of the Sesquicentennial Fund.
Jim Anderson
Director of Estate and Gift Planning
(563) 387-1522
andersjp@luther.edu
Jim assists alumni, parents, and friends of Luther with their gift planning needs, including wills, trusts, and appreciated property, etc. An attorney, Jim travels regionally and works closely with donors and their professional advisors in creating gift plans that support both donor wishes and college needs.
Bethany Bierman ’95
Leadership Giving Officer
(563) 387-1324 campus office
(612) 964-2722 cell
biermabe@luther.edu
Bethany lives and works in the Twin Cities where she affiliates with Luther’s young alumni, inviting annual fund gifts and advancing young alumni programming. Bethany also invites President’s Council-level gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of Luther in the metro area.
Sue Drilling ’78
Director of Special Programs
(563) 387-1100
drillisu@luther.edu
Sue coordinates Luther’s President’s Council donor recognition events and the Parents Council and Class Agent volunteer programs. She also oversees the Development Office web pages, coordinates Family Weekend annually, and works with Luther volunteers to encourage gifts to the Annual Fund.
Chris Frana
Director of Development Research
(563) 387-1523
franachr@luther.edu
Chris directs development resources research and works to maintain accuracy in Luther’s donor records system. A trained attorney, she focuses especially on donor privacy and rights.
Mark Franzen
Assistant Athletic Director for Resource Development/Head Men's Basketball Coach
(563) 387-1588
franma03@luther.edu
Mark manages the efforts of the recently established Norse Athletic Association, raising funds in support of men's and women's athletics. He coordinates mailings, invitations for support, newsletters, and special events related to the NAA. In addition to his part-time development responsibilities, Mark serves as head men's basketball coach.
Jeanie Lovell, CFRE
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
(563) 387-1512
lovellje@luther.edu
Jeanie oversees all aspects of corporate and foundation support for Luther and works with faculty and staff to secure research funding and support for teaching and learning. She also leads Women, Faith, and Finance, Luther’s collaborative women’s philanthropy initiative. Together with Ann Sponberg Peterson, Jeanie serves as co-director of the Sesquicentennial Fund.
Tom Murray
Senior Development Officer
(563) 387-1511
murrayto@luther.edu
Tom encourages leadership gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of the college. He travels in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, the Southwest, and the East Coast.
Dean Nelson ’69
Development Officer
(563) 387-1525
nelsonde@luther.edu
Dean encourages leadership gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of the college. He travels in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, as well as the East and West Coasts.
Doug Nelson ’82
Development Officer
(563) 387-1515
nelsondg@luther.edu
Doug encourages leadership gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of the college. He travels in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Oregon, and Georgia. Doug also coordinates Luther’s endowed scholarship program, the Legacy Trust.
Dustin Ross ’05
Assistant Director of Annual Giving
(563) 387-1286
rossdu01@luther.edu
Dustin works with students and alumni to facilitate giving to Luther, leads Phonathon and the senior class giving program, and directs both e- and direct mail communications to alumni for annual giving.
Maria Smith '95
Director of Annual Giving
(563) 387-1096
maria.smith@luther.edu
Maria coordinates components of the annual giving program with other staff and hundreds of student, alumni and parent volunteers. She also facilitates the work of the Annual Fund Council.
Michelle Einck
Administrative Assistant
Michelle serves as the administrative assistant to the vice president and handles all related duties for that position, including scheduling, correspondence, and college business. She also coordinates the receipting communication process and supports communications with the Parents and President’s councils, and for donor recognition events through the development office.
Tracy Elsbernd
Annual Fund Assistant
Tracy provides support for Annual Fund programs, including Class Agents and the Annual Fund Council. She keeps volunteer records and coordinates mailings.
Kathy Tollefsrud
Donor Records Coordinator
Kathy manages giving records and monitors giving trends through the use of computer reports and graphics. She also provides student worker supervision.
Nicole Waskow
Donor Records Coordinator
Nicole is responsible for the computer entry of pledges/gifts and receipting of gifts, and she coordinates corporate and matching gifts. She interacts with the Financial Services and Financial Aid offices as well as the Library and Information Services application development team.
Kelly Wedmann
Development and Gift Planning Coordinator
Kelly coordinates planned giving activities, events, and seminars. She also provides administrative support for Development activities, campaign events, and mailings.
Please see the alumni staff directory for additional members of our department: www.luther.edu/alumni/staff/.