Jim serves as Vice President for College Relations at Carthage College. The College Relations function at Carthage includes development, alumni and parent relations, communications, church relations, and special events.
How many years have you been a development professional?
8.5 years
What led you to become a development professional?
After 30 years in Lutheran higher education, I was looking for a new direction and challenge.
How does your faith guide you in your work?
I am grateful for our Lutheran understanding of the notion of “vocation,” and I have a strong sense of living as responsible stewards.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a development professional?
Working for an institution that is in an enormous capital development period and wishing that we could move faster – working with donors as they move through the steps leading to giving…in less time.
What excites you about your position?
Those wonderful acts of giving that we see – ones that we have worked hard on and ones that surprise us.
What is a favorite book you have read recently and why?
Tom Friedman’s The Earth is Flat, offering an accurate and revealing picture of the world we live in.
What three things do you like to do besides working?
Travel, read, and spend time with children and grandchildren.
What is the most essential quality of a good development professional?
The ability to listen and to be passionate about the organization one serves.
Who has been a mentor for you and why?
My development colleagues at the ELCA colleges and universities.
How many years have you been a member of ALDE?
8.5 years
Describe an ALDE experience that has been particularly noteworthy, fun, uplifting, educational, etc.
Working on the Annual Fund and the annual conference.