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A Conversation with NACRO member Stacey Willenborg, University of Oklahoma Foundation, and NACRO new member Tracy Curtis, University of Oklahoma Foundation.

May 10, 2023

Stacey Willenborg

What is your current role at your institution/company? 

  • Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Oklahoma Foundation.

How long have you been in corporate relations? Can you tell us a little more about your career in corporate relations?

  • I am in my 20th year in university corporate relations after starting as the first Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Illinois Springfield in 2003.  Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma Foundation in 2021, I served seven years as the Senior Director of Corporate Relations at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, four years as the Senior Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Development at KU Endowment Association at the University of Kansas and seven years as the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Illinois Springfield.
How long have you been a NACRO member and why did you decide to become a member?
  • I have been a NACRO member since 2011.  When I was at the University of Illinois Springfield, the institution didn’t meet the required membership guidelines.  My colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign spoke very highly of NACRO and I really wanted to join to take advantage of the benefits of networking with corporate relations colleagues and sharing best practices.  As soon as I shifted to the University of Kansas, which met the membership guidelines, I joined the organization.

When was the first time you attended a NACRO Conference? What made you decide to attend? How many NACRO conferences have you attended?

  • My first NACRO conference was in 2011 at the University of Michigan.  I couldn’t wait to attend, and it didn’t disappoint. At the conference, the first NACRO whitepaper, Five Essential Elements of a Successful Twenty-First Century University Corporate Relations Program, was released.  This whitepaper was a very important part of being able to gain buy-in for advancing corporate relations at my institution.  It was also when I first signed up to serve on a committee and I have been involved ever since.  Except for the virtual conference in 2020, I have attended every NACRO conference from 2011-2022 and will attend again in 2023.  

Can you tell us about your experience at the conference/s? What did you learn? Is there anything that you really enjoyed about the conference or a story you’d like to share? 

  • After attending 11 conferences, I have learned so much that I can’t pinpoint one specific item to highlight, but overall, I have been able to bring amazing ideas, best practices and new energy into my work after each conference.  Most valuable to me are the relationships I have built with peers, board, and committee members.  I have network of amazing people that I can reach out to any time to seek guidance, talk shop and share ideas.

How has the NACRO conference helped you with your career goals in corporate relations? 

  •  Since I joined NACRO, I had the opportunity to serve on the NACRO board in the following roles: Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair, Co-Vice President, Co-President and Past President and then again as Professional Development Committee Co-Chair.  My involvement with NACRO has helped my career path and opportunity to advance and grow in the profession I love.  During this time, I served four institutions and have elevated my role and responsibilities with each opportunity.  

What was the most fun or interesting NACRO host city and why? 

  • It’s too hard to pick, they’re all FUN!  I enjoyed the conferences that were hosted on college campuses.  As the organization grew, we couldn’t accommodate conferences on campuses.  Michigan, Northwestern, Boston University, Purdue, Georgetown, and Washington University in St. Louis were all amazing hosts and each city offered unique experiences.  In 2016, Wash U was the last true campus hosted conference and the year I served as Co-President so it holds a special place in my heart along with the 2014 Purdue conference which was the conference I served as Co-Chair.

Tracy Curtis


 

What is your current role at your institution/company? 

  • I am 9 months into my role as the Director of Corporate Relations for the University of Oklahoma Foundation, focusing toward the following industry verticals: Aviation, Aerospace, Defense and Weather; Life Sciences; Health Sciences and Services; Entrepreneurship; and Student Affairs.

How long have you been in corporate relations? Can you tell us a little more about your career in corporate relations?

  • I have worked in corporate relations off-and-mostly on for over two decades and find that while the work is not easy, it is incredibly rewarding. I worked in Employer Relations via Career Services for both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Denver, where I was responsible raising sponsorship dollars surrounding career initiatives. Across the years, my responsibilities shifted toward driving industry engagement and dollars into the STEM disciplines across campus. Sadly, my college, and therefore my position, was downsized due to covid in 2020, so I was quite pleased to return to my Alma Mater, where I serve to deepen engagements that result in philanthropic gifts for the verticals I serve. I love working for Stacey Willenborg and our fine Foundation, so much so that my goal is to retire from here.

How long have you been a NACRO member and why did you decide to become a member?

  • I joined NACRO in June 2022, and did so first because my boss, who served as NACRO President, showed our team the value of joining, with a particular focus toward becoming involved with the organization. She reminded us that the membership is only as good as the value gained via participation. I appreciate her leadership, so I took a few first steps, and now I am totally hooked with all things NACRO and wish I had joined earlier in my career—there are so many resources, and I could have definitely used them sooner in my work.

When was the first time you attended a NACRO Conference? What made you decide to attend? How many NACRO conferences have you attended? Can you tell us about your experience at the conference/s? What did you learn? Is there anything that you really enjoyed about the conference or a story you’d like to share? 

  • I attended my first NACRO conference in Minneapolis during July 2022. The Bootcamp was a good first step and I found the conference sessions to be rich with content. I was a bit shy with regards to the open networking events, but forced myself to go and ended up meeting quite a lot of terrific people who are now helpful friends to me. I also attended the Midwinter Conference in San Antonio and was blown away by the efforts to build cohesion between the various committees. My advice for conference newcomers is first to look at the app being used so that you can see the casual social efforts that are being planned. The app is a great tool, but you have to use it in order for it to add value to your experience. I also recommend coming to the conference with a list of things you are curious to glean from other institutions; for example, how other schools are presenting their collateral—I learned about flippingbook.com and am still blown away by its potential. The conference is a terrific place to discover that you are on the right track, or that there are enhancements that might improve your way forward. Not to mention, the incredible people who are in attendance have likely experienced similar challenges and are always eager to assist. Get people's contact information so that you can continue to dialogue across the year.
What is the most unusual conference or professional development event that you have ever attended?
  • The most unusual professional development event I have ever attended turned out to be highly valuable for me, though I didn't know it at the time. I was at the end of a very long and tedious grant application, when my boss informed me we were all to go to the University of Wyoming for a full one-day conference. Never mind that the Engineering and Business Deans were blowing up my phone—it was mandatory that I attend. I arrive to discover the entire conference would be about mindfulness. Say what?! Why am I devoting 8 full hours to this? The first exercise, we were to find a stranger and look into their eyes for 3 minutes—my human bawled the entire time! The day brought many different breathing exercises, visualizations, all the mindful things. I submitted the grant the following day (and it was awarded, yay). Truth be told, I was a bit furious to be stuck in a mindfulness day when I had such pressing priorities in my brain. Two years later, the exercises and strategies taught during that one day continue to serve me quite well. Be open to learning!