Flyers for Life

By Leanne Downey ‘02

Author bio
City: Charlotte, NC
Profession: Manager of financial planning and analysis for NASCAR Digital Media
Favorite UD home: 213 Kiefaber
UD Role: Being community leader of the Charlotte Alumni Community allows me to continue a strong relationship with UD and lead other alumni to develop that same connection through service, networking and social events.

The Alumni Leadership Conference was a chance for all of the University’s volunteers to come together to meet with UD staff and each other. It was an opportunity to learn what’s happening at UD and share inspiring stories.

We met with an abundance of people throughout the weekend. All of the deans shared updates on what’s going on at their individual schools. We heard from President Eric Spina, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Larry Burnley, Vice President of Advancement Jen Howe, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management Jason Reinoehl, Alumni Association President Rick Granite `88, Vice President of Athletics Neil Sullivan and Coach Anthony Grant `87.

I enjoyed our session with other community leaders. We broke down what is or isn’t working for alumni in our region and learned from one another. During a different session, I was surprised to learn how our rankings rely on the percentage of alumni who give back to UD. I wish more alumni knew they don’t have to give a massive amount of money; just make a gift of any size and participate.

To end the first night of ALC, we had an awards ceremony for alumni communities. I was very honored for the Charlotte Alumni Community to win the Community of the Year Award! It pumped me up to do even bigger and better things this year.

The Alumni Awards event was the second night of ALC. It was a chance to honor and celebrate alumni making a big difference out in their community, whether it’s opening a charter school or helping the poor. It was a fun and inspirational night to hear these stories from people representing UD to the world.

I left ALC with momentum to take back to my leadership team in Charlotte. When people move away from UD, it’s easy to lose touch, so it helps to go back into our alumni communities and have conversations about what we learned.

Overall, the whole weekend was great! There were many thank-you’s throughout ALC. UD sees the work we’re doing, and everyone made us feel appreciated. There are many organizations out there to volunteer for, but I love the connection I have with UD even 16 years out.