138: Fred and Kathryn Van Sickle, Cornell and The Chapin School

Fred Van Sickle is the vice president for Alumni Affairs and Development and the university's chief fundraiser, overseeing the team responsible for building alumni engagement worldwide and securing private support from individuals and institutions for the University through the “To Do the Greatest Good” campaign.Before joining Cornell in January of 2016, Fred served Columbia University as executive vice president for Alumni and Development. During his 12 years there, he played a pivotal role in planning, executing, and completing the $6.1 billion Columbia Campaign. Fred also served as chief development officer at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey; associate vice president for Development and assistant dean for Development for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan; vice president for Alumni and Development and secretary of the College at Lake Forest College (his undergraduate alma mater); and director of Principal Gifts at Princeton University.Fred holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as president of the Board of the Finger Lakes Land Trust and as a board member of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.Kathryn Van Sickle is a passionate fundraiser, community builder, and storyteller and has spent the past decade focused on building expertise in fundraising. She has worked for small colleges, large research universities, and now works at an independent day school.Kathryn currently works in New York City as the Director of Major Gifts & Strategic Engagement at The Chapin School, an independent k-12, day school. She is also the founder and host of The Development Debrief LLC (https://www.devdebrief.com/). The Debrief podcast has been featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Kathryn has been an invited guest speaker for the Association of Fundraising Professionals-NYC, Women in Development, CASE programs and more. Most recently, the Debrief was named the first channel of Evertrue Studios Podcast Network.Kathryn is a member of Trinity College's Board of Fellows and the Engagement Chair for the Women’s Leadership Council Executive Committee. She is also the Vice President on the Associate Board of Directors for the nationally-acclaimed Jericho Project which is ending homelessness by enabling homeless individuals to attain housing, employment & mental & physical health services. She lives in New York City’s Upper West Side and loves running in Central Park.