Rev. Dr. McKennon Shea
Vice President
for Development
(336) 841-9856
mckennon@highpoint.edu

About McKennon: McKennon serves as the Vice President for Development. He has served HPU with increasing levels of responsibility in the Office of Institutional Advancement since 2018. Today, he leads an outstanding team of dedicated professionals, and is responsible for fundraising, alumni engagement, family engagement, advancement services and athletics fundraising.

Prior to this position, he served as the Director of Major and Planned Giving for The Divinity School of Duke University in Durham, NC. He also previously served as Director of Admissions for Duke Divinity School and as a minister for Duke University Chapel. McKennon is an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church and completed his undergraduate studies at Hampden-Sydney College. He also received his Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, and holds a doctorate in Higher Education Management from The University of Pennsylvania.

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Gale Nance Varner
Administrative Assistant to the Vice President
(336) 841-9127
gvarner@highpoint.edu

About Gale: Gale has proudly served the Office of Institutional Advancement as Administrative Assistant/Office Manager since 2000. She provides a wide range of administrative support for the entire office, including assisting the Senior Vice President and Advancement Officers.

Prior to HPU, Gale worked in the banking industry, and served as Librarian/Branch Manager in the Davidson County Public Library system for over ten years. She holds Associate degrees in Applied Science in both Business and Accounting.

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Kate Berry
Associate Vice President
for Development
(336) 841-9353
kberry@highpoint.edu 

About Kate: In her current role as an Associate Vice President for Development, Kate helps oversee the team of regionally-based advancement officers who travel across the country building the HPU network and enhancing philanthropic support to the University. In her current role, she works closely with parents, alumni, and friends of HPU in New York, Wisconsin and Illinois. Kate initially joined the Office of Institutional Advancement as a senior advancement officer. In that role, she partnered with parents, alumni and community members to engage them with the university and facilitate philanthropic investments to strengthen HPU’s educational mission. 

Prior to joining the team at HPU, she worked in development at other higher education institutions and in the non-profit sector. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish and has lived and worked abroad in Spain and Mexico.

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J. Bradley Purcell
Director of Gift Planning
(336) 841-9214
bpurcell@highpoint.edu

About Bradley: As the Director of Gift Planning, Bradley will build relationships with HPU alumni, parents and friends, to motivate legacy gifts to the University, while helping to strengthen certain major donor relationships as well.

Bradley earned the A.B. degree from Duke University, 1983, and both the M.A. and the J.D. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 1988. He practiced law in Greensboro, NC for five years early in his career.

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Eric Gabriel
Director of Major Gifts
(336) 841-9774
egabriel@highpoint.edu

About Eric: Eric was promoted to Director of Major Gifts in July 2024 after joining HPU’s Institutional Advancement Office in July 2023. In his role, he is responsible for advancing the institutional priorities at HPU by partnering with parents, alumni and friends throughout the New England area (MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) as well as New Jersey.

Prior to joining the Institutional Advancement team at HPU, Eric served as an assistant coach with the HPU men's basketball team from 2015 until 2023. He arrived at High Point in 2013 as the team's first-ever Director of Video Operations before being promoted to Director of Player Development in 2014.
Eric received his MS from the Ohio University in Coaching Education and a BA from West Liberty University in Elementary Education.

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Taylor Cuthbertson
Senior Advancement Officer
(336) 841-9664
tcuthber@highpoint.edu

About Taylor: Taylor Cuthbertson serves as a Senior Advancement Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement. In her role, she works closely with parents, alumni, and friends of HPU in the Southeast inlcuding Florida, Alabama and Mississppi to advance the institutional priorities of HPU. 

Prior to joining the team, she worked as an Admissions Counselor in the Office of Admissions at HPU. Taylor received her BS in Public Relations and a minor in Nonprofit Management from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

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Pete Worcester
Senior Advancement Officer
(336) 841-9352
pworcest@highpoint.edu

About Pete: Pete joined HPU’s Institutional Advancement Office in December 2021. In his role as Senior Advancement Officer, he is responsible for advancing the institutional priorities at HPU with parents, alumni and friends throughout North Carolina.

Most of his career was in leadership roles in marketing and business development for global consumer packaged goods and textile companies. Prior to joining HPU, served as major gift officer for Guilford College. Pete received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and BA from Williams College.

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Ryan Ayers
Advancement Officer
(336) 841-4557
rayers1@highpoint.edu

About Ryan: Ryan Ayers serves as an Advancement Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement. In his role, he works closely with parents, alumni, and friends of HPU in the Southeast including South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and western North Carolina to advance the institutional priorities of HPU.
 
Before joining the team, Ryan served as a Product Management intern at Hanesbrands. He attended High Point University, where he was a student-athlete on the Men’s Basketball team, an honors scholar, and a junior marshal. Ryan graduated from HPU Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Ryan is thrilled to be back working at his alma mater.

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Abel Mathews
Advancement Officer
(336) 841-7615
amathew3@highpoint.edu

About Abel: Abel joined HPU's Institutional Advancement team on January 8th, 2024. In his position, he engages with parents, alumni, and friends to advance the institutional priorities of HPU throughout Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Before coming on board at HPU, Abel served as the Vice President of an international non-profit, which allowed him to travel to over 10 countries. He received his bachelor's in marketing from Dallas Baptist University. 

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Ben Thompson
Advancement Officer
(336) 841-9857
bthomps4@highpoint.edu

About Ben: Ben serves as an Advancement Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in August 2024, he partners with parents, alums, and friends of HPU in the DMV region (DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia) to help advance the future priorities of HPU.
 
Prior to his arrival at HPU, Ben was a college basketball coach for almost 20 years and was a head coach for 8 of those seasons, leading two institutions through the NCAA reclassification process where he is top five in all-time wins at both Emory & Henry and SUNY Canton.  He also coached at Virginia Tech, VMI, UNC Greensboro, Lincoln Memorial, Saint Leo, and UNCP.  Ben received both his BA and MS from Virginia Tech.

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Anne McLain Laws
Coordinator of Development Operations
(336) 841-9134
alaws@highpoint.edu

About Anne McLain: Anne McLain serves as Coordinator of Development of Operations in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in Sept. 2024, she assists advancement officers with pledge agreements and reports regarding goals and donor contributions.
 
Before she arrived at HPU, Anne McLain attended Furman University for her undergrad where she received two bachelor of art degrees in psychology and communication Studies. In May of 2024, she received her master’s in science management from Wake Forest University School of Business with a concentration in marketing.

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Rita S. Williams '92
Assistant Vice President 
for Advancement Services
(336) 841-9461
rwillia0@highpoint.edu

About Rita: Rita is the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Services and a proud alumna of High Point University. In her role, Rita provides management oversight and strategic planning for the development, implementation, maintenance and support of the University’s fundraising and alumni database system, prospective donor management system, and various other engagement software tools. Her areas of responsibility include gifts and records administration, data integration, data analytics, database integrity, information security, reporting, prospect management, donor gratitude and stewardship, and prospect research to support engagement and fundraising strategic initiatives. 

Rita is a 1992 manga cum laude graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. She has worked in technology and data roles for almost 30 years, with a majority of that time in management roles. 

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Denise Lanier
Manager of Gifts and
Records Administration
(336) 841-9529
dlanier@highpoint.edu 

About Denise: As the Manager of Gifts and Records Administration, Denise's area of responsibility includes management of the Gift Processing team, as well as data maintenance and research related to constituent biographical information. She manages datea that enables the university to stay connected with alumni, donors, families and friends, ensuring data accuracy and integrity. She also ensures that gifts are processed by timely and accurately, and provides associated gift reporting.

Denise has several years of gift processing experience, along with 30+ years of accounting and other transaction and data-related experience. She has been with HPU in Institutional Advancement since 2014. 

Kelly McFeeley
Manager of Gratitude and Stewardship
(336) 841-9675
kmcfeeley@highpoint.edu

About Kelly: Kelly serves as the Manager of Gratitude and Stewardship in the Office of Institutional Advancement. In her role, she helps support donor recognition and appreciation opportunities.

Kelly graduated from Appalachian State University in 2021 with a B.S.B.A in Hospitality and Tourism Management. While in school, she worked as a Student Representative for Appalachian’s Annual Giving department. Previously, she served as the Coordinator of Gratitude and Stewardship and Manager of Annual Giving at HPU.

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James Belk
Manager of Data Analysis & Reporting
(336) 841-9532
jbelk@highpoint.edu

About James: James serves as Manager of Data Analysis & Reporting in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in March 2024, he was promoted a year later to his current role. He is a member of a dedicated team in High Point University’s annual giving program. He will provide accurate reporting so the greater team can have more successful giving strategies and execute strategic campaigns for the HPU community.
 
Prior to his arrival at HPU, James ran his own small businesses in Davidson County. A native of Lexington, NC, he earned a bachelor's degree in history from Western Carolina University.

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Rachel Delcamp
Advancement Data Specialist
(336) 841-9833
rdelcamp@highpoint.edu

About Rachel:  Rachel is the Advancement Data Specialist and in her role, she is responsible for ensuring and maintaining data accuracy, processing record updates, maintaining data health, database cleanup and generating reporting for the Office of Institutional Advancement.

She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration concentrating in information systems.

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Patricia McGraw
Gift Processor
(336) 841-4556
pmcgraw@highpoint.edu

About Patricia: Patricia serves as Gift Processor in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in April 2024, she is part of the team that assists High Point University in processing donations that support the university’s goals and objectives.

Prior to her arrival at HPU, Patricia spent 21 years with the University of Miami in its Development and Alumni Relations Department, where she most recently served as Associate Director of Gift Management. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami.

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Harry Stillwell
Coordinator of Prospect Research
(336) 841-9619
hstillwe@highpoint.edu 

About Harry: Harry joined the Office of Institutional Advancement in July 2023, performing data management before advancing to his current role. Through research, he collects and analyzes data in support of the university's special project funding, annual efforts, scholarships and other initiatives. 

Harry graduated from Guilford Technical Community College with an Associates in Applied Science in Information Technology, with a focus on Database Programming and Data Management.

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Lucy Martin
Coordinator of Gratitude and Stewardship
(336) 841-4695
lmartin4@highpoint.edu

About Lucy: Lucy serves as the Coordinator of Gratitude and Stewardship in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in October 2024, she oversees initiatives that celebrate and acknowledge contributions, fostering a culture of appreciation. She also assists with organizing events and programs that reinforce gratitude and stewardship.

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Elizabeth Boles '17, MBA '25
Senior Director of
Alumni Engagement and Development Events 
(336) 841-9447
eparker1@highpoint.edu

About Elizabeth: Elizabeth serves as Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Development Events. She has served HPU since 2019. As a 2017 graduate herself, Elizabeth is committed to fostering meaningful connections between alumni and their alma mater.

Prior to this position, she served as an Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at HPU guiding prospective students and their families through the enrollment process. She was also a high school science teacher in Cary, NC. Elizabeth is currently enrolled in the MBA program at HPU graduating in May of 2025.

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Gabby Rahn
Manager of
Advancement Events
(336) 841-9831
gpysher@highpoint.edu 

About Gabby: Gabby serves as Manager of Advancement Events in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in January 2024, she focuses on execution of Advancement Events. She will ensure that Advancement Events not only hold up to but exceed the High Point University standard.  

Prior to her arrival at HPU, Gabby managed events at The Hideaway at Crooked Creek, her family's wedding & event venue in Whitsett, NC. Gabby is from Greensboro, NC and graduated from The University of South Carolina at Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies & Spanish in 2018.

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Emily Halk
Student Alumni Engagement Coordinator
(336) 841-9829
ehalk@highpoint.edu

About Emily: Emily joined High Point University in July 2023 as the Student Alumni Engagement Coordinator. In her role, she helps cultivate purposeful and meaningful relationships with High Point University students to strengthen affinity as future alumni. Emily helps lead philanthropy education programs to promote University traditions and values. She assists with senior programming, including their senior campaign, to help navigate students toward alumnihood and prepare them to leave a legacy for future generations. This serves as a link between current students and alumni to learn from one another and give back to their alma mater.
 
Emily graduated Magna Cum Laude from Appalachian State University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations. While in school, she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, the University Honors College, an intern for their club ice hockey team, and their student-run radio station-90.5 WASU FM.

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Davis Shoener '20, M.A. '21
Alumni Events Coordinator
(336) 841-9698
dshoene1@highpoint.edu

About Davis: Davis serves as the Alumni Events Coordinator where he manages and executes both on and off-campus events for HPU alumni to help engage and promote impactful relationships within the alumni community.

Davis graduated from HPU in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Communication and Business Leadership in 2021. Prior to joining the Office of Institutional Advancement, Davis worked in the Office of Communications as Campus Concierge. Currently, he also serves as HPU club baseball’s assistant coach.  

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Brian Turney
Manager of Annual Giving
(336) 841-9710
bturney@highpoint.edu 

About Brian: Brian serves as the Manager of Annual Giving in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Joining the staff in March 2024, He focuses on the execution and implementation of fundraising strategies for university fundraising priorities and coordinates the associated outreach efforts.

Prior to HPU, he worked extensively in the sports industry with organizations such as the Kansas City Chiefs, USA Football, Indianapolis Colts, and Carolina Hurricanes. He earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Sports Marketing and Revenue Generation from Winthrop University in 2022 and Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Wingate University in 2019. 

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Traci Coleman
Graphic Design and Creative Projects Coordinator
(336) 841-9641
tcolema5@highpoint.edu

About Traci: Traci serves as the Graphic Design and Creative Projects Coordinator in the Office of Institutional Advancement at High Point University. Joining the team in Sept. 2024, she is responsible for designing and producing a variety of materials that reflect the brand, mission, and values of HPU. With a focus on engaging different constituency groups, she develops, oversees, and maintains all design projects.
 
Before her role at HPU, Traci worked as a graphic designer at Cato Corporation. A native of Thomasville, N.C., she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design from East Carolina University.

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Danielle Kolawole
Digital Communications and Marketing Strategist
(336) 529-8958
dkolawol@highpoint.edu

About Danielle: Danielle is the Digital Communications and Marketing Strategist in the Office of Institutional Advancement. Her expertise spans email campaigns, social media strategy, content creation, website management, and beyond.

Before joining HPU, Danielle honed her skills at a marketing agency, gaining a well-rounded perspective of the digital landscape. She holds a BA in Psychology from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, where she graduated in 2019 and served as a Resident Assistant.

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Amanda Arnold Viracola
Manager of Family Programs
(336) 841-9731
aarnold1@highpoint.edu 

About Amanda: Amanda serves as Manager of Family Programs. This position serves as the Parent Liaison for Family Programs through the Office of Institutional Advancement. She is available to answer all of your questions surrounding family related events through the President’s Leadership Cabinet. Prior to moving into her current role, Amanda previously served as Coordinator of Development Operations.

Prior to this position, Amanda worked in the equine industry as both a Barn Manager and Veterinary Technician. She graduated from Averett University Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Equestrian Studies. 

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Darren Hill
Assistant Vice President 
for Athletic Development
(336) 841-9555
dhill1@highpoint.edu 

About Darren: Darren joined High Point University’s Institutional Advancement Office in December 2016. In his role as the Assistant Vice President for Athletic Development, he is responsible for advancing the institutional priorities of the University and the Athletic Department through the cultivation and solicitation of major gifts from parents, alumni and friends of the University. 

Prior to his arrival at HPU, Darren served as the Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Winston-Salem Dash baseball team. He received his undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sport Science, concentration in Sport Administration, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Carson Britt
Athletics Advancement Officer
(336) 841-4677
cbritt1@highpoint.edu

About Carson: Carson joined High Point University’s Office of Institutional Advancement in October 2022. In his role as the Manager of Panther Club Annual Giving and Season Tickets, he is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and solicitating prospective Panther Club Donors for the Athletic Department. While contributing to the Panther Club’s annual fund goals, he also leads the Qubein Center season ticket sales for men’s and women’s basketball.

Prior to his arrival at HPU, Carson served as a Business Development Representative for the Winston Salem Dash Baseball team. He received his undergraduate degree in Parks and Recreation Management, concentration in Business Administration, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.   

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Chase Pittman
Manager of Panther Club Annual Giving and Season Tickets
(336) 841-9133
cpittman@highpoint.edu

About Chase: Chase Pittman joined High Point University in September 2024. In his role, he is responsible for leading the Qubein Center season ticket sales for men’s and women’s basketball while identifying and developing relationships with potential prospects for the Panther Club. He helps contribute to the Panther Club’s annual fund goal while planning and executing all donor events.
 
Prior to his arrival at HPU, Chase served as the Ticket Sales and Service Manager at Pepperdine University. He also spent time as the Assistant Ticket Manager at Georgia State University. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Furman University and his master’s degree in Sport Administration from Georgia State University. He resides in Winston-Salem with his girlfriend, Riley, and their English bulldog Chunk. 

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Kayla Surles
Ticket Operations Coordinator
(336) 841-9480
ksurles@highpoint.edu

About Kayla: Kayla Surles joined High Point University in 2024. In her role as Ticket Operations Coordinator, she is responsible for overseeing all ticket sales and accounts while supporting the game day box offices for ticketed sports. 

Before she arrived at HPU, Surles served as the Ticket Office Assistant at James Madison University. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Hollins University and her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Eastern Mennonite University. She was a part of the women’s basketball team for both universities.  
Outside of work, she enjoys weightlifting and photography. 

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Brandon Tuthill
Corporate Sales and Development Officer
(336) 841-9775
btuthil1@highpoint.edu

About Brandon: Brandon Tuthill joined the Panther Club staff in 2024 as the Corporate Sales and Development Officer. In this role, he is responsible for generating revenue from local businesses through sponsorships of annual University events and HPU’s NCAA Division I athletic programs. He also oversees the growth and development of High Point University's Corporate Donor Annual Giving Program.

An HPU alumnus, Tuthill earned his degree in Sport Management with a minor in Sales. Before joining the Panther Club, he interned with the organization during his undergraduate years. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys spending time with friends and family and is a devoted Yankees fan.

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