New Team Members Join University Advancement

Including Raelene Brower as the new alumni services director.

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Andrews University welcomes four new employees to the University Advancement team in the Office of Alumni Services and Office of Development. Raelene Brower will serve as the new alumni services director, and Dennis Hollingsead has been named interim development director. Kaitlyn Del Valle and Sheila Penrod have taken on the role of major gifts officers.

Raelene Brower, who returns to Andrews after a successful administrative career in higher education, will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the university’s relationships with alumni. An alumna of Andrews herself, Brower’s first job was in the Public Relations Department (now University Communication). “That was my first affirmation that my career would be somehow interactive, collaborative, creative and mission-driven!” she recalls. “This has been reaffirmed throughout my career, and these are still the pillars of my life, personally and professionally.”

Starting in the late 1980s, Brower dedicated fifteen years of service to Andrews, working in recruitment, enrollment and financial services. She went on to explore a variety of career paths, including direct sales, a family-owned business and multiple administrative positions in Adventist academies and universities. “My parents were children of immigrants who came to America with nothing, worked hard and believed fiercely in God and the Adventist message,” she shares. “I remain strongly committed to my church and Adventist education.” 

In 2019, Brower retired and returned to Michigan to be with her family. After experiencing the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, she realized that she missed her interactions with students and colleagues as well as the mission of Adventist higher education. “I believe God brought me directly to the role of director of Alumni Services,” she says. “It seems a natural and timely new chapter, and I am grateful to serve Andrews University again.” 

In her role, Brower will have a variety of responsibilities, including welcoming new alumni members at commencement ceremonies, arranging regional events for alumni, recognizing honored alumni and planning the annual Homecoming Weekend. She is excited about several current initiatives in the office, including an “Up and Coming” Honored Alumni award and AU Network, which connects current students with alumni mentors. “It has always seemed like my ‘mission field’ is to serve families and help them feel connected to the Andrews community,” she affirms. “For me, it’s all about relationships.”

Kaitlyn Del Valle has spent her career engaging with and caring for the student population of Andrews, making her especially equipped for her new role as major gifts officer of the Midwest. As a student at Andrews, she graduated with a liberal arts degree and leadership certification. “My grandparents, mother and my uncle all graduated from Andrews, so having that legacy was very important to me,” she explains. “Andrews has always felt like home to me.”

After her graduation, Del Valle began working for the University in the Office of Marketing and Enrollment Management, eventually accepting the position of senior enrollment counselor/recruiter. “Enrollment taught me how to talk with all age groups about the University, how to answer hard questions, and it grew my own passion for the University. The position also taught me how important it is to communicate and build relationships with the rest of the campus.” After dedicating four years to working in Enrollment, Del Valle decided to apply for a new role in the Office of Development. “I feel God was calling me to work in this new department,” she relates. “After lots of prayer, I accepted the position, and I am so glad I did.”

Del Valle looks forward to the opportunity to grow as a professional and leader, and she places her trust in God’s plans for her future. “I am so excited to grow and keep developing relationships with people that have a passion for the University, just as I do. I believe Adventist education is very important,” she says. “I had such a great experience as a student, and I want to help students feel the same way that I did. As an alumnus, I want my fellow alumni to feel connected to the institution that they graduated from and know that they can also call this place their home.”

Sheila Penrod’s goal as major gifts officer for the East Coast is to form connections, listen to people’s stories and share the message of Adventist education. She brings a variety of life experiences to her new role, having received a Bachelor of Technology in graphic imaging from Andrews University and her nursing license from Southwestern Michigan College. 

Over the course of her career, Penrod has worked as a sales representative, screen-printing business manager, licensed practical nurse (LPN) and administrative assistant. Her experiences within universities, wholesale distributors, hospice centers and doctor’s offices have given her a unique background for her new role. “All these positions have helped me to develop my skills of communication and relationship building,” she expresses.

For a time, she worked in the Andrews University Financial Records Office, where she met Donald Bedney, vice president of University Advancement. “We would talk about his role and how he interacted with donors,” she recalls. Sheila was intrigued by Donald’s view that the foundation of fundraising is really “friendraising,” and she has embraced this approach as her own.

The conversations sparked her interest in the position, and several years later, she prayerfully decided to apply to an open role. “I really feel that God has led me to this position. I have already met some amazing people and heard some great stories related to their love for Andrews University,” she shares. 

Penrod is invested in meeting new people, building relationships and promoting the University. She also looks forward to the journey of prayer that God is leading her through. “I have had opportunities to pray with and for people that I am meeting and speaking with. In addition to helping to grow my prayer life, I feel it has connected me better with the individuals I’m meeting,” she says. Penrod aims to grow those genuine connections with students, alumni and friends of the university, affirming, “I want to share in the good times and memories, and if there are hurt feelings or bad experiences, I want to be the bridge to restoration.”

Dennis Hollingsead was named interim director of Development in July of 2023. Having served Andrews University for over twenty years in a variety of roles, he brings a wide range of experience to his new position. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in music education, as well as a Master of Library Science.

Early in his career, music offered Hollingsead the opportunity to grow his leadership skills. Over the years, he taught an assortment of music classes in Michigan, California, Kansas and Minnesota. He also conducted several church choirs of different denominations, as well as a men’s chorus and a children’s choir. “The men’s chorus (King’s Men) performed the Star Spangled Banner at the Kansas City Royals stadium,” he fondly recollects. “They also provided two musical selections for the 1988 Minnesota Centennial of the 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis.” 

In 1983, Hollingsead began to take an interest in computers. While working at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, he recalls, “No one except the financial VP ever used the computers since they required typing system commands for save, copy, open, etc. There was no graphic user interface at the time for IBM.” He checked out library books on the topic and eventually purchased his first Commodore Amiga desktop in 1983. Soon enough, he built an impressive set of technological skills on a range of computer systems.

Hollingsead put his leadership and computer expertise to use when he began working for Andrews in 2002. He served as administrative assistant to Patricia Mutch, vice president for academic administration and, later, Heather Knight, provost. In 2008, he transitioned to University Advancement in the role of prospect management officer. Now, as interim director of development, Hollingsead helps donors provide financial support for students in need, supporting the educational journeys of the Andrews community.