VP for Advancement Update

The search committee, chaired by Ryan Sargent, Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations, reviewed 26 applications for the position.

Zoom interviews were conducted with 11 candidates and of those, three final candidates were invited for on-campus interviews with community and campus stakeholders that will take place the week of October 7-11.

Candidate #1: Mark Arstein, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Chief Development Officer, CWI Foundation, College of Western Idaho, Nampa, ID

Arstein is responsible for establishing a robust advancement division and an influential and effective CWI Foundation Board to develop a constituency of donors, engaged alumni, and advocates for CWI. He is passionate about building relationships, team building, and facilitating philanthropy, with an accomplished history of closing major gifts, leading staff, and managing comprehensive fundraising campaigns that successfully engage donors and stakeholders.

Candidate #2: Stephanie Smith, MPA, Associate Vice President, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

Smith oversees engagement, the NAU Alumni Association, NAU Foundation Board, strategic initiatives fundraising program, and presidential engagement for the NAUAdvancement Division and Foundation. Smith’s expertise spans leadership and administration, comprehensive campaigns, strategic planning, communications, development, fiscal control, board governance, inclusive excellence, and community engagement.

Candidate #3: Lori Cook, BA, Associate Vice President, Development, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Cook is an ambitious and dynamic development leader with a diverse professional fundraising background dedicated to building, engaging, inspiring, and fostering strategic decisions and lucrative relationships with donors and colleagues. Along with supervising a team of 15 development professionals ranging in specialty from leadership annual giving, major giving, corporate and foundation relations, and principal gifts, Cook established clear metrics for measuring success across all development positions at the University of Texas El Paso.

Since July 2024, Dr. Kandi Turley-Ames has served as the Interim Vice President for Advancement for ISU, bringing extensive experience in donor relations to the interim role.
Following on-campus interviews, the final selection will be announced near the end of October and they are expected to begin at ISU in the spring. For more information about the candidates, visit isu.edu/vpadvancement.