Michelle Michael Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago

Directed all fundraising and alumni communications and events for Chicago’s only tech-focused university, including Illinois Tech’s largest comprehensive fundraising campaign, Power the Difference: Our Campaign for Illinois Tech.

Provided strategy solutions and content for higher education, nonprofits and for-profit clients, earning quantifiable successes through presentation coaching, media interview preparation, transformational storytelling and proposal writing.

Led all aspects of marketing and communications for the university. Worked in collaboration with multiple internal and external university stakeholders, resulting in successful media placements and high-profile programming, fulfilling programmatic goals for fundraising and alumni relations, enrollment management, student services, and faculty/employee satisfaction programming, among others.Managed staff; served on a variety of university and medical center committees, guiding processes, establishing protocols and setting programming. Developed and implemented internal and external communications plans, fully integrating into owned communications channels. Oversaw departmental budget.

As a member of the senior leadership team, led the strategic messaging platform and communications plans that elevated the Foundation’s visibility on a national scale, including earned media placements, while advancing its brand image and engaging key constituents across the country. Supervised all aspects of marketing and communications, including brand management, public affairs, media relations, digital and print communications, social media, internal communications and fundraising communications. Led marketing and communications team and managed public relations agency and other vendor relationships.Worked collaboratively with Foundation leadership and external consultants to ensure that an effective marketing communications strategy was deployed across all Foundation programs.

Directed the University of Illinois system's $2.25 billion Brilliant Futures Campaign integrated branding and communications strategy from concept to implementation.Served as chief development communications professional for UIC, overseeing major gift announcement protocol; chancellor-level development communiqué and campus development messaging in coordination with other UI campuses, the UI Foundation, the UI Alumni Association and University of Illinois activities.Led the communications, donor relations, special events and gift processing team, which supports campus-wide fundraising. Served as a member of the senior management leadership team, which leads 32 centralized and 78 decentralized staff in 17 fundraising units.

Marketing, communications, public relations, development and external affairs for organizations including: CTC/Ketchum; Office of Mayor Richard M. Daley; Richard J. Durbin for Senate Campaign; DePaul University; the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Economic Club of Chicago.