Tait Arend and Rick Owen joined ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ this spring as major gift officers and will work with donors in support of the university’s development efforts, including the ongoing Ever ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ fundraising campaign.
Arend is a 1996 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ graduate with more than 12 years of experience in higher education and in sales and account management. He most recently worked as the account manager and technical recruiter at TEKsystems, the largest IT staffing and services company in the United States, where he managed the sales and recruiting process and oversaw a staff of more than 30 employees.
Prior to his position with TEKsystems, Arend worked as a sales and marketing manager for ELF Labs Inc. and with Arthur Andersen/Cerner Corporation as a senior consultant. He served as director of service learning and director of leadership development at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ from 1996 to 2001.
Arend has a master’s degree in business administration with concentrations in marketing, leadership and finance and a bachelor’s degree in human services.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. There is no place that has had a larger impact my life,” Arend said. “I hope that through this position, I can make a difference for this institution, our faculty and staff, and most importantly the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ students.”
Owen comes to ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ after serving as director of annual giving at Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He increased the annual fund dollars raised at the Fuqua School by 40 percent over the past five years and played an active role in securing gifts from both alumni and new donors, increasing the number of $10,000 donors by 46 percent.
Owen also has experience as the assistant director of annual giving at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, a position he held from 1998-2004. He received his bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, N.J.
“ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is an excellent and exciting academic institution,” Owen said. “President Leo Lambert’s vision for the school provides us with a variety of programs to discuss with alumni and parents. I’m honored to have the opportunity to work on the University Advancement team.”