Contact the Office of Advancement

Kelly Vowels

Vice President for Advancement

Kelly Boland Vowels ’85, is the Vice President for Advancement, a position she has held since March 2005. She is responsible for cultivating revenue streams and avenues for fundraising and manages the operation of donor relations, development, alumni relations; and has led the college through two successful capital campaigns. Kelly’s career at Benedictine College began in 1985 as an Admission Officer. Other positions she has held at her alma mater includes Director of Alumni Relations, Director of Admission, as well as the dual role of Dean of Enrollment Management and Vice President for Advancement. In the latter roles, Kelly was responsible for leading the admission, financial aid, development, alumni relations, and fundraising efforts, as well as overseeing the employees within the two departments.

Tim Andrews

Executive Director of Planned Giving

Tim Andrews is a 1988 Benedictine graduate who has been with the college for over 20 years, the last 15 years as Executive Director of Planned Giving. Tim advises members of the Benedictine College community interested in matching their personal values, life story, philanthropic goals with the college’s vision to become one of the great Catholic colleges in America.

Rosemary Wilkerson

Executive Director of Development

Rosemary Wilkerson currently serves as the Executive Director of Development at Benedictine College. Her responsibilities include cultivating alumni relationships, solicitation of major donors, and stewardship of planned gifts from Benedictine College alumni and friends to help secure the long-term financial strength of the College. She served as Director of Development at Benedictine during the Faithful to the Story Campaign in 2000. Mrs. Wilkerson earned a bachelor of arts degree in English education in 1990 from Washburn University; and holds a master of science degree in mass communications/public relations from the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism at Kansas State University. 

Doug Longstaff

Executive Director of Annual Giving

Doug Longstaff is a 2007 graduate of the Benedictine Executive MBA program. He earned his BA from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Having previously worn a couple of hats in the Alumni and Advancement offices at Benedictine, Doug has been the Director of Annual Giving since 2017. His role is to engage alumni, parents and friends in the life of the college through annual support for all aspects of the student experience.

Michela Brooks

Donor Engagement Officer

“The opportunity to come back to campus and serve the Benedictine community is a wonderful gift,” said Michela Brooks. “My deep love and appreciation for the mission of Benedictine College has deepened already as I’ve been meeting so many incredible alumni, donors and friends.”

Michela comes to Benedictine College from New Jersey, where she served the last seven years with Saint Paul’s Outreach, first as a missionary and then as their Development Officer for the Northeast Region. Raised in California and Las Vegas, Michela is the oldest of nine children and the first to attend Benedictine College, followed by her sister, Gabrielle Brooks Nickerson ’20,  and current Raven, Annemarie Brooks. Michela graduated in 2014 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Theology. She is a running enthusiast with a soft heart for national parks and east coast food, places, and history. But she’s overjoyed to return to the Midwest and to the community of her alma mater.

Sara Kramer

Director of Advancement Services

Sara Kramer is a 1998 Benedictine graduate who has been with the college for 20 years.  She has been with the Advancement office since 2005.  She is currently the Director of Advancement Services and Research.

Joanne Kobe Huey ’88

Director of Alumni Relations

Joanne Huey, a 1988 Benedictine College graduate, started as the new Director of Alumni Relations in Sept. 2018. Huey is both an alumna and a parent of a Benedictine graduate, plus has two sisters and a brother-in-law who are also Ravens, so she brings a lot of direct experience to the job. Her professional background as a manager within the finance and investment industry has prepared her for the detail work and interaction required of her new position. She has always remained active within the alumni community and is excited to return to her alma mater and work with other alumni in an official capacity.

James Kew

Gift Processing Specialist

James Kew is a 1986 Benedictine College graduate who has worked in advancement services at the College since 1989.  His work is centered around gift recording, receipting and record keeping. He has a long family association with the college. His father, Lewis (deceased), was Class of 1946; his brother, Craig, is Class of 1988; and his mother, Margaret (deceased), didn’t attend Benedictine but taught music at the college from 1964-2012.

Kelly Elias

Administrative Assistant to the VP of Advancement

Immediately following her graduation from Benedictine College in 1985 Kelly began working as an Admissions Counselor. In 1987 she took a job as a District Manager for the Kansas Lottery. In 2011, after 23 years at the Lottery, she returned to Benedictine College to work in the Alumni Office. Her parents, all of her aunts and uncles, a brother and three children have attended Benedictine. Her grandfather and father are former faculty members. She currently teaches the Benedictine College swim courses.  

Kathy Garrison

Class Notes Coordinator

Kathy Garrison joined Benedictine College in May 1979 as secretary for the Public Relations and Sports Information Office. She has a sister that graduated from the college in 1987. Through the years, she has assisted other departments and offices with administrative assistant tasks including the Athletics, Communications, Alumni Relations, and within the Office of Advancement. Currently, Kathy is the Class Notes Coordinator, sharing stories of the alumni/alumnae through the class notes section of the Spirit of Giving alumni magazine, and in her weekly Constituent Notes email. She also handles tasks such as research projects, archival, and stewardship. Kathy counts Benedictine College as her second home.