STAFF DIRECTORY

The Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) staff is eager to assist our members and are grateful for their loyalty and generosity in support of Virginia Athletics and its 27 sports programs. The responsibilities of each member of our team vary greatly as we work to accomplish our mission of providing University of Virginia student-athletes the opportunity to achieve academic and athletic excellence.

Kittie Callaghan Abell
Receptionist

Kittie Callaghan Abell joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in September 2022. In this role, she works with the executive assistant and office manager to answer phone calls and questions coming into the VAF. She oversees the Courtesy Car Dealer Program for the Foundation.

Kittie joined the Foundation after 30 years as a frontline fundraiser in Georgia and Virginia. She is happy to be in a support role during this phase of her career.

Kittie graduated with a degree in government from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., where she was an All-American Swimmer. She served her alma mater as President of the Alumni Board of Directors and as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees.

Kittie and her husband Rob have a son, Thomas, daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Brandon, and two grandchildren.

Email: hye9md@virginia.edu

Jessica French Armistead
Director of Suites, Events, and Stewardship

Jessica earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia in 2003. As an undergraduate student, she worked in the football office and following graduation, joined the VAF staff as a special events intern. In 2004, she assumed the role of special events assistant and a year later became the special events coordinator. Jessica was promoted to suites and events director in 2007.

Jessica oversees all suite sales, and her team is responsible for managing suite operations at Scott Stadium, Disharoon Park, and John Paul Jones Arena. Additionally, the suites, events, and stewardship staff is responsible for planning and implementing athletics events including the spring and fall social tours, sports reunions, sport-specific fundraisers, special celebrations, facility dedications, etc., as well as all efforts to steward VAF donors.

Jessica and her husband Justin have two children: Finley and Rory.

Email: jsf2y@virginia.edu

Holly Baker
Executive Assistant and Office Manager

Holly Baker joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in July of 2022. In this role, she serves as the front office manager and executive assistant to Kevin Miller and the liaison to the VAF Board of Trustees.

Holly brings extensive experience in database management, special events, and vendor relations, having been an administrative professional for over twenty-five years. Prior to joining the VAF, she was a member of the admissions team at Woodberry Forest School.

Holly is a 1996 graduate of Virginia Tech and holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science. In her spare time, she enjoys landscaping, taking care of her “mini-farm,” and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband, Richard, live in Gordonsville, Va., and have two children, Braden and Sarah.

Email: dua3ru@virginia.edu

Jordan Bullock
Assistant Director of Suites, Events, and Stewardship

Jordan Bullock joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in January of 2022. He assists with athletics events and all efforts to steward VAF donors. Additionally, he supports suite operations for Scott Stadium, Disharoon Park, and John Paul Jones Arena.

Prior to joining the VAF, Bullock served as the director of player relations for Virginia Football. In this role, he supported the program’s day-to-day operations and was responsible for student-athlete development, compliance, and community engagement initiatives.

A native of Mineral, Virginia, Bullock graduated from Old Dominion University – earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2016 and a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in sports administration in 2018.

Email: jb6dw@virginia.edu

Nicki Deuel
Director of Marketing and Communications

Nicki Deuel joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in November 2022. In this role, she is responsible for the multi-channel (online, social, video, broadcast, email, and print) marketing and communication strategy across the VAF from concept through execution. She will combine research and insights to extend the VAF’s brand voice and efforts to support the University of Virginia’s athletics programs.

A California native, Nicki graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Business Administration and earned her MBA from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Nicki began her career in communications as a PR intern for the St. Louis Rams. Over the past thirteen years, she has worked at Oakley, Nintendo, Shutterfly, and Apple in various marketing and communications roles – public relations, experiential, partnerships, campaign planning, events, CRM, affiliate, influencer, developer, and global marketing.

Nicki and her family relocated to Virginia from California in 2021 and are enjoying exploring all that the region has to offer.

Email: tav9rs@virginia.edu

Elizabeth Faust
Assistant Director of Suites, Events, and Stewardship

Elizabeth Faust joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in September of 2023. She plans and implements athletics events including sports reunions, sport-specific fundraisers, special celebrations, ect., as well as all efforts to steward VAF donors. Additionally, she supports suite operations for Scott Stadium, Disharoon Park, and John Paul Jones Arena.

Prior to joining the VAF, Elizabeth worked at USA Football as the Senior Manager of Events and Engagement.

A native of Kingsport, Tennessee, Elizabeth graduated from The University of Tennessee with a bachelors of science in exercise science and a masters of science in education with a concentration in sports management.

Email: efaust@virginia.edu

Jeff Ford
Associate Director

Jeff Ford joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation staff on December 5, 2016. He assists with the fundraising efforts for the Annual Fund and with major gift development. His territories include Richmond and Southwest Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois and Tennessee.

Jeff joined the Foundation after 35 years in the hospitality industry. His experience includes almost 30 years heading up the group sales and service efforts at The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va. and five years as Director of Sales and Marketing at Glade Springs Resort in Beckley, West Virginia.

Jeff and his wife Christie have four grown children, Jerry, Jailyn, Jordan, and Jonah.

Email: jf5am@virginia.edu

Lesley Hicks
Assistant Director of the Annual Fund

Lesley Hicks joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in January of 2020. She previously served as the receptionist and is now a member of the Annual Fund team. As the assistant director, Lesley’s responsibilities include delivering support for the annual giving strategy, collaborating with internal business partners to develop benefit-related communications, and liaising with donors regarding member benefits.

Lesley graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of Arts & Sciences. While a student at UVA, she was a member of the women’s club lacrosse team and the Chi Omega Fraternity.

She began her professional career at WorldStrides as an account manager. Lesley then spent 14+ years in the insurance industry. She worked at State Farm as an auto claims representative, claims training instructor, and claims training analyst.

Lesley is married to Joseph Hicks. The couple has one daughter, Sophie.

Email: ljs8g@virginia.edu

Jon Hooe
Associate Director

Jon Hooe joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in July 2022. His primary responsibility is to secure major gifts supporting UVA Athletics. In addition, Jon works closely with the baseball, women’s rowing, and men’s and women’s squash programs. He is passionate about building relationships with UVA alumni and donors and serving as a link between the University and its stakeholders who generously support the institution.

Jon graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2010 with a degree in Government and Economics (minor). Prior to joining the VAF, he worked in development for the College Foundation of UVA for four and a half years. Jon also has six years of previous experience in political campaigns, political fundraising, and nonprofit grant writing.

Jon lives in Charlottesville with his fiancé, Maddie, who is also a UVA graduate (Nursing 2016).

Email: jeh2jw@virginia.edu

Courtney Johnson
Manager of Gift Accounting and Administration

Courtney Johnson joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in May of 2018. As manager of gift accounting and administration, Courtney is responsible for recording and acknowledging donor gifts, database management and reporting, and providing support for VAF directors.

Courtney graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in mathematics and has spent three years working as a ticket services associate in the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office.

Email: cej2c@virginia.edu

Todd Kersey
Chief Operating Officer

Todd Kersey joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in April of 2014 and leads internal operations. In this capacity, Todd works closely with the Executive Director to help create and implement new strategies to achieve the Foundation’s short and long-range goals. Todd also manages functional areas including budgets, gift processing, suites and events, administration, and stewardship.

Todd graduated from the University of Virginia in 1988 with a degree in history. While a student at the University, he was a member of the JV basketball team. He also earned an Executive Masters of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary. His professional career has focused primarily on marketing, program development/ implementation, sales, and customer service.

After graduation, Todd worked as Vice President of Stick Five-0, the public relations firm for former UVA basketball standout and professional basketball Hall of Fame member Ralph Sampson. In this capacity, he served as business manager, planned and coordinated fundraising events, managed appearances, and was involved in sponsorship and contract negotiations. Following his time at Stick Five-0, Todd spent 24 years at WorldStrides (formerly Lakeland Tours) as director of several areas including marketing, account management, special events, sales, and other leadership roles.

Todd and his wife Cindy have two children, Grant and Madison.

Email: mtk3cz@virginia.edu

Kristie Kintner
Donor Services Coordinator

Kristie Kintner joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation staff in June of 2002. An integral part of the Foundation’s donor services program, she coordinates football and basketball parking and ticketing and serves as the liaison for individual game requests for tickets and parking. Additionally, she provides administrative support for the development team and assists with special events and donor stewardship.

Prior to joining the staff, Kintner and her husband, Nathan, moved to the Charlottesville area from Central Pennsylvania. She worked for two years as the executive assistant and CAD designer for Commonwealth Recreation, Inc., a local playground and skate park distributor. The couple has a son, Walker.

Email: kk8c@virginia.edu

Donna Garnett Mahan
Chief Financial Officer

Donna Mahan, CPA, joined the Foundation in January of 2008 and serves as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining VAF, she worked in public accounting for 16 years. She oversees all financial areas of the Foundation including accounting, cash flows/banking, projections, financial and tax reporting, audit, gift processing, endowments administration, and budgeting. She oversees the gift accounting and reporting team. She also works closely with the VAF management team to provide quality control and strategic planning.

A native of Virginia Beach, Donna and her husband moved to the Charlottesville area in 2000. She previously worked as an audit manager with a regional public accounting firm in Charlottesville. Prior to relocating to Charlottesville, she worked with a large public accounting firm in Norfolk for eight years. She was voted by her peers as a Super CPA for five consecutive years as recognized by Virginia Business magazine. She is a graduate of Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Business Administration with dual concentrations in Finance and Accounting.

Donna and her husband Jeff have two sons: Jeff and Shane.

Email: dm5mm@virginia.edu

Bill Maisannes
Database Manager/Business Analyst

Bill joined the Foundation team in March of 2022 as its database manager and business analyst. In this role, he is responsible for database management and analysis, gift processing and reporting, and collaborating with external vendors and units at UVA.

Bill moved to Charlottesville in 1984 and attended Tandem Friends School. He then graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in philosophy with minors in religious studies and music. He began his advancement career in 2006 with the Office of Engagement, supporting UVA Clubs, Cavalier Travels, and Lifetime Learning. Since then, he has managed databases for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello) and Greenwich Country Day School. Bill is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

Email: wem8x@virginia.edu

Joyce McKenney
Development Assistant

Joyce joined the Foundation in May of 2019. In her position as development assistant, she provides administrative, operational, and database support for the development and customer service-related activities of the Foundation.

A native of Salt Lake City, Joyce graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in communication. She worked in public broadcasting, including at PBS and WETA-TV Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years doing promotion, client services, and programming communications work. Prior to joining the Foundation staff, she was an assistant registrar with the City of Charlottesville’s Office of Voter Registration and Elections.

Joyce has two children, Ian and Claire.

Email: jm9mh@virginia.edu

Kevin Miller
VAF Executive Director and Deputy Athletics Director

Kevin Miller joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in the fall of 2023 as its executive director and a deputy athletics director.

Kevin will oversee all aspects of VAF’s fundraising operation including but not limited to, the annual fund, the endowed scholarship program, fundraising efforts to support the operational needs for the sports programs, suite lease gifts and planned gifts. He will work directly with the VAF board of trustees as the secretary/treasurer of the board. He will collaborate closely as deputy athletics director with UVA Athletics and will represent UVA Athletics as the chief development officer to the UVA advancement community.

Kevin joins the VAF after spending the past six-plus years as a senior administrator for the University of Georgia and The Georgia Bulldog Club. He was the organization’s senior associate athletic director and deputy executive director the past two plus years. He previously held the title of associate athletic director for development and deputy executive director with the TGBC from 2017 to 2021.

Prior to working at Georgia, Kevin served as the associate athletic director for major gifts and capital campaigns for West Virginia University’s Mountaineer Athletic Club (MAC). Kevin joined the MAC staff in April 2012 as a major gifts officer. In 2013, he was promoted to assistant athletic director for annual giving and then promoted to associate athletic director for annual giving in 2016, where he was responsible for managing and overseeing the annual giving and priority seating and parking programs for WVU.

Prior to WVU, Kevin spent three years as the assistant athletic director for development at Georgia State and oversaw the annual giving program. Under his leadership, the program grew its unrestricted annual dollars by more than 1,500 percent and its donor base by 450 percent in his last two fiscal years on the job.

Prior to his time at Georgia State, Kevin served as the assistant director of development for the University of Central Florida’s Golden Knights Club (GKC) from March 2007 – December 2008.

He previously served as an intern on the Mountaineer Athletic Club staff from 2005-06 after beginning his career in development as a student caller, supervisor and incentives manager at the WVU Foundation, where he was recognized as the all-time leading phone-a-thon fundraiser while working there during his undergrad and graduate school years from 2002-2006.

Kevin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration-finance in 2005 from West Virginia and his master’s degree in sport management in 2006. The Wheeling, W.Va., native and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters – Emily, Ella James and Elaina Grace.

Email: kmiller@virginia.edu

Kellen Moushon
Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Kellen Moushon joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in August of 2023. He assists with all marketing and communication campaign development and execution. He leads the VAF social media strategy on all platforms and delivers content marketing.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from Temple University in 2022. While at Temple, he spent time working as a student manager for the women’s volleyball team, volunteering at the University’s food pantry and conducting research at the Sport Industry Research Center.

Prior to joining the VAF, he worked two seasons with the AA baseball Tennessee Smokies as the Marketing and Production Coordinator, where he oversaw press box operations and co-led all social media. He has also spent time working for the Holly Springs Salamanders and Pro Football Focus FC.

Email: hhu3hs@virginia.edu

Drew Ossakow
Senior Major Gifts Officer

Drew Ossakow joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in December of 2022. His primary responsibility is to secure major gifts supporting UVA Athletics.

Prior to arriving on grounds, he worked at the University of Maryland as a Director of Development as a part of the athletics major gifts team. He came to UMD from Ohio University where he most recently led athletics annual giving efforts for the Ohio Bobcat Club.

Before Ohio he worked at Indiana University as a Development Intern in the Varsity Club. Additionally, he served as a Marketing Coordinator within Arizona State University’s athletics department.

A three-time letterwinner on the men’s swim team at Indiana University, Drew graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Kelley School of Business. He also earned his master’s in business administration and sports administration from Ohio University. Drew is a member of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD).

A native of Canton, OH, Drew and his wife Shira reside in Charlottesville.

Email: wne7mt@virginia.edu

Barry Parkhill
Associate Director of Athletics for Development

Barry Parkhill was appointed the associate director of athletics for development in 1998. He previously served dual roles as director of alumni development for the UVA Alumni Association and director of capital projects for athletics. Before that, he spent three years as associate director of regional development in UVA’s Office of Development.

Parkhill’s first association with the University began in the fall of 1969 when he enrolled as a scholarship basketball player. From 1970-73, he established himself as one of the greatest all-purpose guards in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He was named the ACC Basketball Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year as a junior in 1972 after leading the conference in scoring. Virginia posted a 21-7 record that season and advanced to postseason play (NIT) for the second time in school history. Following his senior season, the two-time All-American was a first-round draft choice by both the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association.

The second player in school history to have his jersey number (#40) retired, Parkhill earned his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Virginia in 1973. He then played three seasons in the ABA, first with the Squires and later with the St. Louis Spirits. He returned to his alma mater in 1977 to serve as a graduate assistant coach under former head coach Terry Holland.

In the following years, Parkhill was the head basketball coach at The College of William and Mary (1984-87) and St. Michael’s College (1989-90). In between those two head coaching positions, he worked as a consultant with Blue Cross & Blue Shield Insurance Company. He served as an assistant coach at William and Mary from 1978-83 under his brother Bruce and at the Naval Academy from 1990-92

He and his wife, Pat, have a son, Chris, daughter and son-in-law, Jill and David Kavanagh, and 4 grandkids, Dylan, Michael, Treeki, and Andrew.

Email: blp5u@virginia.edu

Andrew Sadler
Director of Annual Giving

Andrew Sadler joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) in December 2023 and serves as the Director of Annual Giving. In this role, he provides overall leadership for the VAF’s annual giving program. Andrew solicits financial support to gather the resources necessary to pay for the maximum number of 316.6 scholarships for UVA’s 27 varsity sport programs.

Andrew joins the VAF after spending the past five-plus years with the University of Georgia Athletic Association (UGAAA) and The Georgia Bulldog Club (TGBC). He joined TGBC in September 2019 and served in various roles as an intern, graduate assistant, assistant director of development for annual giving, and associate director of development. Andrew solicited financial support for Georgia student-athletes through aiding all annual giving efforts. He coordinated the fundraising efforts for the Georgia Baseball Fund, Gymnastics Excellence Fund, Women’s Basketball Fund, and Men’s Basketball Fund. Andrew provided robust operational support in the fundraising efforts of annual giving and priority seating for the William C. Hartman Fund (football). He asked for support of the $300 million comprehensive Commit to the G campaign for Athletics through working with donors in the Magill Society. He joined the UGAAA in August 2018 and worked as a Marketing and Sales Intern.

He earned a Master of Science in Sport Management and Policy, as well as a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Georgia in December 2021. Andrew received a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Xavier University in May 2018.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he currently resides in Charlottesville.

Email: bxq7rf@virginia.edu

Rob Schmalz
Associate Director

Rob brings 22 years of sales success, primarily in the financial services industry. Most recently he served as managing director for MKC Entertainment and was responsible for prospect qualification, fundraising, and project management. Rob is a 1990 University of Virginia graduate and 4-year letter winner in men’s lacrosse.

He now works with assigned donors in Virginia, primarily in Richmond and Charlottesville, initially working in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In addition, he works closely with the men’s and women’s golf programs as his sport assignments.

Email: rgs2ub@virginia.edu

Brendan Taffe
Assistant Director of the Annual Fund

Brendan Taffe joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in August 2022. He serves as an Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, supporting the VAF by securing gifts to meet annual fund goals, while assisting in the strategy, creation, and execution of year-long giving and retention initiatives.

Prior to joining the VAF, Taffe worked as an Assistant Director of the Chippewa Athletic Fund at Central Michigan University from June 2021-July 2022. During his time in Mt. Pleasant, Taffe cultivated, solicited, and stewarded donors to raise funds for the department in a successful fundraising year.

Taffe came to CMU after a two-year graduate assistantship at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. He served as the Athletic Department’s external affairs graduate assistant in year one, and the fundraising graduate assistant in year two. Prior to his time in Buffalo, Taffe held internships with the AA baseball Erie SeaWolves in promotions and community engagement and with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G-League in marketing and gameday operations.

Taffe holds bachelor of arts degrees in marketing and sport business management from Mercyhurst University and a master’s degree in sport administration from Canisius College.

Email: hwy7ct@virginia.edu

Heather Troudt
Senior Major Gifts Officer

Heather Troudt joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in September of 2002. She is responsible for fundraising efforts in Washington, D.C., and the Winchester, Tidewater, and Franklin areas of Virginia along with the states of Colorado, Nevada, Minnesota, and California.

She graduated in 1992 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As an undergraduate, Troudt competed for four years on the swimming team and was a two-time captain. In 1990, she was named the Big West Conference Swimmer of the Year as she led UNLV to conference titles in both 1990 and 1991.

She worked for the UNLV Athletic Department for eight years as a business office specialist and human resource coordinator. From 2000 until her arrival in Charlottesville in 2002, Troudt worked as the assistant director of development for the University of Nevada-Reno.

Email: hlt2u@virginia.edu

Ryan Weigand
Senior Director of Development

Ryan Weigand joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in October of 2019 and works with donors in the Roanoke, Richmond, Atlanta, and Florida regions. In addition, he works closely with the track and field and cross country, women’s soccer, and wrestling programs.

Weigand graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 with a degree in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences. While on Grounds, he was a member of the football program as a punter and two-year letter winner, earning second team All-ACC honors after his senior season. He is excited to return home to Charlottesville and give back to the University that has given him so much.

His professional career has been committed to the fundraising side of intercollegiate athletics. Over the past nine years, he has worked at Michigan State, Northern Arizona, and Long Beach State in various capacities with experience ranging from annual fund to major gifts. He is passionate about building and maintaining relationships, as they are the key to transforming lives for the young people we serve.

He is married to Darcie, also a former track and field student-athlete at Long Beach State. They have two sons, Jameson and Sullivan.

Email: rpw7a@Virginia.edu

Sam Woodward
Assistant Director of the Annual Fund

Sam Woodward joined the Virginia Athletics Foundation in October 2023. He is responsible for soliciting annual fund gifts that support athletic scholarships, the academic experience of student-athletes, and sport-specific operational costs.

Prior to joining the VAF, Sam spent over two years working in Ticket Sales for SMU Athletics, most recently serving as the Premium Sales Manager. At SMU, Sam strengthened relationships with university stakeholders and was a key member of the sales team that increased football season tickets sales by 27%. Before his time at SMU, Sam got his start in the college athletics industry at the University of Oregon by working in the Athletic Ticket Office.

Sam is a proud graduate of SMU and enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, rooting for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles, and spending time with his family.

Email: awu3jq@virginia.edu