Development
Donor Relations
Advancement
Communications
Lina Murray
Executive Assistant, Advancement
Lina supports the Executive Director, Advancement, and the entire Advancement team with her expert administrative and organizational skills. She has over 10 years’ experience in the non-profit sector, having worked previously at the Canadian Centre for Diversity before joining Rotman in 2013.
Jennifer Hildebrandt
Director, Alumni Engagement
Bio coming soon
Lindsay Manning
Interim Director, Development
A member of the team since 2014, Lindsay builds relationships with both internal and external constituents in order to facilitate opportunities for philanthropic support, with the ultimate goal of advancing the Dean’s strategic priorities for the School and its impact both here and around the globe.
Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Arts from U of T and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management from Humber College. Before joining Rotman, she had a successful advertising sales career with Toronto Life Magazine.
Sandy Sparks
Communications Officer, Advancement
Sandy supports the Advancement team with graphics, web support, and project management. Prior to joining the School in 2014, she worked at the Art Gallery of Ontario in administrative and project management roles on exhibition and publication projects. She holds a BFA in Image Arts from Ryerson University.
Olesya Zaremba
Research Officer
Olesya is a librarian-turned-prospect researcher, passionate about how research and analytics connect the dots and create exciting opportunities for support at Rotman. With almost twenty years of experience in research, information management and analytics, Olesya navigates through the wealth of information available and delivers succinct, relevant and timely information services to the Advancement Team. Olesya holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Catholic University of America and Master of Arts in Information Systems and Technology from York University. She is currently pursuing a certificate in Fundraising Management from Ryerson University.
John Cowling
Senior Development Officer
John Cowling has over 15 years of experience driving organizational growth and development in higher education, national charities, and grassroots organizations. He oversees Rotman’s annual giving program, which includes the Dean’s Society, Reunion Giving, and the Rotman Community Campaign. Prior to joining Rotman, John worked at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, during the school’s celebrated move to its new home at One Spadina Crescent.
Linda Dudek
Executive Director, Advancement
Linda joined Rotman from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, where she was the Director of Development, and helped raise $60 million in three years, including over $4 million in 2017 to launch CDL-Rockies. Prior to this, Linda was at the United Way of Calgary and Area, in campaign management and business development. Linda is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Jessica Freeman
Senior Development Officer
A team member since 2015, Jessica works with volunteers, alumni and donors to catalyze impact and create value for the business community and society at large.
Jessica has supported some of Canada's leading educational institutions and non-profits for the past decade including University of Toronto, University of Calgary and United Way of Calgary and Area.
Jennifer Neill-Smith
Alumni Engagement Officer
As a member of the Rotman Alumni Engagement team, Jennifer creates opportunities for Rotman alumni to connect with each other and the School in fun and meaningful ways. This includes class reunions, regional programming and corporate alumni initiatives. Prior to joining Rotman, Jennifer has worked in several areas of the University, most recently developing centrally offered programming for young alumni.
Stevie Asselstine
Donor Relations Officer, Events
Bio coming soon.
Katie R. Rock
Associate Director, Development
Having joined the excellent Rotman Advancement team in 2021, Katie brings more than 20 years of experience in securing donor support for impactful initiatives. Before joining Rotman from the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Katie worked as a fundraising consultant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, advising charities across the Maritimes on their campaigns and major gift strategies.
Alexandra Brennan
Alumni Officer
As a member of the Rotman Alumni Engagement team, Alexandra creates meaningful opportunities for alumni which help to improve their connections with each-other, current students, and mentors/industry professionals. Previously, Alexandra worked as a Co-ordinator with Rotman Career Services. As a U of T alumna herself, Alexandra holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music Performance from the U of T Faculty of Music, where she also worked as Communications and Events Assistant in the Alumni and Donor Relations office.
Alison Sasso
Development Officer
Alison enjoys working with companies, individuals, alumni, and others to build support for scholarships, faculty chairs and professorships, program development, and other RSM needs, while aligning with the donor's philanthropic goals. Alison continues to build upon the success of the first Rotman Giving Day, as well as growing the RSM Annual and Leadership Giving portfolios.
Sara Ly
Associate Director, Development
The first thing people notice when they meet Sara is her passion for education. With over 10 years in the fundraising sector, Sara has inspired philanthropic support for educational institutions including the Schulich School of Business, Havergal College, and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Sara is a Board member and Human Resources Committee Chair with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter.
Philipp Schnaase
Development Officer
An enthusiastic, outgoing fundraising professional, Philipp brings more than eight years of experience in the non-profit sector to his role as Development Officer. Before joining Rotman, he worked as a Development Associate at UHN Foundation and supported its Major Gifts team with various fundraising campaigns. In addition, he gained relationship management experience as a Senior Patron Services Representative at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Anu Mann
Senior Development Officer
Anu is passionate about the advancement of teaching, learning and research programs. She works with Leadership and Annual Giving donors to support Rotman's strategic priorities through the Rotman Vision Fund and beyond. Anu joins Rotman with 8 years of progressive fundraising experience and most recently managed a Major Gifts portfolio at McGill University.
Shruti Lakhe
Alumni Engagement Officer
As a member of the Rotman Alumni Engagement team, Shruti develops programs for alumni which build their engagement and connection to the school. She is a graduate of U of T, and previously worked at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Division of University Advancement.
Dhanya Senguttuvan
Development Coordinator
Dhanya has fueled her passion to help others by working with various large non-profit organizations. Prior to Rotman, she has worked directly with Donor stewardship at the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Dhanya supports the Advancement team by assessing needs to develop and implement plans for prospect identification, cultivation and recognition. She also drafts donor acknowledgement and recognition communications.
Hilary Johnston
Senior Project Manager and Regional Alumni Engagement Officer
As a member of the Rotman Alumni Engagement team, Hilary is building relationships with the growing number of alumni who find work in regions outside of Toronto. She is strengthening the Rotman global community and creating opportunities for alumni to connect, get involved, and grow their networks. Hilary brings to Rotman more than ten years’ experience in marketing, fundraising, and project management in the non-profit sector, including organizations such as The Royal Conservatory of Music, Sistema Toronto, and The Walrus.
Scott Fairbairn
Senior Development Officer
Scott has spent his career connecting people, building mutually beneficial relationships to achieve common goals.When not fundraising, Scott can be found walking his dog Birdie.
Thiadora Botros
Senior Alumni Engagement Officer
Thia has been a passionate and driven member of the Rotman and U of T community for more than 10 years. She began her U of T journey in donor relations at the Division of University Advancement before joining Rotman in the Career Centre. As the Senior Alumni Engagement Officer, Thia will be working on programming such as Reunite, Convocation, New Alumni Kick-Off as well as inviting alumni to volunteer and leverage the alumni portal Rotman Connect – www.rotmanconnect.com.
Rebecca Hull
Director, Advancement Communications
Rebecca is a strategic communicator with diverse experience in the public and non-profit sectors. She has experience in a broad range of disciplines, including strategic communications planning, media relations, brand journalism, storytelling, writing, and design. She received a BA Honours in Mass Communications from York University with a focus on publishing and sociology. Rebecca loves spending time outdoors, walking her dog Lola, exploring Canada, and playing board games with her family at the kitchen table.
Cynthia Legault
Director, Donor Relations
Cynthia leads the donor relations team at Rotman where she provides strategic leadership to the donor relations portfolio to deliver best-in-class stewardship and recognition for donors and volunteers.
Cynthia joined the Rotman team in 2022 from Sunnybrook Foundation, where she led a successful stewardship and recognition program. With over 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Cynthia brings to Rotman a strategic, creative and donor-centric approach to celebrating and acknowledging the generosity of donors. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Guelph and a post-graduate certificate in Public Relations from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Katharine Chandler
Development Coordinator
Joining the team in 2022, Katharine Chandler works with the Advancement team on key elements of our core business operations, including gift processing, pledge reminders, invoicing, report generation and more. Katharine previously worked with the Stephen Lewis Foundation providing donations management, monthly giving and online giving support to their Development team. Prior to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Katharine worked in telefundraising with a variety of charities, such as Amnesty International, PLAN, and Dying with Dignity.