Fairmont State Foundation Promotes Staff Members

With a reorganized staff, the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. is set to begin a new fundraising year and bridge campaign of $5,000,000 over the next two years. This follows the successful completion of Fairmont State’s charter capital campaign, in which the Foundation exceeded a $10,000,000 fundraising goal in five years.

Current Foundation staff members Amantha Cole, Devanna Corley and Chris Morgan have taken on new roles within the Foundation, the fundraising arm for Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College. Earlier in the year, Dr. Anne Patterson, former Fairmont State provost, joined the Foundation staff as part-time Director of Gift Planning.

Cole was hired in March of 2007 as the program coordinator for the Foundation’s Board of Directors. She was recently promoted to Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate. In addition to grant writing and submission, Cole will work with faculty members to facilitate the grantsmanship process with targeted private foundations.

Cole graduated summa cum laude from Fairmont State in 2003. She resides in Fairview with her husband, Peter Ray Cole.

Corley, a 1997 graduate of Fairmont State, has spent the past year working as the Director of Alumni Affairs. This role has allowed her to work with graduates as she promotes alumni events, supports chapter development, and works to build the bonds of fellowship among alumni.

Corley’s position has been expanded to include sponsorship activity and she now serves as the Director of Alumni Relations and Sponsorship Activities. In her new position, Corley will work to encourage corporate partnerships through sponsorships for projects such as homecoming and athletic events. Sponsorship dollars generated will be used by the Foundation to fund student scholarships.

Corley resides in Pleasant Valley with her husband, Tony, and their two children, Brandon and Kayla.

Morgan, director of Foundation Operations, Finances and Gift Contracts, completed his requirements for CPA status in 1989 and holds both a Business Administration and Accounting Degree from Fairmont State and an MBA from West Virginia University. He has been employed at Fairmont State since 1994, working with the Foundation since 2002.

Morgan oversees the Foundation’s accounting function, the database area, and daily operations of the Foundation. Additionally, his new duties include the area of gift contracts.

He served five years in the United States Air Force as a sergeant. He is married to Nancy Wilson Morgan and they reside in the White Hall area.

After stepping down as FSU provost to return to the classroom, Patterson took on a part-time role with the Foundation as Director of Gift Planning earlier this year.

“As provost, Dr. Patterson worked diligently to create a culture of philanthropy at Fairmont State. Additionally, she brings a wealth of experience in higher education to the Foundation staff,” stated Jean Ahwesh, Executive Director of the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

As a part of her experience as provost and as a professor and dean at other universities, Patterson was directly involved in fundraising activities and in facilitating informative seminars about gift planning.

Patterson served as Fairmont State’s provost from 2004 to 2007. In addition to her work with the Foundation, she continues to serve on the faculty as a professor of music education. She resides in Fairmont.

The mission of the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., is to support, through ethical stewardship, the mission of Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College. The Foundation identifies, establishes and cultivates meaningful relationships with Fairmont State alumni and potential and existing funding constituencies to meet contributor needs while securing funds and supporters for priority objectives identified by the Board of Governors.

For information about the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc., and philanthropic opportunities, contact Jean Ahwesh, executive director, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.