Kathleen Diemer, CFRE
Executive Director of Donor Relations and Advancement Communications
George Mason University

Kathleen Diemer has more than 15 years of donor relations and communications experience. In July 2013 she began her tenure at George Mason University where she currently serves as Executive Director of Donor Relations and Advancement Communications. In this role she is responsible for implementing and managing an institution-wide comprehensive donor relations and advancement communications program. Prior to joining Mason she served as the Director of Donor Relations at the University of Maryland. During her time at Maryland she led the university’s central donor relations unit and worked closely with university relations staff and other members of the campus community to ensure the university’s donors were appropriately acknowledged, recognized and stewarded.

Her expertise in donor relations and stewardship has made her a thought leader in the field and a frequent speaker at professional conferences. In the past she has presented at annual conferences for a variety of organizations including: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Academic Impressions, the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), National Capital Gift Planning Council and SunGard Higher Education.

In September 2007 she was honored with the University of Maryland University Relations Achievement Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to the division. She is also the recipient of a CASE Faculty Star Award (2005), a CASE Silver Circle of Excellence Award (2005) and two CASE Stellar Speaker Awards (2011 and 2012). Kathleen is a Certified Fund Raising Executive who holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland and a certificate in Leadership Development. An active member of ADRP since 2007, she was elected to the ADRP Executive Board in January 2013 and currently serves as President of the association.

Contact Kathleen: [email protected]