Union Institute & University (UI&U), a private, non-profit university with academic centers in Montpelier and Brattleboro, has announced the hiring of Jeff Sellers as director of development and George “Slate” Kirk as director of marketing.
As UI&U’s director of development, Jeff Sellers will oversee fundraising efforts for the national, private, non-profit university headquartered in Cincinnati. Sellers comes to Union with more than 11 years of experience orchestrating successful development initiatives and fundraising efforts including: capital campaigns; major gifts; grants, and corporate solicitations; annual fund drives; direct mail; online fundraising; planned giving; and special events.
Most recently, Sellers served as the director of fund development for the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross. In this role he managed a comprehensive fundraising program that included direct mail, online giving, major gifts and planned giving. His efforts doubled the number of major donors and significantly increased the overall number of donors. Prior to his role as director of fund development, Sellers served as a major gifts officer for the organization, managing the largest Biker’s Ball in chapter history and raising more than $165,000 at the annual event for the organization.
Prior to joining the Red Cross, Sellers served as a fundraising manager for the Kids in Need Foundation in Dayton, where he guided and managed the volunteer fundraising and marketing committee of more than ten members and conducting the Kids in Need’s first $1 million annual campaign. He also provided leadership at Wilberforce University, where he served as a major gift officer for four years before accepting his position at Kids in Need.
Sellers holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio and a BS Degree (cum laude) from Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio.
In addition, the university announced today that George “Slate” Kirk has been hired as director of marketing. Throughout his career, Kirk has been involved with various aspect of marketing including traditional print advertising, radio, TV, brand development, social media, website development and relationship building with strategic business partners while emphasizing each brand/product’s value proposition and brand/product differentiation strategies.
Kirk recently served as a principal with Comprehensive Business Solutions in Cincinnati where he consulted with over 25 organizations in the areas of strategic planning, strategic and tactical marketing, change management and business turn around. Prior to his position with Comprehensive Business Solutions, he spent six years chief executive officer of Gutter Topper, LLC where he was responsible for growing the business into a $60 million brand and the second leading brand in the gutter protection industry in the U.S. and Canada.