UVM Foundation hires Assistant VP for Development and Gift Planning, announces eight promotions

Newly hired as assistant vice president for development and gift planning is Amy Palmer-Ellis (Shelburne, Vt), formerly associate director of gift planning at Williams College. Prior to her career in development, Amy was an attorney in Boston and in Bennington, focusing her practice on trust and estate, real estate and charitable institution law. While in Bennington, she and her firm served as counsel for Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. She was later recruited by Williams College to join its Trust and Estate Administration Office and developed her expertise as a planned giving professional.

Meeting donors and working with them to achieve charitable gifts that benefit both the institution and the donors’ overall estate plans is what Amy loves about her job, and she says being part of an academic environment is her ideal.

Amy hails from the small town of Pownal, Vermont. Though she spent her undergraduate years at Colgate, UVM occupied a prominent place in her youth. Her parents met at UVM as students in the fall of 1966, and growing up she spent much of her time at UVM for sports and academic competitions and camps. She also spent summers at a family home on Lake Champlain. She says when the opportunity arose to join the UVM Foundation and make Burlington home, she jumped at the chance.

Eight employees have been promoted in the UVM Foundation:

Jayne Airoldi (Essex Junction, Vt)to senior program coordinator

Erica Corliss (Milton, Vt) — to senior coordinator, major gifts program

Deb Dever (Morrisville, Vt) — to senior director of major gifts in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Andrew Flewelling (Underhill, Vt)— to senior director of human resources and talent management

Kerry McManamon (Milton, Vt) — to senior accountant

Erika Nestor (Burlington, Vt) — to associate director of donor relations

Alan Ryea (Milton, Vt) — to vice president for alumni relations

Jessica Udvardy (Burlington, Vt) — to senior program coordinator, principal gifts program

About The University of Vermont Foundation

The University of Vermont Foundation is a nonprofit corporation established to secure and manage private support for the benefit of the University of Vermont.

The Foundation is currently engaged in a comprehensive campaign with broad goals to support new opportunities for research, academic success, and learning beyond the classroom. Move Mountains: The Campaign for The University of Vermont seeks to raise $500 million in private support and assert UVM's position as one of the nation's best public research universities.

The Foundation was named by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce as one of Vermont's "Best Places to Work" for 2016. This statewide awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Vermont, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses.