MEET THE STAFF

Brent Vicino joined the Owl Club in June, 2016 as the Associate Athletics Director for Development, Annual Fund and Premium Seating Programs. In this role, Vicino is responsible for all aspects of the Owl Club Annual Fund program including oversight of the philanthropic annual fund strategy and campaign creation, developing and executing direct mail, email, digital and phone solicitations, leadership of the donor stewardship program, coordinating all team specific fundraising programs and management of the priority point system. Additionally, he develops and manages all aspects of the premium seating and priority seating programs for football and men's basketball including all marketing and promotional materials, season ticket renewals and single game sales.

During his time with Temple, he and his team have increased fundraising by 60%, setting a new fundraising record each year, including a 25% increase in FY20. He and his team have increased the number of $10,000+ gifts by 71% resulting in a 132% increase in dollars raised through innovative fundraising campaigns such as NEXT LEVEL and The 9. Support for Athletics on Temple Toast, the University's annual giving day, has increased from 122 donors and $34,975 in FY16 to 762 donors and $281,571 in FY20. Since 2016, he has also increased premium seat sales by 63%.

Prior to joining Temple Athletics, Vicino served as Assistant Athletics Director for Annual Giving and Executive Director of the Vandal Scholarship Fund at the University of Idaho. His primary responsibilities included leading and managing the Vandal Scholarship Fund, creating opportunities for major gifts, providing management and oversight of premium seat sales, and planning and staging fundraising events. During his time at Idaho, he increased direct mail fundraising by 33% and the number of donations through direct mail by 29%. Additionally, VSF fundraising events netted more than $375,000 in revenue over a two-year span.

From 2012-2014, Vicino worked at the University of Arizona as Donor Services Coordinator and then as Assistant Director of Development for the Wildcat Club. He was part of a team that increased Wildcat Club membership from 6,000 to 12,000 over a span of five years. He also personally closed $132,000 in major gifts as a part-time major gift officer.

Before his time at Arizona, Vicino spent four years at the University of Miami as Special Assistant to the Athletics Director and then as Development Associate. His primary responsibilities included managing the relationship between the Hurricane Club and the Hurricane Club Volunteer Council, executing the NEXT LEVEL and $40 for 40 fundraising campaigns, planning and staging all special events for the athletics department, and facilitating game day operations.

A native of Modesto, Calif., Vicino earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Religious Studies, with minors in Marketing and Sport Administration and his master's degree in Sport Administration from the University of Miami. Vicino and his wife, Tanzania, reside in Maryland with their two sons, Saverio and Enzo.

Chris Jones, who has over seven years of athletics development experience at the collegiate level, was named Temple University's Assistant Athletics Director for Major Gifts in October 2018. In his role, Jones will devise strategies and be responsible for the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship with major gifts of $50,000 and up and leadership annual gifts.

Prior to joining Temple Athletics, Jones served as Director of Development for Athletics at Clarion University where he oversaw all athletics fundraising. During his time at Clarion, he secured the second largest gift in the history of the department of athletics. Additionally, over $800,000 in scholarships and $300,000 in pledges were secured in his time there.

From 2014-2016, Jones worked at Lincoln University (MO) where he served as the Executive Director of the Blue Tiger Athletics Club which he built from the ground up. Jones doubled the membership in a year and quadrupled social media interactions. He was part of a team that was responsible for the highest fundraising total in the history of the University.

Before his time at Lincoln, Jones spent three years at North Carolina Central University, first as Development Associate and then Development Coordinator. His primary responsibilities included managing the day to day operations of the Eagle Club and securing corporate sponsorships.

A native of Goldsboro, N.C., Jones earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education and his master's degree in Athletic Administration from North Carolina Central University. Jones is also a proud alumnus of the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, formally known as the NCAA Leadership Institute (2018) and an active member of several professional organizations including National Association of Athletics Development Directors (NAADD) and Council for the Support of Education (CASE). Jones was a 2016 recipient of the 40 Under 40 award from his alma mater.

Jones and his wife, Cassandra, reside in Philadelphia, Pa.

Lucy Cruz joined the Owl Club staff as the Associate Director of Development Operations in February, 2018. In her role, Cruz helps oversee and strengthen the special events portfolio and brings leadership to the Owl Club's programmatic annual fund operations and to alumni and donor engagement.

Prior to her arrival at Temple University, Cruz worked at Rutgers University as the Assistant Director of Athletic Development for Events and Stewardship. In this role, she planned and executed all athletic-development special events, creating experiences that helped steward, engage and recognize Rutgers athletic donors. These events included fundraising and highly visible groundbreaking and dedication events for the department's $100 million dollar capital facilities campaign, R Big Ten Build. Cruz also helped with the implementation of, and managed the benefits for, the Rutgers Athletics Scarlet Society-a giving society for the most generous supporters at $50,000 annual or $1 million lifetime levels. Prior to her role with the fundraising team, Cruz worked on the ticket sales team as a sales and retention consultant.

Cruz is a 2011 alumna of Temple University's School of Media and Communication with a degree in Strategic Communications. As a student, she interned with the Philadelphia 76ers Community Relations department (2010) and was a founding member of Babel, Temple's performance poetry collective (2008).

Cruz is a native of Perth Amboy, NJ. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration at the Rutgers Business School.

Jonny Dierks joined the Temple Owl Club staff as the Assistant Director of Development in May of 2018.

In his role with the Owls, his responsibilities include carrying a portfolio of annual and major gift donors and prospects, with a goal of increasing memberships, visits, and solicitations for the Owl Club.

Before coming to Temple, Dierks served as a Terrapin Club Assistant at the University of Maryland. While there, he contributed to daily and weekly projects in conjunction with the Annual Fund team and the Major Gifts team. Dierks worked on projects that included research and development, donor prospecting, and event management.

Dierks had previous stops at George Mason as a Patriot Club Assistant and at Georgetown University as a marketing graduate assistant.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Dierks played varsity baseball for the Retrievers, and later served as the Facilities and Event Operations Assistant. In that role, he assisted with the set up and tear down of varsity sports, managed undergraduate, and assisted with special projects within the facility and operations department.

Dierks has a graduate degree from Georgetown University, a Masters in sports industry management. His undergraduate degrees included a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications Studies from UMBC, and as Associate of Arts from Fort Scott Community College.

Casey Addis joined the Owl Club Staff as Assistant Director of Development in February, 2017. In her role she will assist with annual giving, donor relations and stewardship for the Owl Club. She will support internal operations including donor and alumni events and premium seating.

Prior to joining Temple Athletics, Addis served as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving/Director of the Blue & Grey Club at Hood College in Frederick, MD. Her responsibilities included soliciting new donors for the athletic annual fund, managing a portfolio of donors and alumni, and planning and implementing events for alumni and donors. She spearheaded a capital athletic campaign for turf field lighting and was responsible for hosting fundraising events for athletic alumni, parents and donors. Addis launched a Blazers of the Last Decade Society to increase philanthropy in young alumni and was in charge of securing the senior class gift. She was also the athletic department and institutional advancement liaison, where she was accountable for both athletic alumni fundraising and the general annual fund.

A native of Williamstown, NJ, Addis earned her bachelor's degree in Sport Management from SUNY Brockport and her master's degree in Business Administration from Hood College.

Bryanna Williams joined the Owl Club Staff as Assistant Director of Development in December, 2018. In her role she will assist with annual giving, donor relations and stewardship for the Owl Club. She will support internal operations including donor and alumni events and premium seating.

Prior to joining Temple Athletics, Williams served as a Business Development Manager with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Harrisburg, PA. Her responsibilities included coordination of annual fundraisers, raising more than $200,000, managing a portfolio of donors, and planning and implementing events for donors. Williams also served as, Special Events and Donor Relations Coordinator for Goodwill Keystone Area. Her responsibilities included spearheading fundraising strategies through campaign management, raising a total of $317,000. She also oversaw all donor relations for the Keystone Area.

Prior to relocating to Harrisburg, Williams spent 2 years with the Philadelphia 76ers franchise. There Williams was an Administration Office Assistant for the 76ers Camps and Account Executive/Community Engagement Coordinator for the Delaware Blue Coats. Her responsibilities included ticket sales, establishing professional and personal networks for new sponsorship opportunities, executing events requiring the use of community assets, contacts and talent.

A native of Sicklerville, NJ, Bryanna earned her bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Long Island University-Brooklyn, where she was also a Division 1 Track and Field Athlete, specializing in short sprints and jumps.