MEET THE STAFF

Jeremy Wang, a veteran fundraiser who served two years as Associate Athletic Director and Chief Development Officer at the University of California, Berkley, was named Senior Associate Athletics Director / Assistant Vice President for Development at Temple University in June, 2017.

At Cal, Wang served in a leadership role on both the Athletic Director’s Cabinet and the Vice Chancellor for University Development and Alumni Relations Campaign Management Team. In that role he led a holistic advancement unit in the University’s decentralized advancement model, producing over $49 million in gifts and pledges during his tenure ($27m in FY16 and $22m to date FY17). He managed a staff of up to 18 full-time professionals in the areas of principle and major giving, annual giving, alumni relations, and athletic advancement operations. He was also responsible for closing gifts for annual, capital, and endowment priorities while overseeing and managing a one million dollar operating budget.

In his two years at Cal, Wang executed a successful reorganization and rebranding of the Bears development unit to generate philanthropic revenue and implemented a unit philosophy and culture to focus on classic relationship-based philanthropy while attempting to grow revenue beyond transactional benefits based giving. This resulted in 10% growth in annual operating revenue and 5% growth in donor count during the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Wang previously served four years in the Villanova Athletic Department, including his final year as the Executive Director of the Villanova Athletic Fund (2014-15). He managed a comprehensive athletics development unit supporting the Wildcat student-athletes. In that capacity, he personally closed $16 million in gifts and the Villanova Athletic Fund raised $59.4 million during his time at the school. Over his final two years at VU, he oversaw activities that resulted in $36.3 million in gifts, including an at the time school-record $22.4 million during the 2014 fiscal year.

Wang specifically served as the lead fundraiser for the Villanova football program and led a strategic campaign to fund an $18 million football operations building and student-athlete performance center, as well as an $800,000 football locker room and weight room renovation.

From 2009-11, Wang was on the staff at the University of Idaho, serving as an Assistant Athletic Director and Executive Director of the Vandal Scholarship Fund.

Wang began his career at his alma mater, Washington State University, serving as the Cougars’ Assistant Ticket Manager. Wang earned his bachelor’s degree in communication (’04) as well as an MBA (’07) from WSU.

Wang is married to Ivy Rae Wang and the couple has three sons: Isaac, Jonah and Micah.

Brent Vicino joined the Owl Club as the Associate Athletics Director for Development, Annual and Premium Seating Programs in June, 2016. In his role, Vicino will develop and manage all aspects of the premium seat and seat donations programs and is responsible for all aspects of the Owl Club. Additionally, he will create all marketing and promotional materials for premium seat and seat donation programs, develop and execute direct mail strategies, and coordinate all team specific fundraising programs.

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 since 2014.

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.

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, CA, Vicino earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Religious Studies and his master's degree in Sport Administration from the University of Miami. Vicino and his wife, Tanzania, reside in Baltimore, MD, with their son Saverio.

Lauren Adee was promoted to Associate Athletics Director, Major Gifts in November 2017, her second promotion at Temple. In her three years, she has assisted in achieving three consecutive record fundraising years. Adee continues to oversee the strategic direction of major gifts strategy for the Athletics Development office, provide leadership for the major gifts team, oversees the Athletics Development budget and now oversees three gift officers as a part of the reorganization of the Athletics Development office. Adee also currently serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management teaching the Fundraising and Development course in the Master of Science in Sports Business program.

In March 2016, Adee was promoted to the Assistant Athletics Director for Major Gifts. In that role she provided leadership for the major gifts team, guided the strategic direction of major gifts for the department, and oversaw the Director of Major Gifts. In her second year, Adee held a leadership role on a team that increased total fundraising by 234%. In addition to those responsibilities, she also managed and oversaw the development budget for the department. In her first role at Temple as the Director of Development, she oversaw all aspects of the Annual Fund for the Owl Club. In addition to overseeing the Annual Fund, Adee also managed a major gift portfolio, served as the staff liaison for the Owl Club Board of Directors, and supervised special events, stewardship, strategic communications, marketing and the intern program. In her first year of overseeing the annual fund, the Owl Club increased membership by 52% and recorded the highest annual giving year ever, increasing giving by 25%.

Prior to her arrival back to Temple’s campus, Adee most recently worked at the University of New Mexico as the Director of Annual Giving (2013-2014). Within the year at New Mexico she increased annual giving to the Lobo Scholarship Fund by $300,000 and recorded an all-time high 4,490 members to the Lobo Club. Before The University of New Mexico, she served as the Assistant Director of Marketing and Promotions and Assistant Director of Development, respectively, at New Mexico State University (2011-2013). Prior to New Mexico State, Adee worked for the Atlanta Hawks and former Atlanta Thrashers as a Group Sales Account Executive (2008-2011).

Adee is a 2008 graduate of Temple University from the Fox Business School with a degree in marketing, and she is a former men’s basketball manager, serving two years under Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney and two years under current Head Coach Fran Dunphy. In 2012 Adee received her Master of Business Administration degree from New Mexico State University. She has also received a certificate of completion from the prestigious NCAA Leadership Institute in 2015 and is a member of Women’s Leaders in College Sports and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD).

Fred Roland joined the Owl Club staff as Director of Major Gifts for Athletics in September, 2016. In this role, he will assist with high level fundraising activities, special projects, and fostering positive external relations and internal University relationships. Roland will manage a portfolio of 200-250 donors and prospects while also working closely with the coaches and support staff of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, and other members of the Temple University administration.

Roland began his collegiate athletics career at Duke University where he worked with the ticket office before transitioning to become the Iron Dukes Annual Fund and Varsity Club Assistant. His primary roles were to help maintain a database of 10,000+ donors and prospects and work closely with coaches for Duke’s 26 varsity sports to draft and distribute solicitation materials. He also worked alongside events staff to host student-athlete parents and former Duke student-athletes for local and regional gatherings. Right out of college, he worked as Ticket Supervisor and Group Sales Specialist for the Durham Performing Arts Center, host to over 200 traveling Broadway shows and concerts. He had brief stint as the Graduate Assistant for Academic Affairs in Athletics at North Carolina Central University. Most recently, Roland served as the Associate Director of the Army A Club at West Point where he managed a donor and prospect portfolio of 400+ constituents and oversaw the Army Friends Of sports-specific fundraising program for all 28 varsity sports.

Roland is a 2008 graduate of Duke University where he was a three-year starter and a four-year letter winner for the Blue Devil’s football team. Roland played in 46 career games with 35 career starts, started the final 23 games of his career, and recorded over 800 snaps in 2006 and 2008. Roland was also a co-recipient of Duke's Most Improved Offensive Player honor for the 2006 season.

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.