Dec 20, 2022 12:00 PM
Mary Duvall
Luther College Fundraising and External Engagement Plans

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

This past summer, Luther College President Jenifer K. Ward appointed Mary Duvall as the new Vice President for Development. In this capacity, Ms Duvall provides strategic direction for all aspects of the college’s fundraising and external engagement efforts and serves as a key member of the President’s cabinet. She will offer her knowledge and insights to our club on strategic development plans and goals related to these fundraising and engagement activities.

Ms Duvall comes to Luther from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in Tacoma, Washington, where she had worked since 2015. Shel began employment at the university as Executive Director of Advancement, was promoted to Associate Vice President of Advancement in 2018, and most recently she served as Associate Vice President of University Relations. During her tenure at PLU, she managed teams that grew the institution’s annual giving, built a newly integrated alumni engagement and career development team and led the division’s annual strategic planning process. She also served on a variety of cross-campus committees, including PLU’s Diversity Committee which operationalized the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan. Prior to her work at PLU, from 2007 to 2015, she served in multiple capacities at Lutheran World Relief to expand their donor base, secure funding and, therefore, serve more people. The organization’s goal is to work with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice and human suffering.

Ms Duvall holds a BA Degree in Religion from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She earned her Master’s of Nonprofit Management Degree from Hamline University in Saint Paul and a Certificate of Advanced Leadership Studies from St. Catherine’s University. She was also a recent Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) Fellow, a program that provides a year-long leadership development experience organized around vocation and calling, sustainable leader development, and visionary organizational leadership.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.