Senior Leadership
Michael J. Morsberger - Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Michael J. Morsberger joined GW in April 2010 as Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. Mr. Morsberger leads GW's fund raising and alumni engagement teams and will set goals and priorities for advancement activities. Mr. Morsberger most recently served as Vice President for Duke Medicine development and alumni relations and has more than 23 years of leadership experience in the industry.
Previously, he served as Associate Vice President of Development and Executive Director at the University of Virginia Health System and Foundation. Prior to his work at UVa, he spent nearly a decade at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, where he oversaw advancement for their world renowned Comprehensive Cancer Center and was instrumental in securing the largest gift in University history-- philanthropist Sidney Kimmel's pledge of $150 million. He holds a BS in Journalism from Radford University and an MA in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.
Mike can be reached by phone at (202) 994-6419, or email at mjm@gwu.edu.
Marlesa E. Adams - Assistant Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations
Marlesa serves as the chief of staff to the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and oversees the VP Office, Human Resources, Professional Development and Facilities. Prior to GW she served as the chief of staff for the Mathematical Association of America and joined the GW human resource staff in September 2011 as a Sr. HR Client Partner. Her previous experience includes over 12 years at Harvard University in a range of human resource, finance and administrative capacities.
Marlesa holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master's degree in Organizational Development from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.
Marlesa can be reached by phone at (202) 994-9270, or email at madams1@gwu.edu.
William Bartolini, PhD - Associate Vice President for Development, Schools and Units
As associate vice president for development, schools and units, William Bartolini, PhD, directs the efforts of most of the colleges and schools, as well as the Melvin and Estelle Gelman Library, Athletics, and the Mount Vernon campus. Most recently, Dr. Bartolini was a consultant who has held positions of leadership at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic; Northeastern University, and Kent State University. He has a BS from Ball State University; a master’s degree from Indiana University; and a doctorate from Kent State University. He is a former board member of the International Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Bill can be reached by phone at (202) 994-2624, or email at billbart@gwu.edu.
Bernard J. Davisson II (B.J.) - Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts and Planned Giving
B.J. joined GW in June of 2012, coming from Frostburg State University where he served as the Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the FSU Foundation, Inc. In this position B.J. was responsible for FSU fundraising, alumni relations, publications, and media relations programs, as well as FSU's public radio station, WFWM. Frostburg State University is one of 11 universities, two research institutes, and two regional higher education centers belonging to the University System of Maryland.
Previously, B.J. worked for Kaspick & Company, a member of the TIAA - CREF family of companies, serving as a Relationship Manager between the non-profit organizations who are the firm's clients and those who manage and administer the planned gifts assets for those organizations. Prior to that, his career spanned more than 20 years in higher education advancement, primarily for the Johns Hopkins Institutions and Hood College. At Johns Hopkins B.J. served as Senior Director of Gift Planning. Before this, he was Associate Vice President for Development at Hood College where he coordinated the development efforts in the final years of the institution's first comprehensive campaign. He has spoken on gift planning program developments at regional and national conferences. In addition to his B.S. in sociology from FSU, Davisson earned a M.A. in Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University.
B.J. can be reached at by phone at 202-994-1302 or by e-mail at bjdavisson@gwu.edu.
William Dean - Associate Vice President for Development, Markets
William Dean is associate vice president for development in markets where he oversees efforts to grow philanthropy in areas such as the Power & Promise Fund, Planned Giving, Annual Giving, Foundations, Corporations, and the Parents Campaign. Most recently Mr. Dean served as executive director, Leadership Giving at Duke Medicine Development and Alumni Affairs. Prior to his position at Duke, Bill held leadership positions in development at the University of Virginia Health System, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and is a recipient of the university’s Medal for Service.
Bill can be reached by phone at (202) 994-4854, or email at billdean@gwu.edu.
Karen L. Greene - Associate Vice President, Advancement Services
Karen L. Greene is associate vice president of advancement services, where she directs the areas of DAR operations including Human Resources, Training, Technical Services, Prospect Research, Communications, Stewardship, Events, and Fiscal Operations. Most recently, Ms. Greene served as vice president of Operations and Services at the Arizona State University Foundation in Tempe, AZ. Her career includes leadership positions at Planned Parenthood, Creighton University, and the University of Minnesota Foundation. She was also a partner at Bentz Whaley Flessner, a leading fundraising consultancy in Minneapolis, MN. She holds a BA from Old Dominion University. Ms. Greene is also a nationally recognized speaker on fundraising, prospect management and campaigns. She was recognized in 2010 by APRA when she received the APRA Distinguished Service Award.
Karen can be reached by phone at (202) 994-9339, or email at klg@gwu.edu.
Dennis Narango - Associate Vice President of GW Medicine Development and Alumni Relations
Dennis leads the development and alumni relations teams at GW Medicine with the goal to increase philanthropic engagement in support of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as Medical Center clinical and research programs in the Medical Faculty Associates and the hospital. Mr. Narango previously was the associate dean for development and chief development officer at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he served for ten years. He previously held leadership positions at University of Maryland University College as acting vice president for institutional advancement, assistant vice president for institutional advancement and director of development. Mr. Narango also served as director of alumni and development at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Md.
Mr. Narango holds a BA in English and a MA in pastoral counseling from Loyola University. He currently serves on the board of the Maryland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Mr. Narango is also a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Institutional Advancement and Certified Fund Raising Executive International.
Dennis can be reached by phone at (202) 994-3150, or email at mcddjn@gwumc.edu.
Adrienne Rulnick, EdD - Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development
Adrienne has 20 years experience in alumni relations and development. She came to GW from New York University, where she expanded alumni communications and programs, and significantly increased annual giving, as the executive director of alumni relations and development. Prior to that, Adrienne held positions at Adelphi University and Barnard College, where she also served as a member of the national Alumnae Board of Directors.
Adrienne serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Private College and University Alumni Directors and on the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations (as of 2011). She holds a BA cum laude from Barnard College, an MS from the University at Albany - SUNY, and an EdD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Adrienne can be reached by phone at (202) 994-3987, or email at arulnick@gwu.edu.
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