Meet the Development Staff
To contact any one of our Development Staff members by email, please use our contact form.
Vice President
University Advancement
Dennis Washington is responsible for the leadership of fund development including corporate, foundations and individuals, alumni affairs and communications at Kettering University. In this capacity he serves on the President's Leadership Team, and directs his own team of 20 University Advancement professionals. Dennis is instrumental in carrying out the Campaign For Excellence at Kettering, and is a regular attendee in nearly all University alumni functions both on and off campus.
Dennis joined Kettering having served as a Senior Advancement Officer at Central Michigan University from 2002-2006. He was responsible for developing and building relationships with corporations and foundations in support of internship and placement opportunities for CMU students and graduates, equipment donations, corporate sponsorships, scholarship support, program support, professorships, matching gift support, and specific financial support for the various CMU colleges, athletics, public broadcasting stations, and library. He served as a staff member for the CMU Development Board and chaired CMU's Corporate Meeting Group.
Prior to CMU Dennis was a senior consultant for Public Sector Consultants; a grants coordinator for the City of Lansing, and a planner for Capital Area Michigan Works. He is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Executive Director of Major Gifts
Jack Stock joined Kettering University in September 2000 and is responsible for Kettering giving societies including the President's Council and the Leadership Endowment. He has a B.A. from the University of Michigan-Flint. Jack has more than 15 years experience in fund development including the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, the Flint Institute of Music and Kids In New Directions (KIND), and he is a member of AFP Association of Fundraising Professionals. Jack is involved in community activities including Rotary, Junior Achievement and St. John's Catholic Church in Davison. He has three children, Mallory, Leah and Philip.
Director of Gift and Estate Planning
Sue Weiss has been with Kettering University 18 years, gaining valuable understanding of a variety of aspects of the University throughout this time. In her present position, she offers ideas for alumni and friends of Kettering on how to ensure the future of Kettering University and its students by making a gift through will or trust, life insurance, gift annuity, or endowed scholarship.
As a parent of two GMI/Kettering alumni, she has a special appreciation for the value of the Kettering University co-op program and is enthusiastically dedicated to helping the University thrive in all ways.
Director of Annual Giving
Bonnie McArthur works with alumni and friends of Kettering University in the Annual Giving fundraising efforts. She is responsible for the direct mail and phonathon campaigns as well as the yearly Faculty and Staff and Trustee Campaigns. She joined Kettering in January 2005 as the Stewardship Coordinator and one year later became Director of Annual Giving.
Prior to coming to Kettering, Bonnie worked extensively in non-profit organizations such as the Girl Scouts, CampFire USA and Junior Achievement. She holds a bachelor's degree in Recreation from Michigan State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Oakland University. She is in several area organizations including the Zonta Club of Pontiac North Oakland.
Director of Prospect Research
Susan Van Camp is the Director of prospect Research for the University Advancement Department at Kettering University. She has been in her position since January 1998 and has been a member of Kettering University's staff for 23 years. In her current position, she conducts research for the University Advancement fundraisers and other key Kettering staff. She finds lost alumni, produces profiles, matches people, corporations, and foundations with specific funding needs that the University has identified through the strategic plan. Susan also identifies and tracks those alumni and friends with the greatest potential for giving to the University. She also maintains thousands of alumni and friends files and monitors many publications for updates on their career and life changes for all alumni and friends affiliated with Kettering University.
She is a member of the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) and the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA). Susan is an active member with the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement-Michigan Chapter (APRA-MI). Susan served on the APRA-MI Board from October 2000 to October 2006 as their Membership Director, Treasurer, and Secretary/Treasurer.
Susan graduated with honors in 1996 from Baker College with a bachelor's degree in Business Leadership.
Peggy Simpson
Executive Director of Corporate & Foundation Gifts
Peggy Simpson, a member of the Kettering University staff since 2000, graduated from Central Michigan University with a Master of Arts degree.
She is responsible for developing corporate and foundation partnerships in support of Kettering University. Peggy has also served in the Counseling and Cooperative Education offices. Outside of Kettering, Peggy worked as the director of Marketing Services for the Michigan Virtual University.
Director of Corporate & Foundation Gifts
Vida Fisher works with faculty, staff, alumni, corporations and foundations in support of the University's fund raising efforts. Areas of special interest and concern include raising funds to support our pre-college programs aimed at interesting young people about engineering, applied science and business programs; endowed scholarships to support our current and future students and, last but not least, funding for upgrading and developing facilities and new technologies on campus.
Vida served as an educational counselor with the UAW and GM in the Buick Complex in Flint. She taught marketing classes at Kettering and management and marketing classes at Davenport University. She held administrative posts at The University of Michigan, Western Michigan University and Davenport University. She served as the first Michigan director for Elderhostel and was the coordinator of short-term training programs for the National Center for Community Education. Vida first came to Flint from Western Canada as a C.S. Mott Fellow in Community Education. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta, a master's degree from Northern Michigan University and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan.
To contact any one of our Development Staff members by email, please use our contact form.