L-R: Mary Beth Metz, Becky Smith ’08, Dana Madden Viglietta ’96, Melinda Garcia Metz, and Marcus Fowler.
Greetings from the New Office of Engagement at Otterbein!
Dear Family and Friends,
Over the past few months, the Division of Institutional Advancement at Otterbein has been planning some positive changes in our team structure and we’re excited to share that we are now the Office of Engagement. Our focus will be on serving the more than 28,000 alumni, families of current and former students, and our valued donors to provide meaningful opportunities to engage with our Otterbein community.
This change also included the hiring of a new team member, Melinda Garcia Metz, our coordinator for donor engagement. Melinda will be the front line of our donor relations and stewardship efforts to ensure that those who support Otterbein have a top-notch experience. Melinda comes to our office by way of SourcePoint in Delaware County, OH, where she played a vital role in raising awareness of the agency and its services. She joins Marcus, Mary Beth, Becky, and me to form our new team.
You can learn more about our Office of Engagement at www.otterbein.edu/giving/contact-us/.
In addition to these changes, I am humbled and honored to have been tapped to lead our engagement “dream team” as the executive director of engagement. This coming April I will have been back at my alma mater for a decade, and it’s flown by! The adage “time flies when you are having fun” certainly applies to my time at Otterbein. I was fortunate when I returned to campus 10 years ago to work for everyone’s favorite Cardinal, Becky Fickel Smith ’81, during her tenure as executive director of alumni relations.
Three fun facts about me: I worked for Becky in the Campus Center during my time as a federal work study student from 1992-1996; I worked as an admission counselor recruiting students for Otterbein for two years after I graduated; and I married a fellow Otterbein grad, Alberto Viglietta ’94.
Otterbein has been a special part of my life for a very long time and my hope is that I can serve our alumni, family, and donor communities to help you connect with Otterbein in meaningful ways — whether it be through learning opportunities, mentoring our students, attending special events, celebrating traditions, or maybe something as simple as coming to campus on a beautiful day and taking a stroll through our “quiet, peaceful village.”
Engagement looks different to each Cardinal in our Otterbein community, and we’re here to help provide you with opportunities to use Otterbein as a springboard for making connections, learning something new, giving back, and making a difference in the lives of others. Soon we will be asking for your feedback via an engagement survey to help us better understand how we can best serve you. We hope you’ll take some time to share your thoughts with us.
On behalf of the Office of Engagement team, we look forward to serving you!
Dana Madden Viglietta ’96
Executive Director of Engagement
