April 3, 2023
Ursuline College appointed Cindy Naegele as its Vice President for Institutional Advancement, effective March 27, 2023. Naegele is a nonprofit executive with almost 25 years of experience in higher education, the arts, and social services.
Naegele succeeds Richard Konisiewicz, who retired on March 15 after six years of service to Ursuline College. Among his many accomplishments, he organized the College’s recent sesquicentennial anniversary celebration.
“As Ursuline College looks to its next 150 years,” states Ursuline President Sister Christine De Vinne, PhD, OSU, “we’re excited to have Cindy join our team with her vast knowledge of strategic planning and capital campaigns as well as her track record of building individual, corporate and community connections.”
For the past eight years Naegele has served as the Chief Advancement Officer reporting directly to the President and CEO for OhioGuidestone, a state-wide behavior health organization that provides services to 28,000 clients in 32 counties. There, she increased fundraising by 65 percent while assisting with internal and external communications, strategic planning, and implementation of branding efforts.
She served previously as the director of principal gifts for The Cleveland Foundation where she managed the foundation’s first proactive fundraising team. Prior to that, she also was executive director of development for the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and managed the school’s fundraising team and operations for its $170 million campaign.
Other organizations that have benefited from Cindy’s expertise include the Cleveland Museum of Art, WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream, and The Cleveland Orchestra. Prior to her work in fundraising, the Ohio University graduate was an investigative reporter for the Gannett News Service and The Marietta Times.
“Ursuline College is a hidden gem in Northeast Ohio. We’re first in the nation for social mobility of first-generation students and an NLN Center of Excellence in Nursing Education,” notes Naegele, a Strongsville resident. “I’m proud to be part of this great institution that prepares our future workforce for leadership, service, and professional excellence.”
