Impact NC State today and tomorrow
- Your charitable contribution will influence student success far into the future
- Your charitable gift will equip students and faculty to solve many of the world's most pressing problems
- Your legacy will become part of the NC State philanthropic tradition
Meet the Staff
Katherine has served as Executive Director of Gift Planning for NC State since 2021. She actively works with donors to structure both planned gifts and current, tax-advantaged gifts to the university while managing the day-to-day activities of the Office of Gift Planning.
Prior to joining the university in 2016 as Associate Director of Gift Planning, she was a Tax Manager at Deloitte Tax in the Private Wealth group. At Deloitte, she managed the tax compliance and planning needs of high net worth individuals and family offices, with a focus on estate and gift tax. Her experience also includes work with trusts and non-profits, including both operating and private foundations.
Katherine was raised in Raleigh, NC and earned both her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree and Master of Accounting degree from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Katherine is a member of the North Carolina Planned Giving Council and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.
Wendy brings over 20 years of experience helping people achieve their philanthropic and estate goals. She first joined NC State in 2000 as the Assistant Director for the Office of Gift Planning and later served the university as the Director of Development for the Provost Office. From 2010 till her return in 2023, Wendy held the roles of Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) and Director of Major Gifts at NC Central University. Wendy most recently served as the Director of Development for the National MPS Society.
Wendy earned her Bachelor of Science degree from St. Augustine's College and her Master of Business Administration from Strayer University. She also earned Certificates in Nonprofit Management and Accelerated Management from Duke University and Yale University.
Wendy is a member of the North Carolina Planned Giving Council, and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. She also chaired the Finance Committee for the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) in Durham, North Carolina.
Stacy joined the Office of Gift Planning in 2022 with over 20 years of experience assisting donors in transforming lives through education and philanthropy. From 2001-2009 he served NC State as Executive Director of Development for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. During the interim he returned to his home state of Indiana where he worked ten years in the Indiana University system, leading the entire fundraising operations for two different schools. Before returning to NC State, he served as Sr. Gift Officer for Hanover College near his hometown of Madison in southern Indiana.
Stacy earned his BS in Public Affairs Management from Indiana University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from the Indiana University Fundraising School.
Stacy is a member of the North Carolina Planned Giving Council and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.
Mary Elizabeth Brake, a 1991 graduate of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State, joined the Office of Gift Planning in 2013. In her role as Associate Director she oversees marketing for the Office of Gift Planning and also manages administrative functions with a focus on estates and life-income gifts (charitable gift annuities and trusts).
From 2005 until 2013, she worked in the Office of Advancement for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences supporting their research and extension fundraising efforts and its planned giving program. Before joining the university, she produced weekly and monthly reports covering gaming, healthcare and environmental legislation at the state level for Legislate, A Washington Post Company.
She is a member of the North Carolina Planned Giving Council, and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.
A native of Winston-Salem, NC, Mary Elizabeth has lived in Raleigh for over twenty-five years with her husband Robert, also a NC State graduate.
As the Administrative Support Specialist for the Offices of Gift Planning and Corporate and Foundation Relations at NC State, Jennifer provides critical support to both teams in a variety of areas including reporting, event planning, and business services.
Jennifer comes to NC State with over 13 years of experience working in the nonprofit field. From 2016 - 2020, Jennifer was the Retail Business Manager at the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation. During her career, she has had a variety of responsibilities including creating and managing spending/revenue budgets and developing special departmental projects,
Jennifer moved to Cary with her husband and three children in 2004. She has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Raleigh, NC 27695-7501
Telephone: 919.515.5106
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