The Future Is CDU
Interview with SVP Angela Minniefield
Angela Minniefield , Senior Vice President of Advancement and Operations and Chief Operating Officer at Charles R . Drew University of Medicine and Science ( CDU ), was recently honored with the prestigious Advancement Leader Award at the 2024 HBCU Philanthropy Symposium . Despite her humble nature , Minniefield does her work with hope and commitment , often unaware of the broader impact she has on individuals and institutions beyond CDU .
Since joining CDU in 2012 , Minniefield has spearheaded the University ’ s advancement and development efforts . Her leadership led to surpassing the $ 8.3 million fundraising goal for 2013-2015 and launching the ambitious $ 75 million CDU Rising campaign , which has now reached an impressive $ 95 million . For Minniefield , this honor underscores her ongoing commitment to CDU and the community it serves .
The HBCU Philanthropy Symposium is a vital platform for growth and philanthropic enrichment , bringing together leaders from HBCUs , Minority Serving Institutions ( MSIs ), fundraisers , funders , community advocates , and philanthropists to foster collaboration and impact . The Alumni Relations Team was able to catch SVP Minniefield in a rare moment for an interview and discuss what she sees as the future for our alumni and CDU .
Alumni Relations ( AR ): Congratulations on your recent award and the endowment from Bloomberg Philanthropies . There are a lot of positive changes happening for CDU , What is your vision for the longterm growth and impact of CDU ? Connecting this with alumni , how do you see this evolving in the next 5 to 10 years ? Angela Minniefield ( AM ): Thank you . My long-term vision for CDU alumni is for them to feel like CDU added value to them personally and to them in their professional journey ; that they would be motivated to give back to CDU with their time and with their treasure . Treasure is not just dollars and cents . Treasure is time in terms of mentorship , time in terms of allowing CDU students to shadow them , time in terms of letting CDU administration know what was good about their experience and what might be improved .
AR : The COVID-19 pandemic was very challenging to everyone and as we are continuing to get back on track , what are some of the biggest issues you have encountered engaging alumni ? Especially those that seem to be disconnected ? AM : I think one of the challenges in terms of our ability to connect and stay connected to our alumni , which obviously impacts alumni engagement , has been the numerous staffing transitions and starts and stops . With trying to bring alumni back to the university we are building an alumni infrastructure that is sustainable . Communication is key to engaging our alumni where they are . We also want to make sure we are developing programming that will bring alumni back into the fold . Being in touch with our alumni is key . But , there needs to be that infrastructure that ' s built and sustained for it to work . And COVID , exacerbated that .
0 5 A L U M N I N E W S | F A L L 2 0 2 4