Christie Davenport ’01 has been named the director of alumni engagement after the position sat vacant since August of 2018.
Davenport has worked in the Alumni office officially since the fall as a corporate and foundation engagement associate and served as a volunteer for several alumni groups.
Meggie Butzow, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement, said that the Director of Alumni Engagement is a big job and that to be successful one has to be able to engage a wide variety of alumni.
“There are a lot of unique aspects to the director position,” said Butzow. “One has to not only be able to engage others, but also have the ability to effectively execute their ideas. We are confident in Christie’s ability to handle that task.”
Butzow said that with there being an extended vacancy of the position, the Office of Alumni Engagement is excited to have Davenport in the role and is ready to see what her plans are.
“Christie, like all of her predecessors, is coming here with her own experiences,” said Lisa Judge, associate director of alumni engagement, “and I am looking forward to her bringing a fresh perspective on the things we already do, as well as the new ideas she is bringing to get the alumni population engaged.”
While Davenport said she is excited to be learning about her new role, she also said that she has a lot of great ideas and she is looking forward to putting her own spin on her role.
“I want to hear what makes BW important to our alumni and hopefully we can use that to continue to get more people involved.”
With many events being held in the spring, Davenport has had to quickly get accustomed to her new position. She said that Judge, Butzow, and the office manager have been crucial in adapting to her new role.
“They have been so wonderful with bringing me up to speed with all facets of the department,” said Davenport. “With a Women for BW event and the annual Florida alumni events being held fairly soon after being placed in the role, I am thankful to have their invaluable expertise.”
BW has always been a special place for Davenport, not only as her alma mater but also where she met her husband. She said that this fondness for the school is one of the reasons she feels she will be able to connect with alumni.
“It is really important to recognize how necessary alumni engagement is,” said Davenport. “Everyone has a different story, and I think learning about them and how BW fits into their life is how we make our university even better.”