July 12, 1999 Volume 21, No. 17

New Development Director Named Ithaca College has announced the appointment of Cassandra George as executive director of development. George, who has extensive experience in fund-raising for higher education and nonprofit organizations, will begin her duties August 9. The position was created following the promotion of Shelley Semmler from associate vice president to vice president for institutional advancement. Since 1997 George has served as an individual giving officer at Cornell University, where she develops strategies and programs to obtain major gifts as well as plans and implements cultivation and recognition events. In her new position George will be responsible for planning and directing Ithaca’s overall fund-raising effort and will supervise the directors of annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, academic funding, and planned and leadership giving. Reporting directly to the vice president, she will play a significant role in developing and implementing a plan to integrate the activities of the development office with those of the alumni relations and operations offices. George has previously served as director of special gifts and donor relations at Ithaca College and as development director for Planned Parenthood of Tompkins County. She has consulted for numerous community-based nonprofit organizations in central New York, conducting feasibility studies and leading workshops and seminars on fund-raising fundamentals, annual fund planning, capital campaigns, and volunteer training. She was also the director of Wind and Water Martial Arts/Artemis Associates, providing self-defense instruction as well as programs on sexual harassment prevention. George earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Pittsburgh and master’s degree in communications from Ithaca College. She also holds a diploma in veterinary technology from the Median School of Allied Health Professions in Pittsburgh. She has served as an adjunct instructor in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. Among other community service activities, George is a member of the board of directors of the Tompkins County Task Force for Battered Women. She has also served as president of the board of directors and interim coordinator of direct services for Ithaca Rape Crisis.