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Leigh Greenfelder currently serves as the senior associate vice president and COO within the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement. As the chief operating officer for the division, she is responsible for the strategic leadership of Communications, Annual Giving, Events, Data and Technology, Budget and Human Resources functions. Leigh represents the Vice President when needed and serves as the primary advisor and liaison to the VP on items related to philanthropy and alumni engagement, presidential strategy, divisional operations and comprehensive campaign strategy. 

Leigh and her teams are responsible for the planning and implementation of all communications, events and outreach efforts to alumni and donors on behalf of the university. In the first two years of the comprehensive fundraising campaign, the team has won more than 20 national and international awards for design, marketing, communications and events. 

During her tenure at Kent State, Leigh and her staff have achieved notable success in a variety of areas such as a nationally recognized Giving Tuesday campaign that raised $7.7 million; the organization and execution of all alumni and donor outreach from the university’s colleges, campuses and divisions; development of an alumni engagement score; creation of a Leadership Annual Giving program that far exceeded a number of national benchmarks; and co-creation of the division’s first three-year joint strategic plan with the KSU Foundation and KSU Alumni Association.

Prior to joining Kent State in January 2017, Leigh held roles in Northeast Ohio communications and advertising agencies including vice president and vice president for public relations. In these roles, Leigh led teams that created and implemented a variety of integrated programs, from strategic planning and public relations to advertising, social media and branding. Her expertise as a senior counselor and advisor to corporate, nonprofit, political and municipal clients resulted in client success, and garnered a variety of ADDY, MarComm and Hermes Creative Awards. 

Leigh holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications and Psychology from Ashland University, where she played intercollegiate volleyball and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Akron Zoo and chairs its marketing advisory committee.