The Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) team at Metropolitan State University of Denver aids members of the MSU Denver community build relationships with corporate and foundation entities to secure support for scholarships and programming. In contrast to groups like the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP) and the Classroom to Career (C2) Hub, which focus on research funding and professional development, respectively, CFR’s focus is on philanthropic relationships. The CFR team’s work is holistic in approach, collaborating with campus partners in all stages of the grants process, from concept development to post-award, all while engaging corporate and foundation partners in transformative, mission-driven philanthropy.
Megan Conklin joined the MSU Denver Advancement Team in May 2018 as Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. Prior to becoming a Roadrunner, she spent five and a half years at the University of Denver doing similar work. In her role, she assists the University’s administrative and academic leadership to identify, research, and secure funding from private grant-making organizations and she builds opportunity for innovative, mutually beneficial relationships with corporate partners. In doing so, she helps design and implement fundraising strategies across campus and creates positive partnership and investment experiences between MSU Denver and corporations and foundations.
A native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Megan was a first-generation college graduate, receiving her undergraduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She has over 12 years of experience in not-for-profit program development and fundraising, which began with a graduate-level internship at Maryland’s Legal Aid Bureau.
Megan loves living in Colorado; she lives to run, ski, bike, and hike with her son, Toby, and their dog, Kona.
Mandy Malachowski joined the MSU Denver Advancement Team in December 2020 as Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and was promoted to Director of Development, Foundation Relations in 2021. In this role, she builds meaningful relationships with foundation partners to support both the University’s and the community’s mutual goals. She supports the team through grant-writing and proposal development, prospecting, pipeline development, and closing meaningful gifts.
Originally from New England, Mandy is passionate about education and supporting students in innovative and creative ways. She received her undergraduate degree from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts and her Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Colorado, Denver. She has leveraged her social science background to become an avid problem solver and relationship-builder. She brings over 8 years of experience in the non-profit and corporate sectors.
When she isn’t going to school or fundraising, you can find Mandy reading a good novel, going to see live music, skiing blue cruisers, or rock climbing.
Tori Meyers joined MSU Denver as Interim Director of Grants in February 2018. In this role, she works with staff and faculty to identify grant opportunities; conducting research; and developing grant proposals for submission to foundations, corporations and other funding entities.
Tori brings 15+ years of public and private grant writing experience to MSU Denver across many types of non-profits and has served in volunteer capacities on community boards over the years.
She loves to spend time with her family and get out to bike, hike and ski when she isn’t working on grants.
Zacary J. Tardiff joined the MSU Denver Advancement Team in January 2022 as Director of Development, Corporate Relations. In this role, he will be focused on building holistic opportunities for innovative, mutually beneficial relationships with corporate partners.
Zacary hails from New Jersey and was a first-generation college student, graduating from West Virginia University with an undergraduate degree in Sport Management (2008) and Master of Business Administration (2011). He brings over 11 years of higher education and nonprofit experience to serve the Roadrunner community.
Zacary relocated to Colorado in 2016 with his wife (a Colorado native) and they reside in the south metro suburbs with their two children. In his free time Zacary loves to cook, golf, and enjoy the beautiful natural landscape of Colorado.
Harper Lundine Wilmoth joined the MSU Denver Advancement team in April 2022 as the Corporate and Foundation Relations Coordinator. In this role, he provides operational and administrative support to the CFR team while working to optimize the post-award process and assisting in fundraising efforts.
Originally from Nebraska, Harper graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing in 2020. He has worked with a variety of nonprofit arts and humanities organizations, including the literary journal Ploughshares, the Lied Center for Performing Arts, and Humanities Nebraska, and he looks forward to building upon this experience in his career as a Roadrunner.
A new resident of Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Harper enjoys cooking, doing crosswords puzzles, and exploring the Rocky Mountains.
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