AASTA PLANNING PHASE - KEY PERSONNEL BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:


PATRICK J. BURKHART

Over the past 30 years, Mr. Burkhart has demonstrated comprehensive senior-level management abilities in complex organizational environments overseeing institutional capacity building and strategic expansion.

Mr. Burkhart is skilled in strategic scanning and planning, government/legislative affairs, corporate relations, media relations, and philanthropy. He has a proven ability to lead and support critical start-up and growth initiatives, spearhead multi-institutional partnering, assemble and manage high performance teams, and produce exceptionally competitive proposals. He is well-versed in effective communications and relationship building and possesses an in-depth knowledge of a broad range of emerging science and technology policy issues and trends.

In July 1993, Mr. Burkhart was asked by Arizona State University to step into the newly created position as Director of the Office of Research Development (most recently entitled Executive Director for Strategic Research Initiatives) for the purpose of creating a series of strategic research initiatives to successfully compete for multi-million dollar federal grants and contracts. Since that time, Arizona State University has increased its capture of large federal awards from such agencies as The National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, EPA, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, DARPA and NASA. With intense focus upon building interdisciplinary teams, targeting and cultivating agency and congressional relationships, and reaching out to corporate partners,

Prior to accepting his current position, Mr. Burkhart served as Vice President of the ASU Foundation where he oversaw the successful conclusion of ASU’s first capital campaign and directed the planning for a second $500M campaign. As part of that planning, Mr. Burkhart secured the passage of an Eminent Scholars Matching Funds statute from the Arizona State Legislature, which is now providing state funds to match the earnings on several new endowed professorships. Further, Mr. Burkhart oversaw the ASU Foundation Strategic Planning, Campaign Planning and Public Relations Committees while serving as the focal point for on-campus campaign planning. In this capacity, Mr. Burkhart also directed all main-campus academic fundraising with emphasis upon major gift solicitations.

Mr. Burkhart joined ASU in 1983 as the first Development Office for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Mr. Burkhart earned his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Toledo.


SUZANNE REUSS

Ms. Reuss has spent the past decade providing strategic leadership direction to a wide array of multidisciplinary initiatives at Arizona State University. Most recently in her role as Senior Advisor and Director of Special Projects, her efforts to develop excellence in research and educational programs throughout the University resulted in more than $50 million in external funding from federal grants and private donations over the past six years. Additionally Ms. Reuss developed investment strategies that have led the University to aggressively compete in newly emerging fields of research. She created and developed a new multidisciplinary humanities Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict. The first three years focus on the role of religion in the public life of liberal democracies around the world. In response to regional and national concerns about terrorism and safety, she developed a new Center on the Human Dynamics of Homeland Security to address issues of human security and group and individual identity.

Prior to her present position as ASU, Ms. Reuss served as the Senior Policy Analyst to the Provost where she played key roles in accelerating ASU’s rapid rise in national prominence. She prepared science and technology policy analyses for senior University administrators, deans, chairs and center directors on topics including environmental science, urban ecology, bioscience and biotechnology, psychology, anthropology and archaeology, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) student programs, minority retention and project development. Her efforts fostered linkages and successful research program development among scientists in the physical, mathematical, biological, chemical and behavioral sciences. She convened multidisciplinary teams to develop novel educational and training programs with federal funding over $1 million, with particular emphasis on the National Science Foundation. She also provided advice and support on internal seed funding for emerging University projects.

From 1989-1993, Ms. Reuss was a principal partner in Resource Planning Consultants, Inc. where her clients included: Arizona Department of Economic Security, Office of the Director and Division of Child Support Enforcement; Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Maternal and Child Health; Arizona State University, ASU Foundation and ASU Development Office.

Prior to 1989, Ms Reuss served as the inaugural executive director for Accent on Kids, Inc., (Ronald McDonald House of Phoenix). There she led the opening and development of a program offering support services and temporary lodging for families receiving pediatric medical care in Phoenix and established referral agreements with regional pediatric medical centers that resulted in over 2400 families served during the first 4 years of operations. Ms. Reuss’ extensive non-profit management background also includes service at the United Way of the Bay Area, San Francisco, California, the St. Vincent's Day Home, Oakland, California, and the San Francisco Bay Girl Scout Council.

Ms. Reuss obtained her AB in Psychology and her Master of Social Welfare degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, and is the co-author of “Successful Strategic Planning: A Guide for Nonprofit Agencies and Organizations"


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