Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

The UConn Foundation Board of Directors appointed Jonathan Greenblatt as interim president and CEO of the UConn Foundation, effective April 3, 2023. Jon has graciously agreed to lead the UConn Foundation until a search for a permanent president and CEO is completed. Jon is a proud UConn Husky (CLAS ’77) who has been engaged with the University and Foundation for many years. He is a retired partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP with extensive experience in commercial international arbitration and litigation. He also co-founded Legal Innovators, an alternative legal service provider that aims to bring innovation to the legal industry in the recruitment, hiring, talent development, pricing, inclusion, and diversity of junior legal talent. In October 2022, Jon completed 10 years of board service with the UConn Foundation, having served as a chairperson of the Advancement Committee and a member of the Executive Committee during his tenure. Since leaving the board, Jon has been co-leading the Bleeding Blue for Good collective (a role he will step down from while serving as interim president and CEO of the Foundation).

Senior Vice President for Stakeholder Engagement and Chief Operating Officer

Mo Cotton Kelly is senior vice president for stakeholder engagement and chief operating officer (SVP-COO), with responsibility for driving operational and capital campaign strategy, overseeing key administrative functions, guiding a culture of inclusivity, and managing alumni engagement for UConn’s 255,000-plus alumni worldwide. Cotton Kelly oversees the departments of alumni relations, marketing and communications, and annual giving. She joined the UConn Foundation in 2014 with a national reputation for strong leadership built over two decades in higher education advancement. Previously she was executive director of Bowling Green State University’s Alumni Association. Mo received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BGSU. She is active in the Council for Alumni Association Executives and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

General Counsel

Suzanne O’Conor manages and coordinates legal work for all departments within the UConn Foundation. Before assuming her current role as General Counsel in 2000, Suzanne served as a development officer in charge of planned gifts from 1995 to 1999. Prior to joining the Foundation, Suzanne was an associate at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, Conn. A member of the Connecticut Bar Association and the American Bar Association, Suzanne graduated with high honors with a JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and with honors with a BA in economics from the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Senior Vice President and CFO

David L. Carney, CFA was named senior vice president and CFO of the University of Connecticut Foundation in September 2021. In this capacity, he oversees the finance, investment management, and fund administration for the Foundation’s endowment. Prior to joining the Foundation, Carney served as a managing director and investment manager at BlackRock. During his sixteen-year tenure at BlackRock, he managed investment portfolios for endowments, foundations and other institutional clients, overseeing over $20 billion in assets under management, and earlier served an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of NY and other financial entities and central banks in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Before arriving at BlackRock, Carney held various roles in commercial banking with Bank of America and BNY Mellon. Carney holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Boston College.

Vice President of Human Resources

Teresa Johnston is the Vice President of Human Resources and oversees talent acquisition, employee relations, benefits, payroll, HR operations, and organization planning & development. Prior to joining the UConn Foundation in June 2015, she was the associate chief HR officer for Community Health Center, Inc. where she led a team of HR professionals responsible for staffing, employee relations, compensation, HRIS, and operations. Additional experience includes several HR consulting assignments, roles in higher education and positions of increasing responsibility in HR for companies in the for-profit sector. Teresa earned a BS in Business and BA in Personnel from the University of Kansas and a MA in Education from the University of Hartford.

Vice President of Advancement Services

Jennifer leads Advancements Services operations at the UConn Foundation with a focus on utilizing data, technology and innovation to propel the Foundation forward. This includes the oversight of gift processing, pledge management, programming services, research/prospect management & business intelligence. Jennifer joined the Foundation in 2001 as a Research Analyst and has served in many capacities during her career including Director of Research, Prospect Management and Data Services, where she played a key role in the implementation of the Foundation’s CRM platform. She is a member of the Blackbaud Higher Education Executive Advisory Board and holds a BS in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University.