Executive Staff

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Amy Yancey

President and Chief Executive Officer

Amy Yancey is president and CEO, leading a team of approximately 180 professionals. She oversees all philanthropic fundraising, alumni relations and engagment activities, and investment of the endowment for the entire University—including all campuses, UConn Health, and the Division of Athletics. Amy serves on University President Radenka Maric’s Senior Leadership Team, working closely with administrators and deans from across UConn. Yancey has a proven track record of building momentum and achieving increasing levels of philanthropic support as a senior leader of institutional advancement. Before coming to the Foundation in January 2024, Yancey was vice president for development at Boston College, overseeing fundraising for financial aid, the student and athletic experience, and academic programs. Previously, Yancey served on the senior leadership team at the University of Virginia, and led fundraising teams at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in plant sciences and agricultural economics.
Montique Cotton Kelly

Montique (Mo) Cotton Kelly

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).
Suzanne O'Conor

Suzanne M. O’Conor

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.
dave carney

David L. Carney, CFA

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.
Teresa Johnston

Teresa Johnston

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.
Jennifer Sargent

Jennifer Sargent

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.

Laura Padron

Senior Vice President for Advancement

Laura Padron is the Senior Vice President of Advancement and is responsible for leading the development team. Prior to joining the UConn Foundation in 2022, she was the associate vice president at Florida International University (FIU) where she led FIU’s $750 million Next Horizon Campaign with major gift officers across the academic colleges and schools, athletics, and student affairs. Laura also served as the Assistant Dean of Development for the University of Miami’s School of Business, leading school fundraising for the university’s $1B Momentum Campaign. Before academia, Laura was the Program Officer for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, directing and developing national and international professional, collegiate and high school programs and partnerships including the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Laura holds a bachelor's degree from Florida State University.

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