Gina Sholtis, vice president for university advancement, has resigned from Marquette University, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Lawlor announced today. Sholtis will return to her native Missouri to manage family commitments and care for a loved one.
“On behalf of the entire university leadership team, I want to thank Gina for her service to Marquette,” Lawlor said. “During her time here, Gina helped secure several major gifts, including a $5.5 million gift for student scholarships. We wish Gina all the best and ask that the university keep her family in your prayers.”
“I am heartbroken to leave you and Marquette, but have to prioritize what is most important to me and to my family,” Sholtis wrote in an email to her University Advancement colleagues. “Keep up the great work. I will be watching with interest the success I know you will continue to achieve. Marquette is a special place.”
Stacy Mitz, associate vice president of alumni engagement, will serve as interim vice president for university advancement. Mitz has been with Marquette for 12 years and has led numerous university-wide initiatives, including instituting a variety of innovative programs to better connect with alumni and friends of the university. Jean Dole, a 15-year advancement veteran who has been serving as chief of staff to Lawlor, will help support Mitz by leading advancement operations. University Advancement will also engage an outside consultant to fill the role of chief fundraising officer. These three leaders will work together closely and will report to Lawlor.
The university will launch a nationwide search for its next vice president for university advancement in the coming weeks.