Gift Planning – Wills, Trusts, and Estates

Heather Engel – Associate Vice President for Gift Planning

Before joining UVA’s gift planning office in May 2019, Heather spent 15 years with the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she held progressively senior positions, eventually managing the entire front-line fundraising team.

She holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from John Marshall Law School, in Chicago, Illinois. Her legal practice, prior to becoming a fundraiser, emphasized estate and charitable planning for high-net-worth individuals. Heather is experienced in preparing estate planning documents including wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, as well as charitable remainder trusts. She has helped clients establish private foundations and has advised not-for-profit organizations around establishing donor advised funds and charitable gift annuity programs.

Heather Engel
Associate Vice President for Gift Planning Additional info

Jason Chestnutt, CFP® – Director of Gift Planning

434-924-1016 | jasonchestnutt@virginia.edu

A certified financial planner, Jason’s goal is to make every development officer across Grounds fully and confidently conversant with the full array of gift planning opportunities. His experience lies in the area of wealth management with an emphasis on the legal and tax aspects of gift planning, gained during his years as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, both in Atlanta. Jason, who joined the Office of Gift Planning in 2007, is a 1998 UVA graduate and a past president of the Charlottesville Area Planned Giving Council (CAPGC).

Jason Chestnutt, CFP®
Director of Gift Planning Additional info

Susan Fersner – Senior Associate Director of Gift Planning

434-924-7173 | slf7u@virginia.edu

Susan came to UVA’s Office of Gift Planning in October 2014, following a five-year tenure in the gift planning office at James Madison University, the last four years as director. Before returning to her home state of Virginia, she spent much of her career in Florida, working with high-net worth individuals’ complex estate plans. Susan was chief operating officer and senior vice president at the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company before taking a position with Marine Bank as the trust executive and senior vice president.

Susan Fersner
Senior Associate Director of Gift Planning Additional info

Elizabeth Lewis – Associate Director of Gift Planning

434-924-1392 | elewis@virginia.edu

Elizabeth brings extensive experience in higher education development to the Gift Planning team. She was a regional director of development at Washington & Lee University, then served as director of development at her alma mater, Mary Baldwin University, before returning to the UVA Advancement community in 2016. From 2008 to 2011, Elizabeth was the director of annual giving at the Darden School. Additionally, Elizabeth has a background in the financial services industry, having served as a portfolio representative for flagship clients at The Vanguard Group.

Elizabeth Lewis
Associate Director of Gift Planning Additional info

Erin Hughey-Commers – Associate Director of Gift Planning

434-924-8788 | erinhc@virginia.edu

Erin was a major gifts officer at the School of Nursing when she discovered a love for working with donors who want to make a planned gift. When she joined the University’s Office of Gift Planning in 2017, Erin had already secured planned gifts in nursing that totaled more than $2 million. She is a former fundraiser and director of youth career programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

Erin Hughey-Commers
Associate Director of Gift Planning Additional info

Spring Dodge – Trust & Estate and Gift Planning Specialist

434-924-6029 | springdodge@virginia.edu

Spring supports operational areas of the Gift Planning office, including estate and deferred gift administration, budget coordination, database management, and reporting. She joined the Gift Planning team in March 2012. Spring’s prior experience includes higher education receivables operations at Radford University and fiscal management at the Air Force Budget Office.

Spring Dodge
Trust & Estate and Gift Planning Specialist Additional info

Michael Campbell, JD – Gift Planning Technical Writer and Coordinator

434-243-2149 | mc3ch@virginia.edu

Michael drafts planned giving documents including trusts, annuities, and gift agreements, and he coordinates donor and University signature processes and planned gift proposals, serving development officers within University Advancement and across Grounds. His legal experience includes research, drafting, writing, contracts, and probate, and he earned the law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.

Michael Campbell, JD
Gift Planning Technical Writer and Coordinator. Additional info

Diane Wilson – Gift Planning Public Relations Coordinator

434-924-6034 | drw5m@virginia.edu

Diane develops informational materials about planned gifts for the University’s fundraisers and prospective donors. She spent many years at the University of Notre Dame in various roles ranging from graduate school administration to media relations and communications and marketing. Diane came to UVA’s Gift Planning office in March 2012.

Diane Wilson
Gift Planning Public Relations Coordinator Additional info

Mike Bailey – Gift Planning Associate

434-982-2798 | mlb9pp@virginia.edu

Mike provides administrative and travel support for the Gift Planning development officers and assists them with promotion of gift planning prospect pools. He has extensive experience with prospect research and analysis, most recently as development research analyst at Duke University for a capital campaign that raised $3.85 billion.

Mike Bailey
Gift Planning Associate Additional info

Contact Us

Staff