College, school and unit development and communications staff

Cara Clark, a Raleigh, North Carolina, native, holds a B.F.A. in dance and choreography from VCU and has worked as donor relations coordinator at the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh. She also holds an M.F.A. in film and video production from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has worked as a multimedia specialist at Georgetown University Library's Gelardin New Media Center and as editor and videographer for the American Dance Festival’s video blog.

Before joining VCU, Nick Georges served as the assistant director of athletic development at the College of William & Mary. Georges received a bachelor's in biology from Roanoke College, where he played soccer, and a Master of Sports Leadership from VCU.  

T. Greg Prince, Ed.D., CFRE, joined VCU’s College of Health Professions in September 2016. Prince has 25 years of professional experience in university development and advancement. Before coming to VCU, Prince led the advancement effort at Salisbury University, a small public regional institution on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. During his career, Prince has had a track record of initiating new development programs and donor/stewardship initiatives as well as forming volunteer groups.

His work before Salisbury focused on academic medicine development at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at East Carolina University's Medical & Health Sciences Foundation. In December 2015, Prince graduated with his Ed.D. in educational leadership from East Carolina University, and in March 2021, he earned his CFRE designation.

Beth Ayers joined the Department of Health Administration in 2010. She previously served for five years in a similar capacity in the dean’s office of the College of Health Professions. In her current position, she works with the 2,200-plus alumni of the department’s three programs, directs all alumni functions, manages alumni communication and marketing and is involved with donor gifts, stewardship, development and fundraising efforts. Ayers manages all reunions and works closely with the Alumni Advisory Council. Ayers holds a B.S. in business from Belmont University in Nashville and an M.S. from VCU’s School of Education.

Mary Riddick joined the College of Humanities and Sciences in August 2021. She previously served as director of development for the VCU School of Social Work team and worked for three years on VCU’s annual giving team. Riddick connects with humanities and sciences alumni, emeriti faculty, community partners and friends to the college to engage them with future initiatives. Riddick earned a B.A. from Virginia Tech and an M.P.A. from Old Dominion University.

Before joining VCU, Matt Rowe served as a case manager and student advocate in the Dean of Students office at Virginia Tech. He earned his bachelor's degree in agribusiness management from Virginia Tech and a Master of Education in higher education from the University of Virginia.

Kelly Kerr joined the VCUarts development team in August 2012, where she serves as director of events and sponsorships. She previously worked for VCU's Office of the President as manager of the Scott House. She earned her M.F.A. in ceramics from James Madison University.

Cristina Cruz serves as the assistant director of development communications and special events at the VCU School of Dentistry. She manages the school's donor relations efforts, including alumni engagement and stewardship events, and coordinates alumni and donor communications. She has worked in development at the School of Dentistry since 2010 and has a background in public relations and event management. Cruz is a 2006 graduate of James Madison University with a B.A. in public relations and Spanish.

With just more than 40 years of development and alumni experience, Edward G. Kardos has spent his entire career in educational philanthropy work with 29 years at VCU in three schools on both campuses. He currently serves the School of Education.

Before service to the School of Education, Ed was the Executive Director of Development at the Schools of Nursing and Dentistry. He served as Benedictine High School’s Director of Development and the first full-time Annual Giving Director at James Madison University. He is a Nina Abady Award recipient (2004), the highest award given by the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives for lifetime career excellence.

Donor and student focused, Ed has enjoyed the “art” of connecting the dream of a donor with the dream of the institution. In his own words: “One of many benefits of spending nearly three decades at one university is that it has been very gratifying to see donors I’ve worked with become fully engaged in VCU and that the student experience has been elevated.”

Caitlin Hanbury was named the director of communications for the School of Nursing in August of 2022. In her current role, she leads all communications, marketing and public relations efforts that promote the school to external and internal audiences. She earned a B.A. in art history and English language and literature from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in art history with a concentration in museum studies from VCU. She previously served as assistant director of community affairs for the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. Prior to VCU, she served in a development role for the Maymont Foundation and as a programs and exhibitions manager for the Hermitage Museum & Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia.

Katharine Stein is a 2015 VCUarts alumna from the Department of Sculpture. She previously served as a development coordinator at VCUarts before a stint in the development office at the Science Museum of Richmond. 

Louie Correa joined the VCU development team in March 2015. He has 14 years of experience in development and nonprofit management. Before joining VCU, he served as chief executive officer of Project 375 (formerly The Brandon Marshall Foundation) based in Chicago. He also served as an associate consultant for Campbell & Co., a fundraising consulting firm based in Chicago, where he worked with many arts and higher education clients throughout the U.S. Before his time in Chicago, Correa spent nearly a decade in Indianapolis in development roles with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and The TKE Foundation. He has authored articles in Advancing Philanthropy and chapters in Giving USA. He has a master's degree from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University (2010) and bachelor's degrees in rhetoric and English from the University of Illinois (2002).

Jess Sorensen previously served as development coordinator for VCUarts. After receiving her B.S. in sociology from James Madison University in 2010, she interned for the summer with the VCU donor relations team. She then became the administrative assistant to the dean of external affairs at the VCU School of Business from August 2010 to January 2013. She is a native of Richmond, Virginia.