How do you excite thousands of diverse thinkers living in cities, small towns and villages around the world to stay in touch with their college alma mater? You find an individual with a big personality and a track record for powerful engagement. This is Brian Breittholz, Weatherhead’s new executive director of alumni relations.
Joining the Alumni Relations Department in May, Breittholz brings more than 30 years of higher education experience in alumni engagement, development and student affairs. But it’s not just the time he has spent in the academic world that makes him such a great fit for Weatherhead—it’s his success making people proud in sharing their experiences they had and the learnings they gained from their schools. This is how he expanded the alumni programs at several universities, including Miami University, Indiana University and Cleveland State.
“Weatherhead is a special place,” Breittholz said. “In talking to Weatherhead alumni it’s exciting to hear their passion about the programs they completed and how the courses in these programs made them stronger leaders and business professionals. This level of passion is what makes great alumni groups. Many are looking for ways to celebrate and share their experience.”
Breittholz is currently focused on building the alumni contact database so that all 24,000 plus alumni are aware of events and can network with alumni in similar fields or businesses. He is also interested in capturing alumni success stories that can be shared with other alumni and inspire current Weatherhead students. If you have any ideas or suggestions about building the best-in-class alumni program for Weatherhead, please reach out to Breittholz at brian.brreittholz@case.edu.