News Article

New Development Officer on Charlotte Campus

Sep 22, 2009

Ali Bender appointed Development Officer on Charlotte Campus

PUNTA GORDA – Edison State College Charlotte Campus welcomed a new member to its administrative staff with the recent hire of Development Officer Ali Bender.

Bender, previously a Student Life Specialist on the Charlotte campus, also has worked as a Development Officer for The College of William & Mary and held multiple development positions with Harvard University.

“Very intelligent, welcoming and kind hearted; Ali is just an overall delightful individual,” Charlotte Campus President Dr. Patricia Land said. “She has a tremendous passion for higher education and combined with her previous experience will be a valuable asset to Edison State and the entire Charlotte County community.”

Bender will handle all aspects of development for the Charlotte campus, including major gifts and annual fun giving, planned giving and special events.

“I’ve always loved working in development for higher education; it’s fun,” Bender said. “The whole concept of education is the betterment of individuals and subsequently their community. As the Development Officer it’s my responsibility to insure that Edison State College has the means to continue doing just that for Charlotte County and the surrounding community.

“And I think Edison State has a wonderful story to tell with a strong case for support.”

Bender earned a Master of Arts in Education at William & Mary, where she served as Development Officer for nearly two years. In that time Bender helped design and implement a fundraising strategy for the Law School’s Center for Legal & Court Technology (CLCT), identified prospective donors and helped establish an Advisory Committee to counsel the CLCT.

Bender also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Harvard, where she worked in the development office of the Harvard Business School for nearly four years. Bender served as the Assistant Director of Development Planning and Administration, where she was the principal coordinator for the first Harvard Business School capital drive that raised nearly $600 million. She also oversaw all activities of the school’s highest-level fundraising group and assisted with the hiring of all front-line fundraising staff.

Bender can be reached on the Charlotte campus of Edison State College at 941-637-5604 or abender@edison.edu.

Last Updated: September 22, 2009