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The Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) team is an integral part of the Tufts University Advancement Office. Organized as a central group that spans across four campuses, each school has a CFR liaison, allowing for collaborative and comprehensive engagement with internal and external partners. Find your CFR contact below:


Senior Director

Ippolita Cantuti-Castelvetri, Senior Director

Ippolita.Cantuti_Castelvetri@tufts.edu  /  617-627-5263

Ippolita has served as senior director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) since 2016 after three years as associate director of CFR for the Tufts University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Tufts, Ippolita was associate director of preclinical research and development at NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, and assistant professor of Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She earned a M.S. in Biology from University of Rome/La Sapienza, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Tufts University. Ippolita has coauthored over 30 papers in peer-reviewed journals and books.


School of Medicine / Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Tracy E. Schmidt, PhD, Director 

Tracy.Schmidt@tufts.edu / 617-636-3533

Dr. Tracy E. Schmidt is Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for the Health Sciences at Tufts University. Dr. Schmidt focuses on leveraging her biomedical research training to foster relationships and securing private funding support from local, national and international partners in order to advance the institution's priorities and mission. Directing fundraising efforts for the biomedical campuses, including the Dental and Veterinary schools while providing direct support for the Medical School, Dr. Schmidt works across schools to engage more corporate support and raise the Tufts health science research profile. Prior to Tufts, she held the position of Associate Director of Corporation and Foundations at UMass Medical School as well as an innovation management and commercial development role in their Office of Technology Management. Dr. Schmidt has over 15 years of biomedical research experience in the higher education and medical space; she has performed sleep, cardiovascular, and viral research in human, mouse and cell culture systems at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, University of Illinois at Chicago and UMass Medical School. Dr. Schmidt received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UMass Medical School and B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University.

Lindsey Perreault, Associate Director

Lindsey.Perreault@tufts.edu 

Lindsey Perreault joined the Corporate and Foundation Relations team in 2021. Lindsey supports the Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Medical Education, and the Center for the Study of Drug Development within the School of Medicine. She also supports the Department of Community Health in the School of Arts and Sciences. Prior to joining Tufts, Lindsey was a Partnerships and Development Manager at Last Mile Health, where she secured funding for community health programs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Before Last Mile Health, she supported fundraising efforts at The Children’s Inn at NIH. Lindsey received her MPH from George Washington University and her B.S. in Health Science from Boston University.


Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Senior Director

Ippolita Cantuti-Castelvetri, PhD, Senior Director, provides support for the HNRCA and can answer any questions at Ippolita.Cantuti_Castelvetri@tufts.edu  /  617-627-5263

 


School of Dental Medicine

Maggie Norcross Devin, Associate Director

Maggie.norcrossdevin@tufts.edu /617 - 636 - 6696

Maggie Norcross Devin has worked in nonprofit fundraising for over twenty years, with expertise in prospect research, donor moves management, and stewardship. In her most recent position as the Director of Development and Advocacy at the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, she worked closely with the major gift team to develop cultivation strategies for donors, and developed partnerships with groups across Greater Boston to raise the profile of the organization amongst external stakeholders. She has worked on the capital campaigns of Berklee College of Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Maggie received a B.A. in Art History from American University and a M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University.


Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Steve Jacobs, Associate Director

Steven.Jacobs@tufts.edu / 617 - 636 - 6876

Steve joined the Corporate and Foundation Relations team in April 2020 where he supports the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. In this role, he cultivates new and deepens existing relationships, helps align complex research projects to the goals of corporate organizations and charitable foundations, and assists in realizing the institutional objectives of the Friedman School. Prior to joining Tufts, Steve practiced law in the Boston office of Jackson Lewis and later as an independent consultant specialized in labor and employment. Steve received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from the Boston University School of Law.


Grafton Campus

The Grafton campus hosts the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, the only veterinary school in New England, and the Cumming Veterinary Medical Center, a group of seven academic teaching hospitals and clinics.


Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

Senior Associate Director

Danielle Kehoe, Senior Associate Director - danielle.kehoe@tufts.edu (508) 887-4795

Danielle joined CFR in December of 2022 and supports the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She has dedicated the majority of her career to helping faculty, researchers, program directors, and health professionals secure grant funding for health sciences, educational programming, and direct care.  Danielle was Executive Director of MetroWest Free Medical Program and formerly served as Chief Advancement Officer at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham. Prior, she was Executive Director of Academic Grants and Sponsored Program Services at Daemen University, Amherst, NY.  Danielle holds a Master of Science in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen University and a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College.

Staff Assistant

Rebecca Bergman, Staff Assistant - rebecca.bergman@tufts.edu (508) 887-4304

Rebecca joined CFR in September 2022. She is based at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine where she assists with record keeping, reporting, and other stewardship activities. Prior to joining Tufts, Rebecca worked as an Administrative Assistant and Grant Coordinator for the Psychology Department at Clark University in Worcester, MA, and as a Technical Editor for an environmental and right-of-way consulting firm in Tucson, AZ. She has a background in biology and conservation and holds a Master of Science in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Bachelor of Science in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis.


Medford Campus

The main University campus, located in Medford/Somerville, is part of a diverse community of over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students from over 60 different countries. Here, you will find the School of Arts and SciencesGraduate School of Arts and SciencesSchool of EngineeringThe Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life


School of Arts and Sciences / Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life

Susan Lewis, Director

Susan.Lewis@tufts.edu / 617-627-4585

Susan joined CFR in May 2023 as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for the School of Arts and Sciences. Prior to joining CFR, Susan spent 11 years in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, working with faculty from across Tufts to secure funding for research and education efforts, most recently as Associate Director of Team Science and Interdisciplinary Research and, before that, as Associate Director of Research Development. In the distant past before Tufts, Susan ran a freelance business as an editor and grant writing consultant. Her doctoral and postdoctoral work addressed questions in the cellular and molecular neurobiology of neuronal phenotype, survival, and regeneration. She earned a B.A. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard University.

Brett Hitchner, Associate Director

Brett.Hitchner@tufts.edu / 617-627-4572

Brett joined the Corporate and Foundation Relations team in 2017. He works with Tisch College, helping to identify and solicit foundation and corporate support for their programs, research and other projects. Prior to joining Tufts, Brett worked as a corporate attorney for a New York law firm, where much of his work involved investment and acquisition transactions. Brett has carried over much from this prior experience as now he works on behalf of Tufts and its faculty to help secure funding for their important projects and to navigate the complex multi-party relationships and transactions that this  involves. Brett has a BA in Political Science from Tufts and a JD from Hofstra University School of Law.


The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Teri Vienot, Senior Associate Director

Therese.Vienot@tufts.edu / 617-627-5973

Teri joined the CFR team in November 2015 supporting The Fletcher School and soliciting foundation and corporate support for the school’s programs, research, and other initiatives. Prior to joining Tufts, Teri worked at Lahey Health System and Beverly Hospital for seven years securing foundation, corporation, and government support for healthcare non-profits and initiatives throughout the system. She also worked in CFR at the environmental non-profits the Trust for Public Land and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Teri holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Dickinson College and an MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England. Prior to graduate school, she worked for Pathfinder International and spent 6 months in Turkey training the Asia/Near East regional staff on grant writing, project management, and performance reporting.


School of Engineering

Jack Garvey Jr., Associate Director

jack.garvey@tufts.edu  

Jack joined the Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) team in 2022 and supports the Tufts University School of Engineering. Prior to joining Tufts, Jack was the Director of Development at Boston Harbor Now, where he raised funds for public parks on Boston Harbor. He was previously the Advancement Associate at Solar Cookers International. He earned a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree in public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Administrative & Research Staff

Sharon Solomon, Administrative Coordinator

Sharon.Solomon@tufts.edu / 617-627-3487

Sharon joined the CFR office in November 2019 as Administrative Coordinator.  She manages the day-to-day operations and finances of the department, focusing on the Medford campus where she is located, and working with the Boston and Grafton campuses as needed. Prior to coming to Tufts, Sharon’s career path included positions with area synagogues and hospitals, where she focused on facilities and operational management, budgeting, and scheduling events and meetings. She worked closely with congregants, medical personnel, and patients. After receiving her BA in Journalism from Northeastern University, Sharon lived in Israel for a year, participating in a post-graduate program offered by the Boston Israeli Consulate.  Upon returning to Massachusetts, she attended Suffolk University and was awarded her MBA.  In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at several places including her synagogue, Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Education Center, and the Jenks Senior Center in Winchester.

Tod McMahon, Assistant Director, C&F Prospect Research

Tod.McMahon@tufts.edu / 617-636-6794

Tod joined the CFR team in 2017 as a researcher supporting the development staff. Currently, Tod works as the Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Prospect Research and helps the CFR team preparing briefings and strategies for potential corporate and foundation donors. Tod also helps maintain the CFR database and prepares donor profiles. Previously, Tod worked as an archivist for the City of Newton, where he helped to catalogue and preserve archival material in the city’s historical collection. Before that, he spent over two decades as a corporate research librarian supporting the engineering, business development, and strategic planning departments with General Dynamics. Tod has a BA in English from the University of Connecticut, and an MLS from Simmons College School of Library and Information Science.