In this special announcement, Ryan Catherwood introduces Speaking Engagement — a new professional development designed as a “conference on engagement that never sleeps.” Speaking Engagement brings together weekly Keynote interviews, Breakout conversations, articles, and live Agora events to create a continuous learning experience for engagement professionals. Instead of attending a conference once a year, this is an opportunity to stay immersed in ideas, trends, and strategies every single week. Ryan also shares how listeners can become part of the founding group — offering the first 50 Alumless listeners free lifetime access to the members-only version of the platform ahead of its official launch. If you’ve ever wished conferences didn’t end, this is your invitation to stay in the room.

What does it really take to step into a new advancement role and chart a new course in year one? This week on the show, Ryan and Chris Marshall chat with Jim Broschart, Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at the University of Louisville, to reflect on the realities of leading through transition. Jim shares what he saw in his first year at Louisville and how he assessed the health of the advancement operation. Our conversation explores how leaders decide what to change, what to preserve, and what it means to rethink the donor pipeline and engagement strategy in a new institutional context. We’ll discuss the challenges of aligning teams, breaking down silos, and introducing cultural shifts that support long-term growth. He reflects on lessons learned in his first year and what’s next as Louisville continues to evolve its approach to philanthropy and alumni engagement. This episode of Alumless is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumnIQ, Givzey, and Richmond Associates.

What happens when advancement communications is no longer a support function, but a central driver of alumni engagement? On this episode of Alumless, Lori Hurvitz, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations at Tulane University, joins Ryan and Chris to explore what it means to align communications and engagement under one unified strategy.

Lori shares the thinking behind Tulane’s recent reorganization and how this shift is influencing everything from digital strategy to donor segmentation. The conversation explores the growing role of communications as a core engagement channel, how institutions can better capture alumni attention, and how this alignment supports campaign readiness for Tulane’s Only the Audacious campaign.

In the bonus segment, Lori reflects on how place, tradition, and storytelling shape engagement at Tulane, what she’s learned about what truly resonates with alumni, and how her team is thinking about channels like social media and print in a modern engagement strategy.

This episode of Alumless is made possible by our season sponsors Protopia, AlumnIQ, Givzey, and Richmond Associates.