Sarah Fodor

Director of Foundation Relations

s-fodor@northwestern.edu

Phone: (847) 491-4584

Sarah J. Fodor has led the Office of Foundation Relations at Northwestern University as Director since March 2006. She began serving as associate director of the office in August of 1998. She holds a PhD in English Language and Literature and MST in English from the University of Chicago and BAs in English Education and French Literature (summa cum laude) from the University of Illinois (Urbana). She teaches proposal writing in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University. Sarah has taught college, high school, and middle school composition and literature and has published several articles and book reviews on Flannery O’Connor, the New Criticism, and other topics in contemporary American literature. Sarah has also coached chess teams in Evanston elementary and middle schools and sings in a local church choir.

Liaison to: BCICS, Feinberg, McCormick, SESP, Weinberg Sciences, University Initiatives, and NICO.

Coleen Burrus

Associate Director
c-burrus@northwestern.edu

Phone: (847) 491-7547

Ms. Coleen Burrus is the Associate Director for Foundation Relations at Northwestern University. Previously, she was Director of Foundation and Government Relations at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies. Ms. Burrus is also an adjunct professor at North Park University, and a lecturer and member of the Advisory Board for Benedictine University's Ed.D. Program. Prior to transitioning to academia, Ms. Burrus was a Community Builder Fellow with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a Senior Planner for St. Louis County government. Ms. Burrus was appointed by the City of Evanston's mayor to both the Plan Commission and Community Development Committee in 2006. She earned a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Saint Louis University.

Liaison to: Communication, The Graduate School, Kellogg, Law, Medill, Weinberg Social Sciences, SCS, BCICS, and IPR.

Susan Fisher Miller

Associate Director
susanfmiller@northwestern.edu

Phone: (847) 491-7435

Susan Fisher Miller joined Northwestern’s Office of Foundation Relations as Associate Director in 2006. She earned a B.A. in English and French from Goshen College and a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University, and has lived and studied in Haiti, Ireland, and the European continent. Her professional background includes teaching courses in literature and writing at Wheaton College and North Park University, and serving as editor for publications in history and American higher education. She is the author of the scholarly volume Culture for Service: A History of Goshen College 1894-1994, and of numerous articles and book reviews on topics in Irish literature and Mennonite culture.

Liaison to: Music, Weinberg Humanities, The Block Museum, Program of African Studies, University Library.

Michael Kelley

Development Researcher

mhkelley@northwestern.edu

Phone: (847) 491-4588

Michael H. Kelley, Researcher & Development Associate, holds an M.A. in History from the University of Illinois (Springfield) and a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois (Urbana). Prior to joining the Office of Foundation Relations in 2007, his professional background included time spent as a high school teacher in New Orleans, and two seasons as a National Park Service ranger at the Lincoln Home in Springfield. Michael worked as the graduate assistant for a documentary editing project, the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, and has written two research theses.

Conducts research for University Initiatives and high priority individual faculty projects. Works closely with offices in sponsored research to coordinate grant tracking.

Stacey Busbee
Program Assistant
S-busbee@northwestern.edu
(847) 491-4590

Stacey Busbee is the Program Assistant for the Office of Foundation Relations. She has earned B.A. degrees in Psychology and Literary & Cultural Studies from The College of William and Mary. She is currently pursuing a M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in History at Northwestern University and has completed a course in grant writing at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Stacey has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector where she has learned about individual fundraising, large-scale event planning, donor relations, prospect research and grant writing. She is also an Advisory Board Member of the Foundation for Hospital Art, a nonprofit organization allowing patients and volunteers to create artwork, which will aid in the healing process of patients and their families.

Manages records and databases for foundation grants proposed and received at Northwestern.