Staff

Mary’s ties to Wake Forest run deep, including her great-great-great-great grandfather Samuel Wait who founded the college and her great uncle Harold Tribble who later served as President. Mary graduated from Wake Forest in 1982 and moved to Charlotte to open an event marketing firm, which she owned for 25 years. She joined Wake Forest in 2015 to help lead the team’s efforts to create long–lasting and transformational relationships with our alumni.

Kelly is a life-long Deacon fan, following in her parents’ footsteps by attending Wake Forest. She graduated in 2000 with a degree in business and spent three years in Washington, DC, before returning to work in the alumni office in 2003. As Executive Director, she oversees the alumni team, manages the alumni council, and has responsibility for developing strategies for alumni engagement both on campus and nationally. Homecoming is her favorite weekend of the year and you can often find her planning and attending alumni events around the country. Go Deacs!

A native North Carolinian and fourth-generation Demon Deacon, Gray graduated from Wake Forest in 2009 and went on to receive her Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from Drexel University before returning to Wake Forest in November of 2013. In her position as Assistant Director, Affinity & Identity Programs, Gray oversees the development, support and programming of alumni affinity groups, including AWFUBA (Association of WFU Black Alumni), Decorated Deacs, WAKE THE ARTS, Wake NOW (Network of Women) and many others. She also serves as lead event coordinator for the Homecoming Alumni Tailgate and Alumni Engagement events around large sporting events, such as bowl games, as well as manager of the Greek Alumni Advisory Board. Gray spends much of her free time cheering on the Deacs at soccer, basketball and football games or enjoying all that Winston-Salem has to offer with her husband and their two dogs, Prosser and Andromeda. She also serves as a “foster mom” for a steady stream of dogs in need through her volunteer work with a local canine rescue group.

Contact Gray with questions regarding existing affinity groups, starting new affinity groups, bowl game events, one-off affinity programming, and the Greek Alumni Advisory Board.

René joined the Alumni Engagement team in July 2017 and is thrilled to be a part of the Wake Forest family. Contact René with questions about Alumni programming and events and other general inquiries.

Emily grew up just 45 minutes from campus in a Demon Deacon family and knew Wake was the place for her. She graduated in 1990 with a degree in history and after 10 years working for Duke Power, she returned to Mother So Dear in 2000 to join the Alumni Engagement Office.

Contact Emily with questions regarding your class reunion, volunteering for your class committee or making a class reunion gift.

As a life long Deacon and native of North Carolina, Vada Lou followed family tradition and graduated from Wake Forest in 1985 with a degree in Education. After receiving her MAED and spending time in the classroom she returned to Wake Forest in 2000. She is the mother of two Wake Forest daughters and is married to a fellow Deacon.

Contact Vada Lou with questions about your class reunion, to volunteer to help on your reunion committee, and for information about Loyal DEAC or the WFU Alumni Travel Program.

Growing up in the home of an alumnus, Laura’s love for Wake Forest began early. After graduating from Wake Forest in 1992, her career journey included student ministry, business management, event planning and full-time mom. Laura returned to Wake Forest in 2014 to join the Alumni Engagement Team. She is responsible for special programming related to Alumni families and events calling Alumni back “home.”

Contact Laura with questions related to programming for signature campus events including Homecoming, Alumni Admissions Forum, WAKEWomen’s Weekend, and Deacs in Love.

Growing up in Winston-Salem, Megan began cheering for the hometown team at a very early age. When the time came to apply to colleges, she looked far and wide, but eventually happily found her home at Wake Forest and graduated in 2012. Megan supports alumni in all aspects of their professional development, providing tools to navigate the transition from college to career. She serves as the liaison for alumni to the Office of Personal and Career Development.

Contact Megan if you’re in a career transition and need some coaching; if you’re interested in mentoring programs and speaking opportunities; or if you, or a Demon Deacon you know, does work that would be interesting or inspiring to other alumni, please reach out to be featured in the Deacon Spotlight.

The first time she stepped on to campus as a junior in high school, Chelsea knew that she would call Wake Forest “home” for quite some time. Chelsea is a proud Double Deacon; she graduated in 2014 and received her Master’s in English from Wake Forest in 2016. After graduation, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a professional Demon Deacon and joined the Alumni Engagement team, where she supports the Loyal DEAC program and all student initiatives, including the Student Campaign Committee and Traditions Council.

Contact Chelsea with questions about 1834 Campaign, student programming, and Loyal DEAC.

Evan was raised a Deacon fan and followed family tradition by attending Wake Forest University. After graduation, he spent five years in Washington, DC and three more in Wilmington, NC before returning to Winston-Salem in August of 2015. Evan supports the volunteer activities in Atlanta, Charlotte, New York, Raleigh and Washington, DC, and watches the 1995 ACC basketball championship on his original VHS tape at least 2 times each year.

Contact Evan with questions about alumni programming and events in Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, DC, and New York City.

Ed Morris makes his home in Raleigh and is a native of Wilson County, NC and holds degrees from Mount Olive University, Campbell University and NC State University. He became a part of the Wake Forest family through his wife Cathy (’71) and son Dylan, a 2004 Deacon. He retired from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources in 2005 after a 32 year career with the State Archives and State Historic Sites. He is the executive director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum/Wake Forest College Birthplace in Wake Forest, NC (“where the college used to be”). As Museum director Ed collects, protects and shares the early history of Wake Forest, both college and town. Ed works with many alumni especially those who attended the old campus. He is also a liaison with WAKERaleigh.

A native of Wilson, North Carolina, Megan graduated from Salem College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish/K-12 Education. She then earned a Masters of Science in Sports Studies from High Point University in 2008. After a 9 year stint in alumni engagement at a local independent school, Megan joined Wake Forest University in August 2016. She fosters the connection Wake Forest School of Law alumni have to the school in ways that cater to their needs by working closely with all departments within the law school to maximize reach and enhance the alumni experience. A die-hard Demon Deacon fan, Megan can be found at many WFU athletic events. When not cheering on the Deacs, she loves snowboarding, photography and spending time at the beach with her family and friends.

Contact Megan if you are a Wake Forest School of Law alumni; if you have press releases and law alumni employment news; if you’d like to host a law alumni event in your area. Megan is your alumni contact for anything related to the Law School.

After graduating from UNC Charlotte, Suzanne spent several years at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center before joining the Alumni Engagement Office in 1995. Suzanne supports our Wake Forest Communities located in Asheville, Austin, Charleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Greenville/Spartanburg, Denver, Hickory, Houston, Kansas City, LA, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, and Wilmington. She also works with our Golden Deacs and our annual Masters Reception.

Contact Suzanne if you have questions regarding Community events in the above areas, Golden Deacs programming or the Masters Reception.

Jennifer Smart has lived in the Town of Wake Forest for 20-years and served as a board member of the Wake Forest College Birthplace Society before accepting a position as assistant director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum. A graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism, Jennifer’s first career was as a local TV news anchor and reporter. She spent 14-years as a stay at home mom before transitioning back to the workforce with writing jobs that included an Arcadia Publishing photographic history of the Town of Wake Forest and the museum’s visitor orientation film. She is thrilled to be part of the team at Wake Forest University and help with its efforts to share the history of town, college, and university.

Sarah joined the Wake Forest Historical Museum in June 2019 to help preserve and share the history of Wake Forest. As the Manager of Community and Academic Learning, Sarah develops educational programming and research opportunities for alumni, faculty, staff, students, and community members both at the Reynolda and Original campuses. Sarah is currently completing her PhD in Public History at NC State University and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Dakota in 2013.

Shortly after an overnight prospective student visit, Tiffany fell in love with Wake Forest (and, much to her parents’ chagrin, decided to submit only one college application!) A proud Double Deacon, she graduated from Wake Forest in 2007 and received her Master’s in Liberal Studies in 2011. Tiffany launched her professional career here on campus in 2009 and has spent years working with students and alumni in the leadership development and personal & career development space. Tiffany has also been a loyal volunteer for WFU, most recently serving on the Alumni Council and as the president of the WFU Black Alumni Association.

After a brief 4 year departure to another small liberal arts school near Charlotte, NC, Tiffany returned home to Wake Forest in 2018 to join the Alumni Engagement team. In her role, Tiffany supports community boards and programs in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and LA, as well as working the Personal & Career Development team on alumni initiatives out West.

Contact Tiffany with questions about upcoming events or leadership opportunities in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. Go Deacs!

John arrived on campus in August of 2002 from Richmond, VA and hasn’t left Winston-Salem since. After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in 2006, he worked at Mit Shah’s (’91) Noble Investment Group before returning to Wake Forest in 2011 to work in the Professional Development Center. He was awarded an MBA from the Wake Forest University School of Business in 2015 and joined the Alumni Engagement team in 2019.

He works to develop programming and engagement opportunities with Third Act alumni and young alumni. John will also oversee Pro Humanitate planning and projects with alumni around the world.