Staff

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 Assistant Vice President, 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!

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. She is the proud mother of a Double Deac.

In her role as Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement, Emily oversees strategic direction for Boards and Council with development partners, manages the volunteer experience and pipeline and leads the 50th reunion campaign and committee while overseeing the Reunions Program.

As a lifelong 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.

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

Arriving on campus as a first year student in August of 2002 from Richmond, VA, John 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.

John has a passion for service and oversees Pro Humanitate planning and projects with alumni around the world. He is the adviser to two student groups: Wake Forest’s Traditions Council and the 1834 Student Campaign. Additionally, he coordinates alumni signature events that take place away from campus including WakeWelcomes and Local Lovefeasts.

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.

Anna Hogewood Cole ’21 joined the Reunion Team as the Assistant Director of Reunion Programs in March 2025, after serving two years as a Leadership Gift Officer. Her enthusiasm and love of Wake Forest shines through in all she does. Anna has extensive fundraising experience and the ability to engage meaningfully with alumni. She is a third generation Deac and is looking forward to connecting with our alumni and in turn connecting them with one another and to Wake Forest through class reunions.

After completing a degree in Marketing and Graphic Design at Appalachian State University, Catherine returned home to Winston-Salem where she worked at the Winston-Salem Journal as an advertising account executive for 20 years before becoming a stay at home mom to her three kids. She met her husband Brooks when he was in law school at WFU (Go Deacs!).

Before joining the Alumni Engagement team, Catherine was the Administrative Assistant with the Deacon Club. She now fills an essential role in support of our Alumni Council, Homecoming experience, support of all engagement programs both on campus and regionally, as well as being the frontline customer service provided for so many alumni who call, email and visit us.