KU Endowment (KUE) was the first foundation for a public university in America. As a nonprofit organization, they partner with donors to provide philanthropic support for all departments and units of KU, including Audio-Reader. As a private entity, funds are not affected by State budget changes and can’t be reallocated to anything other than what the donor intended. Audio-Reader benefits from this relationship in a variety of ways: KUE acts as our bank, processing donations, managing investments, etc. They also help us with fundraising campaigns through printing, postage, and mailings, database and research information, and a development liaison who not only advises us on development strategy, but also helps advocate and fundraise on our behalf.
Audio-Reader was recently assigned a new liaison, Sheri Hamilton. Sheri’s contact information and bio are included below; as you’ll see, Sheri is already very familiar with Audio-Reader through her time at KPR. We’re very excited to have Sheri as our liaison and look forward to working with her to meet our development goals!
Sheri began her professional career in 1997 at KANU. In 2008, she stepped into the role of KPR’s Development Director which she held until leaving for her current role at KU Endowment in 2015. Sheri currently serves as Development Director at the Dole Institute of Politics and supports both KPR and Audio-Reader as the KU Endowment Development Liaison.
Raised in Wichita, Sheri earned degrees in political science and German Language and Literature from KU. She also lived in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany through State Department and KU Study Abroad fellowships. Sheri continues her lifelong interest in politics, civics, and public service and currently serve as Treasure on the Governing Board of Lawrence Sister Cities.
Sheri has two college-aged daughters, Zoe and Sophia. Zoe attends DePaul University in Chicago and Sophia currently lives in Germany through a youth ambassador program with the State Department and will begin KU this fall. Her husband Alex, a native Lawrencian, has dedicated his career to the local restaurant and hospitality industry. As a family, they enjoy boating on Clinton Lake, cooking, traveling, hosting international guests and indulging the family cat, Hugo.
In her time at KPR, Sheri worked closely with the Audio-Reader staff and enjoyed getting to know the organization’s incredible volunteers. She looks forward to her new role serving as the KU Endowment Development Liaison to Audio-Reader.
Sheri Hamilton
Development Director|Dole Institute
KU Endowment Development Liaison to KPR|Audio-Reader
Ph: 785.832.7454 | Cell: 785.840.4088
