Our Contributors
Just like your favorite industry conference, Speaking Engagement is powered by multiple voices with decades of collective experience in education and other nonprofits.
Lindsay Anderson - Contributing Editor
Lindsay Anderson is a contributing editor at Speaking Engagement and a longtime higher education engagement strategist. Her work sits at the intersection of alumni engagement, philanthropy, and communications, where she helps organizations build authentic relationships that grow over time. Known for her candor and practical perspective, Lindsay believes the best engagement work rewards patience, curiosity, and a commitment to the long game.
Ryan Catherwood - Publisher
Ryan Catherwood is the Publisher of Speaking Engagement, a platform exploring how organizations build relationships, community, and connection at scale. He is also Executive Vice President at Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting (CMAC) and Senior Consultant with Washburn McGoldrick, advising colleges and universities on alumni engagement, donor pipeline development, and integrated advancement strategy.
Prior to his consulting work, Ryan served in roles at Longwood University, the University of Virginia, and Washington and Lee University. Ryan writes and speaks regularly on the future of engagement, digital community-building, and the role of alumni in driving institutional success.
Dave Hail - Contributing Editor
Dave Hail is a fundraising strategist and storyteller who works with nonprofits and institutions to design stronger donor relationships and more effective engagement strategies. His work focuses on helping teams move beyond transactional communication toward systems that support long-term connection and growth.
His perspective sits at the intersection of strategy, systems, and storytelling, with a focus on helping organizations act with greater clarity and intention.
Dave is a lifelong learner, husband and dad, and lives in Oklahoma.
Kristin Hanson - Contributing Editor
Kristin Simonetti Hanson is an award-winning editorial content strategist, writer, and editor based in Baltimore, Md.
For nearly 20 years, she’s served higher ed and nonprofit organizations with her distinctive, creative voice and sharp, strategic insight, turning complex priorities into clear, compelling narratives. In 2021—after working in-house for Johns Hopkins University, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, and Elon University—she went out on her own, founding Kristin Hanson Writes, LLC.
Kristin’s work spans advancement communications, campaign storytelling, and alumni engagement. She’s also regularly contributed to Johns Hopkins Magazine, Johns Hopkins Medicine Magazine, The Stevens Indicator, Weill Cornell Impact, Currents, and Trusteeship, among other publications. And in 2025, Kristin added a new type of writing to her repertoire, publishing her first children’s book, Mortimer the Terrier’s Second Chance.
Annie Quade - Contributing Editor & Agora Leader
Annie Quade is an advancement strategist with more than 15 years of experience spanning major and planned gifts, alumni engagement, annual giving, talent management, and organizational design. She serves as the Associate Vice President of Advancement Strategy & Engagement at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where she oversees integrated engagement, talent and people operations, and the division's growth strategy — and currently provides interim leadership of the development team.
Annie began her career in frontline fundraising at the University of Missouri, first as a regional and planned giving officer and then as director for the School of Law. She is also co-founder of Advancement Talent Co., a community for advancement professionals focused on talent management and organizational strategy.
Courtney Stombock - Contributing Editor
Courtney Stombock’s career has spanned 25 years and two continents, working in many facets of advancement at public and private institutions in the US, UK, and France. At The American University of Paris, Courtney and her team are rethinking what it means to engage and secure philanthropic investment from culturally diverse and diasporic alumni, families, and friends.
She is enthusiastic about sharing her experience and interest in philanthropic advising, cross-border giving, data governance, alumni and family engagement, volunteer management, event development, Artificial Intelligence, and team leadership.
Courtney lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband Brad and two teenagers. She is an ardent rugby mom, a FIFA World Cup 2026 Volunteer, and a world traveler, with more than 16 countries checked off her bucket list so far.