Speaker bios

Sammi Camp

Camp is the director of parent and alumni relations within Student Affairs Advancement at Virginia Tech. In this role, she leads efforts to foster meaningful connections between the university and its extended family of parents and alumni. Before this, she served as the director of alumni relations at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she built a robust alumni engagement program for one of the university’s youngest colleges.

Jenny Cooke Smith

Cooke Smith is the senior director of CASE Insights Solutions at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). In this role, she partners with institutions around the world to help them leverage data and insights to strengthen alumni engagement and advancement outcomes. With expertise in benchmarking, metrics, and data storytelling, Cooke Smith translates complex findings into actionable strategies.

Andrea Devine

Devine is the senior director of volunteer engagement at the University of Virginia. In this role, she leads university efforts to enhance volunteer programming. She has launched a university-wide volunteer website, revived the UVA club leader conference with record attendance, and spearheaded initiatives that led to a 42 percent increase in volunteer participation.

Christi Lineberry

Lineberry is the director of regional engagement at Virginia Tech. In this role, she oversees a global network of volunteers, a regional advisory board, and a portfolio of cross-departmental events designed to foster meaningful connections and align local engagement with university priorities. Under her leadership, the program has seen a minimum 25 percent year-over-year increase in alumni participation over the past four years.

Nicole Silvanic

Silvanic is a regional engagement director at Duke University. In this role, she supports alumni, parents, and friends in Florida, Tennessee, and the Triangle — home to Duke's largest alumni community and proudly known as the Hometown Blue Devils.

 Silvanic works with volunteers and campus partners to shape programs that are welcoming, meaningful, and rooted in the unique character of each community.

Kristen Swanson Houston

Swanson Houston is the director of alumni community engagement at Virginia Tech. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives that connect and inspire Hokies from underrepresented and marginalized communities, specifically through work with the university’s five inclusive alumni societies.

Mary Ann Vetter

Vetter is the senior director of engagement for the University of Louisville Alumni Association and has a broad and dynamic background in public service, athletics, and alumni engagement. In this role, she leads university efforts to connect with graduates across the globe through events, volunteer programs, and regional outreach.  

Conor Webb

Webb is the associate director of the UVA Clubs Global Network at the University of Virginia. In this role, he oversees more than 30 regional clubs and supports over 170 volunteers across the U.S. and internationally. Before this, he led alumni chapter programming at James Madison University, managing over 50 chapters and supervising staff dedicated to engagement efforts.