Haskins comes to Elon from Mobile, Alabama, where she served as Executive Director of the Distinguished Young Women Foundation, a national scholarship program for college-bound women.
Kendra Haskins has been named Elon’s new senior director of alumni engagement, beginning her work at the university on Sept. 5, 2022.
In the role, Haskins will lead the Office of Alumni Engagement team as they partner with external constituents and entities across campus to achieve the goals set out for alumni in Elon’s current strategic plan, Boldly Elon. Haskins will also work closely with Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement Brian Feeley ’03 to finalize a new alumni strategic plan that will serve as a roadmap for creating the alumni experience envisioned in Boldly Elon.
“We are excited to welcome Kendra Haskins to the Elon family as she leads our team of talented individuals in the Martin Alumni Center,” said Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement. “As outlined in Boldly Elon, she will build on our commitment to alumni, fostering lifelong partnerships through professional development, networks, learning opportunities and lasting connections between alumni and the university.”
Haskins brings a diverse range of professional experience to Elon, having held previous roles in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, in addition to running her own marketing and communications firm for close to a decade. Just prior to joining Elon, she served as executive director of Distinguished Young Women, a national nonprofit organization that gives young women the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally after high school as they seek scholarships to pursue higher education. Haskins holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Duke University.
“Building on generations of alumni leadership, Elon has developed alumni engagement outcomes that now keep pace with top national universities,” said Haskins. “I’m excited to join Elon and look forward to working with such a vibrant community of alumni, students, faculty, and staff to further this success.”
Haskins joins a team in the Office of Alumni Engagement that is responsible for implementing major on-campus events like Homecoming Weekend and alumni award programs, managing key alumni boards and councils, empowering regional chapter programs, innovating new cohort and professional development programs, overseeing the operations of the Martin Alumni Center, and developing various student engagement and affinity efforts that foster loyalty, connection and support from alumni. The office works in close collaboration and partnership with various entities across Elon, including the Student Professional Development Center, the Division of Inclusive Excellence, academic units, and Study USA, among others.