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Meet Our Team

Sarah J. Fodor

Sarah J. Fodor

Senior Executive Director, Foundation Relations and Corporate Engagement

s-fodor@northwestern.edu

(847) 491-4584

Sarah joined Northwestern's Office of Foundation Relations (OFR) in 1998, after a career in secondary school and college teaching. She holds a PhD in English language and literature and MST in English from the University of Chicago and BAs in English education and French literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Liaison to:

  • Top University prospects and proposals
  • Feinberg School of Medicine (led by Michelle Melin-Rogovin, below)
  • Institute for Policy Research
  • Northwestern University in Qatar
  • School of Professional Studies
  • The Graduate School
Catherine Cotter

Catherine Cotter

Director

catherine.cotter@northwestern.edu

(847) 467-5046

Catherine joined Northwestern's Office of Foundation Relations in 2022. Prior to this role, she was the Director of Operations/Assistant Chair for WCAS' Physics & Astronomy and a Business Administrator in McCormick School of Engineering (Applied Math). Catherine earned her Master's in Applied Economics from UW-Madison and subsequently was a senior labor economist for the State of Wisconsin before becoming a VP/Industry Analyst in corporate & institutional banking at what is now JPMorgan Chase and a freelance grantwriter.

Liaison to:

  • Kellogg School of Management
  • McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy
  • Pritzker School of Law
  • School of Education and Social Policy
  • Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences–Departments of Economics, Math, Psychology, and Statistics
Heidi Jurgens

Heidi Jurgens

Senior Associate Director

heidi.jurgens@northwestern.edu

(847) 467-1197

Heidi joined Northwestern’s Office of Foundation Relations in 2017. She earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago. Before joining Northwestern, she held the position of associate director of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Liaison to:

  • Limited Submissions
  • Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences–Life and Physical Sciences
Chloe Taft Kang

Chloe Taft Kang

Senior Associate Director

chloe.kang@northwestern.edu

(847) 491-7547

Chloe joined Northwestern’s Office of Foundation Relations in 2018. She holds a PhD in American studies from Yale University, where she also completed a Mellon postdoctoral fellowship in the Integrated Humanities. Her book From Steel to Slots: Casino Capitalism in the Postindustrial City was published by Harvard University Press in 2016. Chloe earned BAs in American studies and sociology from Williams College.

Liaison to:

  • Bienen School of Music
  • Block Museum of Art
  • Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
  • School of Communication
  • University Libraries
  • Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences–Humanities and Social Sciences (except for Economics and Psychology)
Maureen Scherrer

Maureen Scherrer

Associate Director

maureen.scherrer@northwestern.edu

(847) 491-4588

Maureen joined Northwestern's Office of Foundation Relations in 2017. Most recently, she was a consulting associate with the philanthropic consulting firm Grenzebach Glier and Associates, and previously served as a fundraiser for several national nonprofit organizations. Maureen earned her master's degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University and bachelor of arts degrees in political science and public administration from James Madison University.

Liaison to:

  • Student life and scholarships
Rachael Barich

Rachael Barich

Program Assistant

rachael.barich@northwestern.edu

(847) 491-4590

Rachael joined Northwestern’s Office of Foundation Relations in 2023. She earned a BA in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College. Previously, at Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti’s Office of International Affairs, she designed reporting materials to illustrate the city’s application of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.