The mission of Institutional Advancement at the University of West Alabama is to provide leadership, expertise, support and implementation in the areas of fundraising, donor relations, grant management, alumni relations and communications. In accordance with our University mission, Institutional Advancement is committed to finding the appropriate resources to help UWA meet the state’s educational needs, particularly in the West Alabama region.
Institutional Advancement consists of the following departments:
Meet Our Staff
Office of the Vice President
Dr. J.J. Wedgworth
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
jwedgworth@uwa.edu
(205) 652-5459
Lynda Harwell
Foundation Accounting Specialist
lharwell@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3552
Teresa Partridge
Foundation Relations Assistant
tpartridge@uwa.edu
(205) 652-5406
Alumni Affairs
Banks Gordy
Director of Alumni Affairs
bgordy@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3867
Anna Gaston Johnson
Alumni Engagement & Scholarship Coordinator
ajohnson@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3631
Development
Christopher Lucas
Director of Development
clucas@uwa.edu
Kathleen Upchurch
Stewardship, Donor Engagement & Research Coordinator
kstephens@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3586
Richard Rundles
Development Officer
rrundles@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3870
Garrett Webb
Development Officer
swebb@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3866
Sponsored Programs, Research & Outreach
Rodney Granec
Director of Sponsored Programs, Research & Outreach
rgranec@uwa.edu
(205) 652-5392
Chris Theriot, CFRE
Director of Grants and Resource Development Liaison
ctheriot@uwa.edu
(205) 706-0542
Hoda Hassan
Grants Specialist
hhassan@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3418
Caroline Stanton
CMC Digital Equity Coordinator
cstanton@uwa.edu
(205) 652-3403
Hayden McDaniel
CMC Technology Coordinator
hmcdaniel@uwa.edu