The Office of College Relations is a highly-integrated group of professionals that leads the college in championing its story to all audiences for the purposes of cultivating friends, building support and generating resources to enable Medaille to achieve its mission and vision.

Our primary responsibilities include alumni and donor relations, corporate and foundation relations, marketing communications and public relations and website development.

College Relations Staff

John P. Crawford
Vice President for College Relations
(716) 880-2879

John P. Crawford (jpc334@medaille.edu) has over 20 years of leadership experience in development and organizational advancement in higher education and nonprofit sectors in Western New York. Prior to joining Medaille, he served as director of development at the University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc., where he increased revenue for the Schools of Public Health and Health Professions and Dental Medicine. He has served as the director of development at the American Red Cross, Greater Buffalo Chapter, executive director of Camp Fire Council of Buffalo and Erie Co., Inc., campaign associate at SUNY Brockport and sports and venue manager for World University Games ’93.

In addition to his professional experience, Crawford is an active member of the Rotary Club of Williamsville and community service chair for Rotary District 7090, which encompasses Western New York and Southern Ontario. He holds a master of science in applied public affairs studies from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor of arts in international politics from the Pennsylvania State University.

Gwyn Beyer
Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for College Relations and
Administrative Assistant for the Board of Trustees
(716) 880-2475
 
Gwyn Beyer (gwyn.a.beyer@medaille.edu) has worked in the College Relations office since 2004. She provides administrative support to the vice president for college relations, and the Medaille College board of trustees. She also manages office operations, and helps coordinate alumni and donor events.
 
Beyer is a member of IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) and AEAP (Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals). She is very active in the Cheektowaga Historical Association as the Association’s treasurer and chair of the membership committee.

Evelyn Hamilton
Event and Conference Planner
(716) 880-3368
 
Evelyn Hamilton joined Medaille College as the Event and Conference Planner in 2011. She has over ten years' experience coordinating over 400 special events. Hamilton previously worked at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Tonawanda as the Advancement & Communications Manager and for the Sisters of St. Francis in Williamsville as the Development Associate. She volunteers her time with St. Mary's High School in Lancaster.

Summer Gemmati Handzlik '08 '12
Coordinator for Alumni, Parent and Student Relations
(716) 880-2315

 Summer Gemmati Handzlik (summer.l.handzlik@medaille.edu) graduated from Medaille in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications and in July 2012 received her MBA, also from Medaille. She joined the College Relations Office in 2009, having previously worked in the marketing department at Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP. She assists with alumni relations, communications and donor relations projects.
 
While at Medaille, she served as editor-in-chief of the Perspective student newspaper and INcitemagazine, and earned a first-place award in feature writing by the New York Press Association.

Carla Kestner
Graphic Designer / Publications Specialist
(716) 880-2146

Carla Kestner (carla.f.kestner@medaille.edu) manages a broad array of publications from concept to completion, while maintaining the College's graphic and branding standards. She is responsible for the design and production of College materials, including marketing materials, signage, and publications including AlumNews and the Medaille magazine.

Jeanine Purcell
Director of Major Gifts
(716) 880-2259

Jeanine Purcell (jeanine.purcell@medaille.edu) joined Medaille College as director of major gifts in the Office of College Relations in March  2012. She is a seasoned development professional with 25 years of fund raising experience in private high school and not-for-profit within the city of Buffalo. She served as the director of advancement at Sacred Heart Academy for five years and the director of development and public relations at Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School for 12 years. She is a board member of the Planned Giving Consortium and past board member of The Franciscan Center, Rental Assistance Corporation of Buffalo, Girl Scouts of Buffalo and Erie County. Purcell is a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. She is a graduate of Buffalo State College.  

Vicki Ward
Director of Advancement Services
(716) 880-2209
 
Vicki Ward (vicki.l.ward@medaille.edu) has worked for Medaille's College Relations Office since 2004. As Director of Advancement Services, she maintains and manages Medaille's information on individuals and donations. She supports Medaille's projects for direct mail, fundraising, and communications. In addition she works and volunteers part-time for the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. Ward has 13 years of experience in database management and is currently pursuing a degree through Medaille's Accelerated Learning Program in Amherst.

Megan Fitzgerald '10
Coordinator of Alumni Relations
(716) 880-2207

Megan Fitzgerald (megan.fitzgerald@medaille.edu) graduated from Medaille in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in communication. She joined the Office of College Relations in July 2012. As the Coordinator of Alumni Relations, she is committed to informing, engaging, and connecting graduates of the College. Her responsibilities include managing communication efforts, volunteer committees, and event planning.

As a student at Medaille, Megan was the editor-in-chief of the student-run publications the Perspective and INcite Magazine. She was also a member of the Scholars Program and the True Blue and Gold Leadership Program. She is a recipient of the Amanda K. Olcott Leadership Award.

Ryan Anstett
Data Entry Specialist
(716) 880-2184
 
Ryan Anstett (rma56@medaille.edu) joined Medaille in 2008 as a graphic design intern while completing his bachelor's in digital media arts at Canisius College. Shortly after his internship with Medaille ended,  Anstett  began to work for the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation on both the Ride for Roswell and The Paint Box Project, and other smaller appeals. In 2010 Anstett completed ECC’s Overhead Electrical Technician certificate program. In 2011 he made a return to Medaille as support for the director of advancement services. His primary responsibilities include processing funds from various appeals and maintenance of the College Relation database for more effective campaigns throughout the campus.

Kevin Bates
Graduate Assistant
(716) 880-2526
 
Kevin Bates (kevin.w.bates@medaille.edu) joined the College Relations staff as a Graduate Assistant in September, 2011.  Bates received his B.A. in international studies from The College at Brockport and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in college student personnel administration at Canisius College.   Bates assists in all aspects of fulfilling the mission and goals of the office and the College as a whole. He spent time as a representative in the Brockport Student Government and as a student advisor in the Office of International Education. Professionally, he has a diversity of experiences ranging from retail to manufacturing to political campaign management. A native of central New Jersey, Bates hopes to spend the foreseeable future in Western New York.