CAAE Innovation Fund

The pandemic required all of us to think differently and innovate in a rapidly changing environment. As we advance our profession, the CAAE Board invited applications for the $5,000 Innovation Fund Award. 

Jordan Gonzalez (Nebraska) has received the first CAAE Innovation Fund award.

Jordan Gonzalez, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Senior Diversity Officer of the University of Nebraska Alumni Association, has received the first CAAE Innovation Fund award. His research will focus on establishing equity-minded principles to diversify the alumni relations profession and leadership pipeline. He will produce a research paper and present his findings to the membership at the CAAE Summer Institute in New York. 

Jordan is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His scholarship broadly explores diversity-driven and equity-based outcomes for higher education and nonprofit leadership. He is the co-author of a recent research brief focusing on the presidential search process in American higher education. His work has been published by the American Council on Education, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, and the Council of Alumni Association Executives. Jordan also received the CAAE Preo Fellowship in 2016.

His past work with programs such as the Student Alumni Association, the Young Alumni Academy, and multiple identity-based affiliate groups have been nationally recognized by the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education and the Big Ten Alumni Relations Institute.

The CAAE Innovation Fund was created to provide support to CAAE member institutions to take on a pioneering project or initiative that pushes the boundaries of existing alumni engagement practice, and to assist our institutions in being innovative in our community-building efforts. Congratulations again, Jordan, on your Innovation Award!