About the Office of Foundation Relations

Sarah Fodor, Director of Foundation Relations
Sarah J. Fodor has led the Office of Foundation Relations at Northwestern University as Director since March 2006. She began serving as associate director of the office in August of 1998. 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 (summa cum laude) from the University of Illinois (Urbana). She teaches proposal writing in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University. Sarah has taught college, high school, and middle school composition and literature and has published several articles and book reviews on Flannery O'Connor, the New Criticism, and other topics in contemporary American literature. Sarah has also coached chess teams in Evanston elementary and middle schools and sings in a local church choir.

Liaison to: University Initiatives, Feinberg, Law, SESP, Weinberg Natural Sciences and Humanities, BCICS, and NICO.

Jen Lawrence, Associate Director
Jennifer A. Lawrence joined the Office of Foundation Relations at Northwestern University in 2009. Prior to her move to foundation relations, Jen worked for nearly five years on the marketing and communications team in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development. She holds an MA in Speech Communication and a BS in Mass Communication, both from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She completed coursework at The University of Iowa toward a PhD in Communication Studies with a focus in technology, leaving ABD in 1999. She is pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing through Northwestern University’s School of Continuing Studies. Jen has taught courses in rhetoric and composition, public speaking, and new media technologies. She worked for many years as a communication strategist, helping corporations and organizations refine their institutional identities.

Liaison to: Communication, Kellogg, Law, McCormick, Medill, Weinberg Social Sciences, and SCS.

Susan Fisher Miller, Associate Director
Susan Fisher Miller joined Northwestern’s Office of Foundation Relations as Associate Director in 2006. She earned a B.A. in English and French from Goshen College and a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University, and has lived and studied in Haiti, Ireland, and the European continent. Her professional background includes teaching courses in literature and writing at Wheaton College and North Park University, and serving as editor for publications in history and American higher education. She is the author of the scholarly volume Culture for Service: A History of Goshen College 1894-1994, and of numerous articles and book reviews on topics in Irish literature and Mennonite culture.

Liaison to: Feinberg, The Graduate School, IPR, Music, Weinberg Humanities and Natural Sciences, Block, African Studies, and Library.

Development Researcher (Vacant)

Conducts research for University Initiatives and high priority individual faculty projects. Works closely with offices in sponsored research to coordinate grant tracking.

Garth Huskey, Program Assistant II
Garth Huskey holds a BA in environmental studies from Northeastern Illinois University with a minor in political science. He previously worked in natural landscape and ecological restoration and remains active on the board of the Indian Creek Watershed Project in northern Illinois. A native of Lake Forest, Garth also coaches and swims with the Evanston Masters adult swim team.

Supports Foundation Relations staff, maintains records, and manages office operations.