Daniel Bryan is the new director of alumni relations and annual giving coordinator at Newman University.
“I’m excited just to be back and get to work on campus again because I loved it when I was here,” said Bryan, who graduated from Newman in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in theology.
While Bryan was at Newman, he was involved in campus ministry, T&T and worked as a student ambassador. Bryan was also an ASC Scholar, Presidential Scholar and Harvey J. Ablah award winner during his time at Newman. His student experiences give him beneficial familiarity with the university.
After graduating from Newman, Bryan returned to his hometown of Tulsa to teach high school theology. After eight years of teaching, he became a young adult and youth minister at Christ the King parish in Tulsa.
As a theology teacher, Bryan gained experience working with alumni through fundraising and actively contacting alumni on birthdays or major life events. As for his interest in this position at Newman, Bryan said, “To be able to work with alumni of the institution that I love so much was kind of a no-brainer.”
He is most excited to reintroduce and reconnect alumni with the campus, he said. Bryan looks forward to doing things such as giving tours of the Bishop Gerber Science Center to donors who may not have seen it yet. He thinks it’s important for donors to see the tangible results of their donations.
When asked about plans for his position he said, “There’s no concrete event that I have in mind but I do think we’re moving in the right direction with some of the changes we’re going to make, and we’re going to be able to help those grow a lot.”
He believes University Advancement will be able to adapt some of the things they have been doing to make them even more successful, and looks forward to being a part of that.
The Beata Benefactors Banquet will be the first event he attends as the director of alumni relations and says he looks forward to interacting with alumni in attendance.
