President Connie Ledoux Book announced alumni Priscilla Awkard ’95, Christian Wiggins ’03, Maity Interiano ’07 and Jack McMackin ’08 as the new co-chairs of the Elon LEADS Campaign, sending a powerful message about the importance of alumni leading Elon’s future.
President Connie Ledoux Book announced alumni Priscilla Awkard ’95, Christian Wiggins ’03, Maity Interiano ’07 and Jack McMackin ’08 as the new co-chairs of the Elon LEADS Campaign, sending a powerful message about the importance of alumni leading Elon’s future.
The co-chairs, who are among Elon’s most engaged and generous alumni, were announced October 22 at the fall meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees. They will lead the final year of the Elon LEADS Campaign, which will conclude on December 31, 2022. They succeed Elon trustee and parent Dave Porter P’11 P’19, of Boston, and Elon alumnus, trustee and parent Chris Martin ’78 P’13, of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, who chaired the first and second year, respectively, of the campaign’s public phase, which began in spring 2019.
“The Elon LEADS Campaign has had strong, steady leadership from the beginning, and that tradition continues with Priscilla Awkard, Christian Wiggins, Maity Interiano and Jack McMackin, who represent the next generation of alumni leaders,” said President Connie Ledoux Book. “The Elon community is grateful to Dave Porter and Chris Martin for their loyalty and outstanding service.”
Book also thanked Elon parents Joan Doherty P’07 and Ed Doherty P’07, former chair of Elon’s Board of Trustees, and Trustee Allen Gant, Jr., for their leadership of the campaign during its planning phase.
Priscilla Awkard ’95
Priscilla Awkard ’95 of Raleigh, North Carolina, has served in many leadership roles as an alumna, including as a member of Elon’s Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the President’s Black Life Advisory Council, the Elon Black Alumni Network, Phoenix Club Advisory Board and the Raleigh Regional Campaign Committee. A standout volleyball player, Awkard is also a member of the university’s Sports Hall of Fame and received the Eugene Perry ’69 Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 and Distinguished Service to Elon Award in 2020.
“I am honored and humbled to be asked to be one of the co-chairs of the Elon LEADS Campaign,” Awkard said. “It shows me that Elon trusts me to be a part of a monumental time in the history of Elon, and they know I only want what’s best for Elon.”
Awkard received a volleyball scholarship to attend Elon and credits her alma mater with preparing her to succeed, which inspires her to support Elon LEADS each year. She has also placed Elon in her estate plan with a generous gift to support the volleyball program and Black Alumni Scholarship, which she helped endow.
“I feel an obligation to give back to the place that helped develop me into the leader I am today,” said Awkard, Vice President, Teller Center, at Coastal Credit Union in Raleigh. “I’m so proud of what Elon LEADS has been able to do. The dedication and commitment of all those who have given is evident as this is the most money raised in Elon’s history.”
As of mid-October, donors had contributed $228 million toward the campaign’s historic $250 million goal.
Christian Wiggins ’03
Christian Wiggins ’03, CEO of FarmHouse International Fraternity in Kansas City, has given more than a decade of service to Elon, serving on the Elon Alumni Board and Charlotte Alumni Chapter and as a founding member of the Young Alumni Council. He has generously contributed to Elon’s Greatest Needs, Phoenix Club and Gender and LGBTQIA Center, along with The Inn at Elon.
As a first-generation college student, Wiggins knows firsthand the challenges many students face affording higher education and the power of scholarships to transform lives. In May, he made a second estate gift to support the Louise Amburn Memorial Scholarship at Elon, which he endowed to honor his great aunt and will assist low-income students from his hometown of western North Carolina. Increasing scholarship funding through endowment and annual gifts is the top priority of Elon LEADS.
“Elon punches above its weight class in terms of what we’re able to deliver with top national rankings and student success with the endowment resources we have,” Wiggins said. “Elon LEADS seeks to change that and to try and level the playing field with our peer and aspirant schools.”
Maity Interiano ’07
Maity Interiano ’07, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and on-air talent at Univision Network in Miami, attributes her success to Elon’s national leadership in engaged learning and to mentors in the School of Communications who helped guide her development as a journalist.
“I support Elon LEADS because I understand that the professional I’ve become started off with the education I received at Elon, and everything I’ve accomplished so far goes hand in hand with my Elon experience,” she said.
Interiano is a loyal donor to Elon’s Greatest Needs, the Latinx/Hispanic Alumni Network, Phoenix Club and School of Communications. She received Elon’s Top 10 Under 10 Award in 2012, delivered Elon’s Commencement address in 2017 and is a member of the President’s Young Leaders Council.
“Our generation has a chance to give back to a school that has given so much to each one of us,” Interiano said. “It’s our time to step up and make a difference for Elon’s future.”
Jack McMackin ’08
Jack McMackin ’08 is a member of the President’s Young Leaders Council and co-chaired the New York Regional Campaign Committee in 2019.
“This is an extraordinary time to be involved with Elon as it grows,” said McMackin, founder and managing director of Mission Innovation Network, a venture capital firm in South Bend, Indiana. “I’ve seen the progress Elon has made since I graduated while also staying true to its core identity, and that inspired me to be involved in the Elon LEADS Campaign.”
McMackin’s study abroad and internship experiences were pivotal to his growth as a student, which is why he makes annual gifts to the McMackin Family Scholarship for International Study, which he and parents Jack and Kathleen McMackin P’08 endowed in 2006.
McMackin encouraged all alumni to support Elon LEADS, adding, “As alumni, we now have the opportunity to act on our shared love of Elon and lift the university to even greater heights, supporting the next generation of leaders the world needs.”
About the Elon LEADS Campaign
With a $250 million goal, Elon LEADS is the largest campaign in the university’s history and will support four main funding priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and internships, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and Elon’s iconic campus. As of mid-October, donors had contributed $228 million toward the goal.
Every gift to the university—including annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts—for any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen Elon for generations to come. Visit www.elonleads.com to learn how you can make an impact with your gift.