Senior Development Officer
Name: Jessica “Jess” Kubis
Class year: 2000
Current title: Senior Development Officer
First Year Residence Hall: Aurora F
Favorite CSB memory: I have so many that it’s hard to choose! One of my favorites is a water fight my best friend Tiffany Orloske and I had sophomore year between our residence halls, Lottie (her) and Margaretta (me). I’m not sure our Residence Directors or roommates loved it as much as we did, though. 😬 I also really loved “appointment television” with my roommates and friends: getting together to watch things that Friends, Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, Party of Five – it was so fun to watch things together and be shocked or thrilled in real time. Halloweens are another favorite memory because we always did a roommate or group costume, culminating in seven of us dressing up as a rainbow our senior year. I really enjoyed going to the Thanksgiving Dinner at SJU with my friends and also the 80s dance nights at Brother Willy’s Pub. There could never be enough dancing for me in those days!
What brought you back to CSB: Career. My career path has been varied since leaving Saint Ben’s, but my education really prepared me for the wide variety of roles I have had. I taught 7th and 8th grade English right out of college in Southern California and I really enjoyed teaching those kids. When I moved back to Minnesota, I was “just going to take a year off from teaching,” but I became used to the 9-5 schedule and never returned to teaching. Over the next ten years, I worked as New Patient Representative for Minnesota Oncology, an office manager for a contractors’ trade association, and a faculty assistant at the University of Minnesota Law School. In 2012, I decided that I needed to get back to feeling like I was making a difference in my work, like I did as a teacher. Making a difference has always been my driving force, which was strengthened at CSBSJU in classes like The Quest for Social Justice (my symposium), Professor Madhu Mitra’s Post-Colonial Literature class, and my J-term spent in two New Orleans’ schools. So I turned to the nonprofit sector. I spent the next seven years in various roles at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, a leader in gender and racial equity – operations, communications, and finally, development. I fell into fundraising (as many people do!) through grant writing for the Foundation. The head of WFMN’s development team became a great mentor to me, and I went on to help her build the fundraising teams at two other nonprofit organizations: United States of Care, a national health care policy advocacy start-up, and Clean Air Task Force, a global organization working to safeguard against the impacts of climate change. I have been privileged to work with generous donors across the globe whose passion and investments drive the innovative solutions needed to change systems and create a better world. Earlier this year, my organization was downsizing and I decided to take the voluntary severance they offered staff because my cup was no longer being filled there. I shared on LinkedIn that I was in the market for a new job, and within a week or so, one of my Bennie friends sent me the job posting for the opening at Saint Ben’s (the Bennie Network is real!). I quickly applied and everything fell into place.
Much like when I was a prospective student, I knew the moment I stepped on campus for my interview that CSB/SJU was the right place for me. It feels like a home away from home, and everyone has been so kind and welcoming. As a recipient of and now a donor to student scholarships at Saint Ben’s, I am excited by the chance to put my expertise in frontline fundraising and philanthropy to use to help other donors make an effective impact at CSB and transform the futures of bright young minds and the greater world with their giving. It’s so great to be back!