University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

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  Wendy Irving says that while she’s not a traditional attorney in her day-to-day work, she has managed to blend her legal training with development work. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI

By JULIE WESOLOWSKI

Published: June 24, 2009

Wendy Irving likes to say she was introduced to university development because of a post-it note.

Irving, assistant vice president for gift planning, initially came to UB as an undergraduate in legal studies and continued on to earn her law degree and master’s in education. After graduation, she was offered a position in student affairs as associate director for the Student Health Center.

Early in her career at UB, as part of a professional development mentor/protégée program, Irving shadowed her mentor, Ronald Stein, who at the time was vice president for university advancement. Asked to look through Stein’s mail to get a sense of what he did, Irving left post-it notes on various pieces, telling him how she thought he should follow up on the requests and the issues presented. Her bold action changed the course of her career; Stein was looking for an executive assistant, and with that, Irving transitioned to a position in advancement.

After learning the ropes about development as an executive assistant, Irving realized she wanted to use her law degree more in her work. She took a position as an associate in the Office of Planned Giving and moved up the ranks to her current role overseeing the gift-planning program for the university.

In her role as assistant vice president, Irving gets to use her legal training in settling estates and addressing other complex issues that might arise during the gifting process. "I'm certainly not a traditional attorney in terms of my day-to-day work,” Irving explains, “but it's a nice way to marry the two [fields]."

Irving says that by applying her knowledge of tax law to the fund-raising field, she helps UB alumni and friends maximize their giving potential so they can achieve their philanthropic aspirations with regard to the university. “Most people want to leave something at the end of their life for the next generation—something that marks their time here and that reflects their interests and values, and that speaks to who they were as a person.”

Irving believes the most rewarding aspect of her job is meeting the UB graduates who have parlayed their education into successful careers. She encounters many older graduates, many of who were first-generation college students. "But for UB, their life path may not have gone the way it currently has, and as a result many feel indebted to UB,” she says.

And making people feel good about the university and instilling a sense of pride about the contributions it has made to our world and their lives—no matter how far they are from campus—is one of the things she likes most about her job.

“No way is my career what I initially envisioned it would be,” she says. “But isn’t that what life is all about—the opportunities that come along?”