WGU Appoints D’Amico, Frankenberg as Board Directors of University’s Fundraising Arm

SALT LAKE CITY – Western Governors University (WGU) has announced the appointment of Carol D’Amico and Robert Frankenberg as Directors of the Board of Trustees for WGU Advancement, the university’s official fundraising arm.

D’Amico joined WGU Advancement’s Board of Trustees in November 2018 and serves as Director. She is the Executive Vice President of National Engagement and Philanthropy at Indianapolis-based Strada Education Network. She plays a key role in developing national and state-based philanthropic initiatives involving the higher education, business, and workforce development sectors and has decades of experience designing and implementing strategies to help students make the leap from higher education to the world of work. Prior to Strada, D’Amico served in the U.S. Department of Education as assistant secretary for adult and vocational education.

Newly appointed to the Board, Frankenberg will serve as director alongside D’Amico. He joins with extensive experience in business and operations, computer software, and technology. He started at Hewlett-Packard in 1969, and during his tenure of more than 20 years, earned the position of Vice President and Group General Manager of Personal Information Products before leaving to serve as Chairman and CEO of Novell—a computer networking firm. In 1996, he founded NetVentures—a management consulting and private investment firm.

“WGU is committed to connecting talent to opportunity through affordable, high-quality education, and the expertise and insights Robert and Carol provide will help us put the dream of a college education within reach for countless more Americans,” said WGU President Scott Pulsipher.

As Directors, D’Amico and Frankenberg will provide guidance and support, alongside other members of the Board, to WGU Advancement, the nonprofit fundraising foundation WGU created to support its mission of expanding access and affordability for higher education. Advancement partners with foundations, corporations, and individuals to support scholarships, explore new learning models, and implement new technologies that reinvigorate the promise of higher education.

“Carol’s and Robert’s collective knowledge of workforce development and higher ed, along with their passion for innovation and problem solving, are much-needed assets for Advancement as we ramp up our corporate and foundation partnerships,” said Annalisa Holcombe, President of WGU Advancement.

In addition to serving as Directors of WGU Advancement’s Board of Trustees, D’Amico and Frankenberg are active in the business, philanthropy, and higher education sectors.

D’Amico serves on the boards of INvestED, the Indy Chamber, the Higher Education Council of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the Indiana Conference for Women, and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Frankenberg serves on the boards of Veracity Networks, a Utah-based telecommunications provider; Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization focused on supporting the work of independent film and theater artists; and the Rubicon Project, the independent trading platform for automating the buying and selling of online advertising.