Whitney Dwyer and Ben Fogelberg are no strangers to working at the same organization.
They both work in University Advancement now, but they originally met in 2008 when Ben served on Whitney’s hiring committee at History Colorado.
Before coming to CSU, they both worked at History Colorado, where Whitney was director of guest services and sales, and Ben spent 16 years as a publications editor, exhibit writer and digital communications manager. They both served on the museum marketing and operations team, and they got to play an integral role in the development and opening of the new History Colorado Center in downtown Denver in 2012.
Whitney got hired by CSU in 2013 as the assistant director of annual giving, and Ben followed her to CSU the next year, starting out as a content manager for the Alumni Association. He now serves as the director of content and creative strategy for University Advancement. Whitney was promoted to associate director of annual giving in 2016 and is currently the managing director of annual giving and membership.
While Ben was born in Boulder and grew up in Greeley, Whitney is from New England. She started college in Syracuse, New York, but decided to head west.
In Advancement, Whitney oversees a team that serves as the entry point for alumni to give back to the University philanthropically through annual gifts and alumni association membership. Her team works closely with Ben’s content and creative strategy team of writers, designers and a videographer to develop compelling content that resonates with CSU’s alumni and donors. CSU Day of Giving videos are a collaborative effort between their two teams.
When asked if they ever talk shop at home, Ben says it’s limited.
“We’ve always worked together, it’s how me met, so it’s pretty easy to turn off work when we’re home,” he explained. “Sometimes we find ourselves still talking about projects or how our teams can collaborate, but then one of us usually finds a subtle (or not too subtle) way to put the brakes on it before we go down the rabbit hole.”
They have carpooled to and from campus in the past, but now they work slightly different schedules. In addition, one of them must take their “over hyper Jack Russell terrier” to daycare.
When asked what’s the best thing about working at CSU, they cited community and the friendships.
“We have a lot of support, and people really showed up when we needed a little extra,” Whitney said. “Gratitude to the entire CSU community drives our professional work, but it’s also why we work here. We’re truly grateful for our family of Rams!”