Diane Zapach, senior development director for the College of Fine Arts, began her career in broadcasting but soon discovered her perfect fit in fundraising. She is a seasoned major gifts, development, and PR professional, having worked at several higher education institutions in her home state of Pennsylvania and throughout the East Coast.
After a visit to see her son Mike, ‘08 51ԹϺ Gaming Management, she relocated to Las Vegas and started working in the city’s nonprofit sector. In 2016, she applied for the director of development role in the College of Fine Arts.
A self-described cinephile, Zapach enjoys the many film screenings offered on campus (even if, as an English major, she often prefers the book version).
Tell us about your career or expertise prior to coming to 51ԹϺ.
I have been working in advancement/development for many years in higher education, healthcare, and nonprofits. Prior to 51ԹϺ, I enjoyed working with colleagues at the State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration, SUNY Maritime College, UMass Medical School, and Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network (LVHNN). The opportunity to move to Las Vegas and be near my son, Mike, aligned perfectly with my desire to move out West, away from snow and cold back East!
What is a meaningful spot for you on campus — either personally or professionally?
FDH 109, which offers excellent film screen capabilities. I’m a cinephile so the “magic” that happens on the big screen in this theatre — with 51ԹϺ Film screenings of our students’ short films, and Film Thursdays, Nevada Women's Film Festival — is where you’ll sometimes find me.
The late professor Francisco Menendez and I had an ongoing playful debate about reading the book first, then seeing the movie. He would always say that the movie could never live up to the book, and I would counter that. If the filmmaker can adapt the book into a comparable screenplay then ... and so the discourse would continue.
What inspired you to get into your field?
When I was a co-ed at DeSales University, the (now deceased) Very Reverend Daniel G. Gambet, president of DeSales University, asked me to speak at alumni breakfasts about my successful internship at a local TV station. It was my first exposure to fundraising, and I subsequently met my mentor, Dr. Michael F. Luck, who hired me in my first development job at Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network (LVHNN). Father Dan served on the hospital board and both he and Michael were extraordinary fundraisers. I was fortunate to have expert training early on in my career!
What is the biggest misconception about your field/job?
That development/advancement work isn’t a highly regarded and respected profession. Professional fundraisers must have integrity, take pride in ourselves and our positions, and be paid appropriately. We must be valiant, spirited and “of high mettle,” like Dr. Luck would say. Our profession has come a long way over the last decades and our professional organizations have helped validate and celebrate it accordingly.
Is this what you thought you’d do when you grew up?
Not at all. My first career was broadcasting, but a subsequent divorce and being a new single mother challenged me to change my career trajectory. I was offered a national syndication producer’s job with national travel, but my son was only 6 at the time and raising him was my top priority. So, I shifted my talent and skills set to pursue a new opportunity in development that required only local and regionally based travel, and it was more manageable for my life at that time.
Fundraisers are often “born to raise,” as guru Jerry Panas explains in his book with the same title. Many of us are attracted to fundraising for its community engagement and its philanthropic fulfillment in support of a worthy cause, like helping our 51ԹϺ students succeed!
When you’re out in the community or traveling, what’s the biggest misconception you encounter about 51ԹϺ?
That 51ԹϺ isn’t well known as a competitive R1 research university. We continue to make great inroads as a young university alongside the continued growth of Las Vegas.
What is the worst advice you’ve ever received?
That I didn’t understand healthcare. I was working in marketing and physician relations at a community hospital, and the supervisor was a rather short-sighted individual, especially when it came to relationships. I subsequently left and landed at [another hospital network], and when we acquired that community hospital as part of our network’s strategic expansion, well, learning that this individual was no longer employed there wasn’t a shock. As part of the network merger relations team, the doctors and staff I knew from my previous time there were happy to see me return, and I was happy to see them again.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Lower your expectations to the reality of the situation but always keep your standards high.
Name a person (or group of persons) on campus you’d like to thank.
First and foremost, I thank Dean Nancy J. Uscher. Her extraordinary vision and leadership in the College of Fine Arts makes it a privilege and a joy to come to work every day. I also thank all my CFA colleagues as well as my PAE colleagues for keeping the “fun” in fundraising and everything else we do together at 51ԹϺ.
