They each bring a different understanding of St. Ambrose University's value to its students, to its alumni, to the Diocese of Davenport, to the greater Quad Cities, to Iowa and to the world.
Each, in his or her own way, also is among the university's strongest advocates, and they are tremendous and valuable allies in the Building Our Future campaign.
Rev. George McDaniel '66 is a former seminarian, a professor emeritus of history and the foremost authority on the university's long and rich past.
Ken Koupal is a longtime Quad Cities banker and community leader whose business ties to St. Ambrose provide a keen understanding of the economic impact the university has on the community.
Newly retired from longtime roles as vicar general of the Diocese of Davenport and as a member of the SAU Board of Trustees, Msgr. John Hyland has a full appreciation for the university's dedication to its diocesan heritage and its commitment to Catholicity.
Laura Ekizian '92, '97 MBA is a former Fighting Bees athlete and coach, a former director of alumni relations and now a local banker and business leader. Her dedication to the Quad Cities community is exceeded only by her love for the school that brought her to it.
"I didn't go to St. Ambrose just for a degree," said Ekizian, a native of the Chicago suburbs who now proudly calls herself a Quad Citian. "I went to St. Ambrose for an experience that was more meaningful and impactful. And that's what I got.
"That lends itself to wanting to have a similar impact on the university in return."
Ekizian, Koupal, Fr. McDaniel and Msgr. Hyland are part of the corps of committed supporters who comprise the volunteer leadership of the Building Our Future campaign.
Each keenly understands the need for the new Wellness and Recreation Center that is under construction on the northern edge of campus, and which serves as the priority focus for the $18.5 million campaign.
Even more keenly, they understand that a healthy and thriving St. Ambrose will help build a worthwhile future for both the campus community and the community at large.
"The support we receive from this network of volunteers cannot be measured in dollars," said Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of St. Ambrose. "These are folks who have earned the respect of their friends and communities and whose belief in the value of a strong St. Ambrose adds immense credibility to this campaign."
Ekizian and Koupal are serving as co-chairs of the Corporate Committee, while Fr. McDaniel and Msgr. Hyland co-chair an outreach effort to fellow members of the Clergy.
Chairs of other outreach committees include:
> Trustee Tom Berthel '74, Alumni
> Trustee Angela Lindsey '94 MBA, Graduate Alumni
> Jim and Michele Kadavy and Al '80 and Susan Mooney, Parents
> Ann O'Donnell '91, DO, and Mark Gassen, College of Health and Human Services
> Ashley Segal '02, College of Business
> J. Michael Maloof '64, College of Arts and Sciences
> Marty Wilkinson '78, Athletics
> Paul '02 and Breann Thompson '05, '05 MAcc, Young Alumni
> Rev. Kevin '81, DO, and Mary Emge '81, Legacy
> Allison Ambrose, PhD, Jim Hannon '84, Kevin Farrell '84, PhD, and Suzanne Wiese, Faculty and Staff
These committee leaders join with Campaign Co-Chairs Barbara and Mike Johnson and Beth '86 and Brian Lemek '86, Honorary Chairs Jim '56 and Mary Hagen and a campaign council consisting of Mike Johnson, Msgr. Hyland, Sr. Joan and trustees Rita Bawden '97, Daniel Broderick '82, MD, Edmund Carroll, Thomas Higgins '67, Barbara Johnson, the Lemeks, Jill McLaughlin, Joseph O'Rourke '72 and Elizabeth Ware '86.
Together, these accomplished supporters form a coordinated and connected network that extends the reach of the St. Ambrose Office of Advancement.
"To raise the amount of money we need to raise for the Wellness and Recreation Center, it takes a village," said Sally Crino '01 MBA, the campaign director and associate vice president for advancement. "It takes many people playing important roles to bring donors to the table."
Ekizian, Koupal, Fr. McDaniel and Msgr. Hyland all say advocating for the 80,000-square foot Wellness and Recreation Center and for building the future of St. Ambrose is an easy and heartfelt mission.
"The facility is obviously very needed," said Fr. McDaniel, who, with Msgr. Hyland and several fellow former St. Ambrose seminarians, completed the Clergy fundraising effort as part of the campaign's leadership gift phase in 2015. The target goal was $350,000. Clergy members pledged $385,000.
"I'm proud of the fact we were able to exceed the goal," Fr. McDaniel added. "There are a lot of donation requests made of priests. It was a good sign of generosity and wanting to help."
Vice President for Advancement Jim Stangle '82 said the corporate outreach effort led by Ekizian and Koupal is an essential component of the campaign, and said the "impressive Rolodexes" of the two chairs can help St. Ambrose reach and create new and important partners.
Koupal has been regional president of U.S. Bank in the Quad Cities for nearly two decades. Among many civic commitments, he is a former chair of the Quad City Chamber of Commerce and is a current member of the Palmer College of Chiropractic Board of Trustees.
Koupal views St. Ambrose as an institution that "is absolutely critical to the success of the community" and "a pillar on the Iowa side of the river," and he has tangible evidence in support of those statements.
U.S. Bank has provided funding support for many SAU capital projects that directly and indirectly have helped to create $200 million in annual economic impact for the area. Plus, Koupal said, "I look at the staff I have in my management positions, and close to 50 percent of them are St. Ambrose graduates. Not only has the school supplied our labor force, but those of a lot of institutions in the area as well."
As executive vice president of Quad City Bank and Trust, where she has worked since 2000, Ekizian is a prime example of that.
"St. Ambrose has this ability to bring people to the community who then stay-like me," she said. "So my message has been, ‘Let's support this university that brings outsiders in and makes them feel at home. They live here. They buy homes. They take on great jobs and they support the community.'"
As a former SAU golfer and women's golf coach, Ekizian appreciates the value the new Wellness and Recreation Center will have for athletes, as well as the appeal it will have for recruits.
As an alumna who came to St. Ambrose for that "more meaningful and impactful" experience, she has an even deeper understanding of the center's intrinsic value to the entire student body.
"This center will be a place where that Ambrosian sense of community grows," she said. "Cafeterias, theatres, residence halls, stadiums, rec centers-anywhere students gather and build a sense of community, that is where you gain an even greater appreciation for your school.
"This will make us that much stronger in the long haul."
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