She is grateful to be able to blend her extensive fundraising and relationship building background with an institution that shaped her career.
FORT MYERS, FL, February 07, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Amy Helgeson has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Helgeson currently serves as a Director of Development for the University of Florida's Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Industrial & Systems Engineering. She joined UF at the end of 2023 and is excited to be working with her alma mater. In this role, Ms. Helgeson works with the university to research, qualify, cultivate, and steward major gifts from individuals, foundations and companies. The University of Florida was recently ranked the #1 public university in the country by the Wall Street Journal in their 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. She is grateful to be able to blend her extensive fundraising and relationship building background with an institution that shaped her career. In this role, she is able to incorporate her passion for science, health, and entrepreneurship working alongside engineers and future engineers that bridge these and other industries.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Helgeson was Vice President of Global Development and Relationships at Multiple, a nonprofit startup dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs with tech-enabled solutions for the autism community. She joined Multiple shortly after its inception in 2022. Ms. Helgeson played a pivotal role in scouting and engaging promising startups, connecting them with knowledge and potential funders to scale their business and impact. She co-led the organization's accelerator program, which empowers entrepreneurs through access to curriculum, speakers, mentors and a supportive investor community. Her responsibilities extended to facilitating volunteer application review committees, pitch deck assistance, pitch coaching, recruiting speakers for their series, managing logistics for the accelerator program, creating content for social media channels and presentations to potential donors and partners.
Before Multiple, Ms. Helgeson spent nearly 12 years with Autism Speaks. Her journey with Autism Speaks began in 2017 as a member of Field Development, grew into Executive Director roles, and culminated in a regional position supporting numerous markets and staff. During her tenure with Autism Speaks, she supported the organization with significant growth in fundraising and launching new events such as the Cleveland Chef Gala hosted by Chef Michael Symon and Friends which grew from an intimate event to an interactive gala that saw attendees increase from 100 to over 300 in just 2 short years. Before her impactful work with Autism Speaks, Ms. Helgeson held the position of Division Director at March of Dimes.
Ms. Helgeson's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Health Science Education from the University of Florida, where she graduated in 2006. Her academic foundation has been instrumental in her professional success, providing her with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in nonprofit leadership and development.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Ms. Helgeson is actively involved in supporting her children's school through fundraising and volunteering. This engagement reflects her commitment to community service and has undoubtedly contributed to her success by expanding her network and understanding of nonprofit operations.
Outside of her career achievements, Ms. Helgeson leads a fulfilling personal life that includes hobbies such as volleyball, running, traveling, and maintaining connections within the autism community. She attributes much of her success to a robust personal support system comprising of family members and past colleagues who have supported her through odd hours and frequent travel associated with nonprofit work. Many of these past colleagues and volunteers have become lifelong friends and she is forever grateful that her work brought them together.
Looking ahead, Ms. Helgeson is excited to dive fully into her new role in 2024 and make an impact for the University of Florida. She is also looking forward to reconnecting with some of her past volunteer efforts with American Cancer Society and using whatever downtime she has left to brush up on her French before a family trip to Europe this summer.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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