Give to OSU

Meet Our Team

Photo of John C. Woods, Assistant Vice President, Gift Planning

John C. Woods
Assistant Vice President, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-2183, woods.715@osu.edu

Prior to joining Ohio State in June 2015, John was vice president of gift planning for the University of Arizona (UA) Foundation for 21 years. Before UA he worked for the law firm of Dickerman and Nuckolls in Tucson, Arizona. He earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Arizona and a law degree from Creighton University. He is a member of the Worthington Estate Planning Council, Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, Central Ohio Planned Giving Roundtable and State Bar of Arizona. John is a past member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council and the Planned Giving Roundtable of Southern Arizona, where he has served as president. He also has been on the board of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson where he served as president.

Photo of Mary Ann Iveson, Senior Director of Development, Gift Planning

Mary Ann Iveson
Senior Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-688-5683, iveson.2@osu.edu

A Canton, Ohio, native, Mary Ann earned a B.A. in accounting from Walsh University in North Canton and a J.D. from the University of Akron. Mary Ann practiced taxation and employee-benefits law in Canton before joining Ohio State. Mary Ann has been with the gift planning office for 17 years. She is active with the Central Ohio Planned Giving Council and Worthington Estate Planning Council.

Photo of Lissa D. Kline, Senior Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning

Lissa D. Kline
Senior Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-688-1061, kline.444@osu.edu 

Prior to joining Ohio State in June 2017, Lissa led the Office of Gift Planning for the Cleveland State University Foundation. Lissa practiced taxation and estate-planning law in Pittsburgh and Cleveland before transitioning to gift planning in 2012. She earned a B.A. in English and political science from Allegheny College and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University. Lissa is active with the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the Northern Ohio Charitable Gift Planners, where she has served on the board of trustees since 2015. She is a member of the State Bar of Ohio.

Photo of Brad Fletcher

Brad Fletcher
Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-2934, fletcher.393@osu.edu

Prior to joining Ohio State, Brad served as the planned giving officer for his alma mater, Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. He earned his B.A. in economics there and his J.D. from the University of Kentucky. Brad practiced law throughout central and eastern Kentucky for several years before transitioning to gift planning in 2016. He has been a member of the State Bar of Kentucky since 2009. Outside of work Brad enjoys family time, exercise, and great books.

Photo of Maria F. Miller, Development Officer for Gift Planning, OSUCCC – James

Maria F. Miller
Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-688-2689, miller.3915@osu.edu

Prior to Ohio State, Maria was an immigration attorney at a boutique law firm in Columbus. She earned her law degree from the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State. She is a member of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, Central Ohio Planned Giving Council, and State Bar of Ohio. When she’s not working, she is busy with her family, poring over cookbooks for new recipes to try and working with community organizations where she lives in Worthington.

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Colin Reenan
Associate Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-8739, reenan.1@osu.edu

Colin is a Cincinnati native who earned his B.A. in economics and history from Butler University and was a member of the golf team all four years. He also has his law degree from The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law and served on the university’s distinguished Committee on Academic Misconduct. While previously working on Ohio State leases and transactions, he has experience in real estate matters including due diligence, mineral rights, and valuation. In his free time Colin competes in amateur golf tournaments and recreational league basketball.

Photo of Logan Riley, Associate Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning

Logan Riley
Associate Director of Development, Estate and Gift Planning
614-514-5963, riley.597@osu.edu

Logan Riley is a West Virginia native who earned his B.A. in sociology and a minor in political science from the University of Dayton. He attended Moritz College of Law and graduated cum laude in May 2017. Prior to joining Ohio State, Logan worked on a wide variety of projects at UnitedLex in Columbus. In his free time Logan likes to play in the Columbus recreational basketball league, engage in a multitude of outdoor activities, and read historical books ranging from ancient Rome to WWII.

Photo of Danette Golis-Variano, Probate and Trust Manager, Gift Planning

Danette Golis-Variano
Probate and Trust Manager, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-1600, golis-variano.1@osu.edu

Prior to joining Ohio State in September 2015, Danette was the trust and estate administrator for the University of Arizona Foundation for six years. Prior to that, she worked in higher education for 18 years at the University of Arizona and at the University of Idaho. Danette has a bachelor’s degree in office administration and a master’s degree in business education, both from the University of Idaho. She has also completed paralegal course work at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

Photo of Grant Courtheyn, Coordinator, Gift Planning

Grant Courtheyn
Coordinator, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-7714, courtheyn.1@osu.edu

A Canal Fulton, Ohio, native, Grant earned a BA in history from The Ohio State University in 2003. Grant returned to his alma mater in mid-2006 after working in the service and retail industry for three years. Originally hired by transportation and parking, he has also worked for the office of the president and athletics in his time with the university. He currently lives in Gahanna with his wife and son.

Photo of Frank Clover, Office Associate, Gift Planning

Frank Clover
Office Associate, Estate and Gift Planning
614-247-6486, clover.4@osu.edu

Frank has worked for the university since 1999 for the 4-H Foundation, the Extension Service business office, and University Development. He graduated from Ohio State with a B.A. in German and history and earned an M.L.S. from Kent StateUniversity.

Photo of Delfina Delisle, Marketing Manager, Gift Planning

Delfina Delisle
Marketing Manager, Estate and Gift Planning
614-292-3192, delisle.8@osu.edu

Delfina has served in this role for the past three years and helps create and implement communication programs for the office. Delfina moved to Ohio in 2012 with her husband. Prior to joining Ohio State, she worked as a marketing manager for Webster Bank and MetLife. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international business and Spanish from Assumption College and an MBA from Quinnipiac University.

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to The Ohio State University Foundation a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to The Ohio State University Foundation, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 1480 West Lane Avenue Columbus, OH 43221, or its successor thereto, ______________* [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to Ohio State or other charities.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Ohio State as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to Ohio State as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and Ohio State where you agree to make a gift to Ohio State and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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