NACRO Announces 2026-2027 Board of Directors
NACRO (Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers) Announces 2026-2027 Board of Directors
Mayo Clinic’s Tammy Eickhoff and UC-Irvine’s Jason King begin their terms as NACRO Co-Presidents
LaGrange, GA, August 27, 2026 – NACRO (the Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers), the premier organization unifying academic corporate relations professionals, today announced its 2026-2027 Board of Directors. The new Board was named at NACRO’s 2026 Annual Conference, July 14-16, in Salt Lake City, UT.
The term for the newly elected NACRO Board members is July 2026 through July 2027:
CO-PRESIDENTS
Tammy Eickhoff, Lead Director – Corporate & Foundation Relations and Assistant Professor of Health Care Administration with Mayo Clinic
Jason King, Director of Corporate Relations with the UC Irvine Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences
“Stepping into the Co-President role during NACRO’s 20th anniversary is such a privilege,” says Tammy Eickhoff, NACRO Co-President. “NACRO has spent two decades building the standard for academic corporate relations, and our new strategic plan builds directly on that foundation. We are focused on growing and engaging our community to expand our discipline, elevating NACRO’s voice and impact as the industry authority and strengthening our organizational infrastructure. By strengthening our data and decision-making, we’re going to lean into AI to start streamlining operations and deliver greater value to our members. I look forward to working with Jason, our talented and committed board of directors, and our member community to drive our field forward.”
“It’s a privilege to help lead NACRO and support a profession that is increasingly important to the success of our institutions and their corporate partners,” says Jason King, NACRO Co-President. “NACRO provides an invaluable community for corporate relations professionals to connect, learn from one another and grow. As we celebrate NACRO’s 20th anniversary, I look forward to working with our members to build on that foundation and continue advancing the profession for the next 20 years.”
CO-VICE PRESIDENTS
Christine Roth, Executive Director, Hazelnut Marketing Board and the Oregon Hazelnut Commission
Adam Bear, Assistant Director, Stewardship, Office of Corporate Relations with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
CO-PAST PRESIDENTS
JoonHyung Cho, Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation with the University of Minnesota
Joseph Huang, Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts, School of Engineering with Stanford University
BENCHMARKING COMMITTEE
Chair, Heather Hirsch, Director of Development – Corporate Relations with the Texas A&M Foundation
Chair-elect, Anthony (Tony) Llano, Director, Industry Partnerships & Entrepreneurship with the University of Georgia
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair, Jordan Broutman, Director of Development, University Corporate Relations with the University of Maryland
Chair-elect, Dave Myers, Executive Director, Office of Corporate Engagement, Division of Research and Economic Development with Kent State University
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair, Marla Morris, Senior Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations, Division of University Advancement, with the University of North Texas
Chair-elect, Deidra Diaz, Senior Development Officer – Corporate and Foundation Relations with Samford University
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Chair, Melissa Belcher, Director of Corporate Relations, Grainger College of Engineering with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Chair-elect, Elizabeth Minard, Senior Director of Corporate Engagement with Iowa State University
MEMBER AT LARGE
Patricia Allen, Director-Corporate Engagement, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering with the Georgia Institute of Technology
NACRO especially extends its gratitude to the outgoing Past Presidents (2025-2026) for their dedicated leadership and service:
JoonHyung Cho, Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation with the University of Minnesota
Joseph Huang, Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts, School of Engineering with Stanford University
(Photo: first row bottom l/r: JoonHyung Cho, Marla Morris, Elizabeth Minard, Deidra Diaz; second row l/r: Heather Hirsch, Jason King, Tammy Eickhoff, Joseph Huang; third row l/r: Christine Roth, Tony Llano; fourth row top l/r: Jordan Broutman, Melissa Belcher, Adam Bear, Dave Myers)
About NACRO:
NACRO (the Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers) is the premier organization unifying academic corporate relations professionals. We transform the profession through innovative professional education programs, the dissemination of cutting-edge best practices, impactful networking opportunities, and championing thought leadership in corporate relations. Through its vibrant global community of over 550 professionals from more than 300 institutions, NACRO works to create exceptional career development opportunities for its members. Learn more: www.nacro.org
Media Contact:
Ken Berlack
NACRO
ken.berlack@nacro.org