Meet Stacia Pelletier
“Yes, introverts can be fundraisers, too!”
Each month, we pull back the curtain to spotlight one of our amazing colleagues from the University Advancement team — no buzzwords, no jargon, just the real human behind the email signature. This month, we’re thrilled to feature Stacia Pelletier.
Quick Facts
Title: Executive Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Years at Wake Forest: Five months and counting
Favorite Office Snack: Probably the free sparkling water. And Sean’s wintergreen Lifesavers.
Fun Fact: I’m a stepmom to two amazing young women, Bella and Saba Pelletier.
The Conversation
Q: Stacia, what’s the best part of your job?
A: Getting to know WFU faculty members and helping translate their research into language that attracts philanthropic funding.
Q: What’s your secret talent that has nothing to do with work?
A: I’m a historian and novelist with three books to my name and another underway (albeit slowly).
Q: If your workday had a soundtrack, what would be playing right now?
A: Depends on the day. Possibly U2’s The Joshua Tree if I’m feeling angst-ridden, though fundraising doesn’t usually lend itself to demonstrations of strong emotion.
Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself working in University Advancement?
A: That even though I’m an introvert, I can thrive in this field. Because the conversations we fundraisers should be having with potential donors aren’t small talk. We have the opportunity to speak with people about their deepest values, what drives them, and what kind of difference they want to make in this world. Introverts thrive on meaningful, one-on-one conversations, so we actually might be the secret weapon of university advancement, in my admittedly biased opinion!
Q: If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be?
A: Jen Abbinett (head of HR). Because it always seems like she’s having more fun than any of us!
Lightning Round: This or That
Early bird or night owl → Early bird. If you’re not up and at ‘em by 5 a.m, something’s wrong with you.
Coffee or tea → Latte
Paper planner or digital calendar → Both, and neither works effectively.
Ice cream or cake → Vegan ice cream. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
“In One Word…”
Describe CFR: Intelligent
Describe Mondays: Draconian
Describe yourself: Multifaceted
Stacia’s Wisdom Corner
I’ll borrow from Ram Dass here. At the end of the day, “We’re all just walking each other home.” All that really matters is our connection to our fellow humans, our care for nature and animals, and kindness.
Cameo Appearance
Stacia nominates Donelle Leak to be next month’s feature!
“Donelle and I both started at WFU this summer and went through training together. I think she’s fabulous. Though she might get mad at me for nominating her, I’m going to risk it anyway!”