Development Office Staff
Jessica Burford, Assistant Director
Jessica enthusiastically began her work in resource development for the College of Communication in June 2008. As Assistant Director of Development, she visits with alumni and friends of The University of Texas at Austin to inform them of the latest programs and developments within the College. Jessica travels to her hometown of Houston as well as large cities west of the Mississippi to meet with alumni, donors, prospective donors, and corporate and foundation representatives. She assists professors with outreach and fund raising for faculty and program initiatives. Working closely with the Dean of the College, Jessica also attends College-wide and University-wide alumni events.
A native Houstonian, Jessica attended St. Agnes Academy and graduated from Lamar High School. The only child of two UT Fine Arts alumni, the choice to attend The University of Texas at Austin was simple and made very early in life. While at UT, Jessica studied Anthropology, specialized in Archaeology of the ancient Maya and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in 1999. She completed her Master’s degree in the same field at The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2004. While she does not practice archaeology professionally, it remains her passion.
Following graduate school, Jessica worked for a number of years at small, local museums. She is happy to see the fine arts scene in Austin continue to expand and develop. After witnessing the importance of philanthropy while working at these small museums, Jessica began to give back to her community. She volunteers each week through the Junior League of Austin. A classical ballet dancer since a young age, Jessica maintains an interest in the performing arts. Of course, like any good Austinite, Jessica and her husband, Mike, also enjoy live music and the natural beauty of this great city.
Derek Castillo, Assistant Director
You could say Derek Castillo has come back home. After graduating from the College of Communication with a Bachelor of Journalism degree, Derek worked in television as a sports anchor and reporter. His stops included Austin (KXAN-TV), Portland, San Diego, Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS-TV). After more than 18 years in the television business, Derek returned to the College where he now works as Assistant Director of Development. Derek meets with alumni and friends throughout Texas and the Southeastern portion of the United States.
“I am so happy to be back in my hometown of Austin and back in the College of Communication. I have fond memories of the College and working at the Daily Texan and at KTSB (former campus radio station). I was also a member of Comm Council. I’m fortunate to be back at a place that I truly love. I know that great things happen here in the College.”
Derek is a story-teller at heart and loves meeting our alumni. He feels everyone has an interesting story to tell about their time at UT or about their current career. Look for his blog entries about graduates of the College.
Derek is married to another native Austinite, Veronica. The couple has a 9-year-old son, Jared and a black lab/chow mix named Chico. The family lives in southwest Austin and is thrilled to be back at home to enjoy close friends and treasures like Barton Springs, Tex-Mex food and the Hike and Bike trail.
Lisa Crider, Assistant Director
Lisa joined the College of Communication development team in 2003 after a career in finance that included stints in the oil & gas industry, banking and investment banking. As the child of an Air Force pilot, Lisa lived in both England and in several states across the U.S. before finally landing in Austin. She is a graduate of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, earning a BBA in international business with concentrations in finance and accounting. Her passion for higher education, writing and new media led her back to the University and a career at the College.
As the assistant director for constituent relations and publications, Lisa is responsible for directing alumni outreach, programs and events, liaison with the College’s Advisory Council, and all alumni, development and dean’s office publications. She is the editor of Directions, the College of Communication’s alumni newsletter, the e-newsletter CommNews Monthly, and the publisher of Fresh Thoughts, the College of Communication research magazine. She is also the director of the College’s social media initiatives including the College facebook fan page, twitter feed and the alumni blog, Hooked In. She is the voice of @UTcomm, the College of Communication twitter feed.
She is an avid photographer and a supporter of both film and the documentary arts. She is also a passionate supporter of the performing arts, particularly dance, a legacy of her many years spent studying classical ballet and jazz.
Richard Graw, Director
Richard Graw joined the College of Communication as Director of Development in February 2005. As the director of the College’s development efforts, he oversees a dedicated team of 6 whose mission is to involve friends and alumni of the College in ways that are meaningful to them.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he grew up on a college campus where his father was a VP in the California State University system. He graduated from the University of Redlands with honors in history after researching and writing a paper on the Japanese American internment campus during WWII. He also has a MA in history and a Masters in Public Administration from California State University Hayward.
He started fundraising first in 1992 as membership manager at the Museums at Blackhawk in Danville, CA. He joined public broadcasting at KRCB in Santa Rosa, CA and WPSX/WPSU in State College, PA. He then became associate director of development at Penn State University and finally director of major gifts at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis before joining the College of Communication.
He enjoys participating in triathlons, rowing on Town Lake and taking advantage of all the exciting opportunities that Austin has to offer.
Wade Lee, Development Specialist
As the College of Communication’s development specialist, Wade Lee is responsible for event management and promotion, endowment compliance, and student and young alumni programs. He is deeply involved with the University’s student philanthropy council and works closely with each College of Communication senior class on their senior student campaigns. Wade is passionate about his work in engaging students and young alumni in the University community - he considers students to be alumni-in-residence and is working with a colleague to create a manual for use in senior student campaigns throughout the University.
His passion for higher education led him to his career in alumni relations. While enrolled in agricultural business studies at Sam Houston State University, Wade volunteered as a student ambassador and was heavily involved in student recruiting efforts. After graduation, he taught in a vocational school for two years before taking a position at the University of Houston-Victoria working in development and alumni relations. He joined the College of Communication in 2005.
Wade’s interests include Longhorn sports (especially football), landscaping (putting his agriculture background to work), visiting the lakes around Austin, and riding horses in his hometown of Cuero with his extended family. He’s an avid collector of unique antique furniture, such as a cobbler’s bench (a future coffee table), a chicken incubator complete with decal of a hatching chick (a future TV stand), and a butter worker (he suggests googling it). He lives in South Austin.
Tania Leskovar, Assistant Director
Tania Leskovar is originally from Argentina, but has spent the majority of her life in Texas. Her family continues to live in Uvalde, Texas where she attended junior high and high school. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from the College of Communication at the University of Texas in 2002. She also received a minor in Spanish and completed the Business Foundations Program during her time at the university.
Before joining the development team, Tania spent six years working in the advertising industry. After graduation she joined GSD&M’s Idea City as an intern before moving full time into media planning. She later moved to account planning, working on such accounts as Pennzoil/Quaker State, United Heath Group, and American Legacy Foundation. In 2004 she moved to San Antonio to work at Bromley Communications. She managed several Proctor & Gamble products for the US Hispanic and Puerto Rico markets, including Bounty, Charmin, Pepto-Bismol, and DayQuil/NyQuil. But the lure of Austin was too strong, and after a year and half she returned to Idea City where she helped launch a comprehensive quitting smoking website for American Legacy Foundation. That experience led Tania to transition to a community relations role for GSD&M, working on many pro-bono projects for both local and national non-profit organizations. In 2008 she decided to combine her love of philanthropy with her passion for the University of Texas, the College of Communication, and higher education.
As an assistant director of development, Tania travels mostly to the northeast region of the United States and the Dallas/Ft.Worth area to visit with college alums and friends.
Tania is also actively involved in Make-A-Wish Foundation serving as a Spanish Wish Granter and serves on the Sponsorship Committee for Austin Race for the Cure. She enjoys traveling, triathlons, scrapbooking and spending time on the lake.
Alta Valliant, Development Associate
Alta Valliant joined the College of Communication as the development associate in 2009 after earning her MSIS from The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin. She did her Master’s Capstone work with the development team for the Texas State Library and Archives. In her role as the administrative support associate, she is responsible for the smooth operation of the development office and for assisting with all college events. Prior to becoming the development associate, Alta was the graduate researcher for the team.
Originally from Denver, Alta holds a BA in history from Colorado State University. Since moving to Austin, she has become very active in her sorority alumnae group and currently serves as alumnae liaison for the chapter. Her interests include reading, enjoying Austin’s live music scene, traveling and Presidential history.
