We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving. There are many reasons to celebrate this year. We’d like to take a moment to reflect on a few things our team is thankful for this year.

I am thankful for my wife, children, family, and friends, and that I was lucky enough to have been born in the greatest country on Earth. 

Phil Buchanan, J.D.
Assistant Vice President, Office of Gift Planning

I am thankful for so many things, but I’ll be even more thankful when Congress makes the Charitable IRA Rollover a permanent part of the tax code. 

Jeremy Arkin, J.D.
Director, Office of Gift Planning

I consider myself incredibly blessed to work alongside such a caring and supportive Gift Planning team.  I am thankful for all of the experiences that helped steer me toward my career at Duke University.

Brandy Chieco
Development Assistant, Office of Gift Planning

I am grateful that Duke Football is bowl eligible for the fourth year in a row!  Go Devils!

Anne Sherman ’94, J.D.
Associate Director, Office of Gift Planning

I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many different Duke friends and supporters.

Alyssa Alegre
Assistant Director, Office of Gift Planning

I am thankful that I have a career that brings me joy every day and that I’m alone on my commute so I can soulfully belt out Adele songs without an audience (you’re thankful for that too, aren’t you?).

Kristen Brown Smalley, J.D., LL.M.
Senior Gift Planning Counsel, Office of Gift Planning

I am thankful for my tremendously supportive, funny, intelligent, kind, and hardworking, co-workers in Duke Gift Planning. I know they CARE about what they do every single day. I am also very thankful that Duke won the 2015 NCAA Championship!   

Sarah K. Fish ’82
Senior Director, Trust and Estate Administration

I am thankful for the beautiful challenge that my daughter brings to each day.

Leslie Anderson 
Project Coordinator, Trust and Estate Administration

I am so thankful for my husband Tim and my two daughters Margot and Vivienne.  Their constant love and support makes me feel blessed every day.

Anne Morrison Bradley
Associate Director, Office of Gift Planning

I’m thankful that students, long after we’re gone, will be able to enjoy a wonderful education, on Duke’s gorgeous campus, with a bright future ahead of them.

Cathy Hunsley
Development Associate, Office of Gift Planning

I am thankful for the love and support of friends, family, and my amazing co-workers at Duke.  I am also grateful that I have survived driving practice with my teenage son!

Jane Lee Heuser
Assistant Director, Trust and Estate Administration

I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful Duke Gift Planning Team!

Kyle Aldred
Staff Assistant, Trust and Estate Administration

About the author

Phillip Buchanan

phil.buchanan@duke.edu

Phil is a veteran of development and gift planning who considers it a privilege to help good people celebrate the joy of giving. He served as Duke’s senior philanthropic counsel until his retirement in April 2021 and helped donors, professional advisors and Duke Development officers evaluate the best options for making a charitable gift to Duke. He has been featured in publications such as BusinessWeek  and Kiplinger’s.