A Committed Fundraiser
Jennifer Salamh, who works in University Development, has a history with raising money
Name: Jennifer SalamhPosition: Prospect management coordinator, University DevelopmentYears at Duke: 8
What I do at Duke is: I help major gift officers manage their portfolios by working with them to handle prospective donors. Sometimes this includes helping them decide which prospects are the "right" prospects to have in their portfolio and determining how to take appropriate action.
If I had $5 million, I would: Probably pay off my house. A vacation sounds nice, too. My husband and I are about to have a baby, so it'd be nice to take some extra time off without the worry of financial issues.
My first ever job was: I was a lifeguard at a local pool in Landisville, Pennsylvania. I was 13 or 14. I had been a swimmer since I was 5, so it was a natural job for me. I got to tan and be at the pool all day, so that's not so bad.
My dream job is: I'm not sure, but I just know I want to be in management. I don't know exactly what I'd want to do. I definitely enjoy my work in Development, so I'd want to do some form of fundraising. Even when I was in college, I participated in phonathons at Washington and Jefferson College and Lock Haven University.
If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: My children. I love my kids, they're my life. I have a 2-year old boy and a 4-year old girl.
The best advice I ever received was: To follow your heart. I think it's important that you're doing something you enjoy and love doing. If you spend eight hours a day working, it should be something you enjoy.
What I love about Duke is: Everything. From the benefits that are offered to employees to the people I work with - who are amazing - it's a big family. It's important to work with people you get along with.
When I'm not at work, I like to: Play with my kids. I'm often taking my daughter to dance classes or ice skating or swimming. We all like to play outside and garden.
If I could have one superpower, it would be: To read people's minds. It would be interesting to know what people are thinking. Often I think people hide how they truly feel or what they're really thinking.
Something most people don't know about me is: Most people don't know that I swam and played water polo in college because I don't do that anymore. I was team captain in college for both my swim and water polo teams. I was a long distance swimmer, so I did 500 meters, 1,000 meters and the mile.
The skills I bring to my work: I'm a people person, so I think being outgoing and being able to talk to people is important in my job.
A Movie I like is: Down to You. It's a fun romantic comedy. It was one of the first movies I saw with my husband when we were dating.
A memorable moment at Duke for me was: Our manager had leukemia and a bunch of us came together to fundraise for her and organize blood drives. I think bringing people together for something like that speaks a lot to Duke and the people that work here. When someone here goes through something difficult, everybody comes together for you. That's something you don't find many places.