MEDIA CONTACT: Linda Holtz
561-297-0159, lholtz@fau.edu

FAU Names Margie Walden Director of Development for FAU's Schmidt College of Science

BOCA RATON, FL (February 4, 2005) - Florida Atlantic University recently named Margie Walden director of development for the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Serving as a member of University Advancement, Walden will be responsible for all fund-raising activities within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. An expert in management, strategic planning, fund raising, community outreach and marketing, Walden has worked with diverse populations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

"A proven innovator with finely tuned analytical and problem-solving skills, Margie is well-prepared to raise funds for cutting-edge research and teaching programs at FAU," said Ann Paton, vice president for University Advancement.

Walden's most recent position was executive director of the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation in New York City. In her three years there, she served as chief fund-raiser, where she was in charge of special events, annual solicitations, major gifts and planned giving. Her efforts yielded more than $6 million for the organization.

Walden previously held positions at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Taiwan International Alliance. She is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and attended the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry graduate program in landscape architecture.

"Our nationwide search for a development officer led us to a candidate with all the qualities we were looking for," said Dr. Nathan W. Dean, dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. "Margie Walden brings to this college wonderful experience in building support and public awareness for science. I know she will do great things and move this college forward."

A winner of the 2002 Dalton Pen Communications Award of Merit for the 2001 Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation Annual Report, Walden has had articles published in several journals. She currently resides in Delray Beach, Florida.

-FAU-

Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts eight colleges - the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs. The University is observing its 40th anniversary this year.