Cheryl Altinkemer

Cheryl Altinkemer, retired as Purdue University’s Senior Associate Vice President for International Advancement, was the development officer for the College of Consumer and Family Sciences (now the College of Health and Human Sciences) when the Center for Families was established. Early on, she worked closely with faculty to identify possible areas of giving and connect those possibilities to people who wanted to support Purdue.

Before CFF’s establishment in 1994, Purdue was in the midst of the Vision 21 Campaign – one of the first major fundraising initiatives at Purdue. Cheryl worked closely with the dean of the college, Don Felker, who served as a mentor and advisee to ensure CFS and an alumni base of predominately women would have a visionary campaign. He passed away unexpectedly and in honor of his life, she and others created the Felker Leadership conference to highlight women, leadership and philanthropy.

Cheryl joined with Associate Dean for Extension, Ann Hancook to interview department heads and key faculty to explore the college’s groundbreaking research on children, families, nutrition, family economics and other areas. As part of the Felker Leadership Series, they brought 100 women to campus to discuss philanthropy. These women talked through societal issues and how the college’s groundbreaking research could contribute to solutions. Out of a conversation asking those in the room “If you had $1 million, what problem would you have Purdue University solve?” Lorene Burkhart followed up with Cheryl to say she wanted to contribute $1M start a center for families – a first for Purdue University (and in the US at the time)!

Cheryl worked with Lorene, the Dean of the College Dennis Savaiano, and Child Development Family Studies Department Head Doug Powell, to establish CFF as an official research center and hire CFF’s first director Susan Kontos. Along with CFF Founder Lorene Burkhart’s significant gift and encouragement, she created the CFF Advocates responsible for seed funding and long term support for the Center for Families. This grassroots effort connected over 25 Charter Advocates who made minimum commitments of $10,000 and many with additional will bequests. She played a large role in moving forward women as philanthropists at the University for the Vision 21 Campaign as well as the one that followed, The Campaign for Purdue via the Women for Purdue program.

Even with her current position with the university, she and director Shelley MacDermid continued to meet with people from all over the state and country to ask what was important to them and identify issues they felt that could be addressed via this unique center and the Military Family Research Institute.

Cheryl’s early dedication to establishing CFF is what has allowed it to thrive today.