Office of Institutional Support

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Johnny Brennan '10

Johnny is the Assistant Director of the Office of Institutional Support. He leads campus-wide efforts to secure institutional grant awards by assessing the alignment of Bard College priorities, programs, and faculty-led projects with potential funders. He cultivates relationships with faculty and administrators, thinks strategically with the Office of Prospect Research to identify promising funding opportunities, and assists project leads in developing compelling proposals. Prior to joining OIS, he worked as a Program Officer at the American Council of Learned Societies. Johnny received his BA from Bard College, his MA from The New School for Social Research, and his PhD in Philosophy from Fordham University. He researches and teaches on issues of trust, ethics, and social epistemology.

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Sarah Donnatien

Sarah is the Administrative Coordinator within the Office of Institutional Support. She manages a tier of foundation and corporate grants, manages the office's daily activities, and maintains the OIS grants archive. Sarah attended SUNY New Paltz, where, in 2018 she obtained her Bachelor's in Sociology. Before coming to Bard, Sarah served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region.

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Jordan Jeffries

Jordan Jeffries is the Prospect Research Analyst in the Office of Prospect Research. He searches for foundation prospects for institutional projects at Bard and its affiliates, as well as researching individual prospects for the College. He provides data and documentation to grant seekers on campus and also assists with prospect research on institutional and individual funders. The Office of Prospect Research recommends grant ask amounts, strategies of approach, and provides briefing memos for meetings with potential funders. Jordan has a BFA in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Check out Jordan's art HERE! 

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Megan Miller

Megan is the Grant Officer and manages mid-range corporate and foundation institutional grants. Megan earned her BS in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from Clemson University in 2018. During her time at Clemson, Megan was the Marketing and Communications Director for FIRST, an academic and social support program for first-generation students. 

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Karen Unger

Karen is the Associate Vice President of the Office of Institutional Support. She directs a staff of six who research and raise significant funding from foundations, corporations and government agencies to strengthen Bard’s commitment as a private institution working for the public interest. Karen began her mission-driven career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, West Africa, teaches English as a Second Language at the college level and has worked in administrative and creative roles for national non-profit organizations and public school systems. With a graduate degree from Queens College, CUNY, in creative writing, Karen is also an award-winning author of books for middle and high school students, short stories and print and online magazine articles.  

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Daina Vitin

As part of the OPR/OIS team, Daina researches, analyzes, and ranks individual, corporate, and foundation prospects and donors. Using internal and external research sources she works to determine those prospects’ capacity and inclination to give. Daina provides strategic and collaborative advice for building relationships through connections and matching donors with like areas of interest. Daina earned her MLIS from Rutgers University.

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Debra Pemstein

Debra Pemstein has been vice president for development and alumni/ae affairs at Bard College since 1998. She works with the President, administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers to raise annual, capital and restricted funds, serves on campus-wide strategic planning committees, and works closely with the President and Trustees as a member of the President's Council. During her tenure, Bard has been able to expand its programs through major capital campaigns that have resulted in new buildings for the performing arts, sciences, dormitories, and administrative use and endowments of several faculty chairs. Debra supervises development activities for all of Bard’s institutes and programs, including the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard Music Festival, Bard Prison Initiative, Bard High School Early Colleges, and the Center for Curatorial Studies- Hessel Museum, to name just a few. She also serves as chief administrative officer for the Fisher Center. Debra formerly served as director of major gifts and planned giving for New York City Ballet, director of development for Paul Taylor Dance Company, and associate director of development for the New York Philharmonic. In addition, she is a college lecturer and has presented papers on fundraising topics at national professional conferences. She has served on many boards and advisory committees, including those at Poughkeepsie Day School and Temple Emanuel (Kingston, NY). Currently, Debra is on the Board of Directors of Dutchess Tourism and is the Chair of the Dutchess Tourism Workforce Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. She is also a member of the Dutchess County Economic Development Advisory Council. Debra attended the London School of Economics, received her BBA from George Washington University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.

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Josh Bardfield ‘01

Josh is the Special Projects Lead, OIS, and oversees grant applications for various special projects across the Bard network. Prior to joining Bard in June 2019, Josh spent 20 years working with wide-ranging domestic and global public health initiatives, many which received significant grant funding,  in program development, research, and technical writing spanning the non-profit, civil-service, academic and private sectors. Josh earned his MPH from Columbia University and is a Bard alum, Class of ‘01.