Jenni Dingeldein ’06 is new to the UC Davis employee giving team, but she is a familiar face for many on campus.

As an undergraduate majoring in political science, Dingeldein served as vice president and treasurer of UC Davis Club Softball and chair of the ASUCD Academic Affairs Commission while also working as a cashier at the Coffee House, an administrative assistant at Fleet Services and delivering team spirit as an enthusiastic member of the Aggie Pack.

“The opportunity to ‘come home’ and work for UC Davis is a dream come true,” said Dingeldein, who spent the intervening years building a fundraising and nonprofit management career in Portland. “As an alum, I’m honored to be in a position that encourages others to demonstrate their Aggie Pride.”

As director of development for philanthropy programs with the Annual and Special Gifts Program in Development and Alumni Relations, Dingeldein will head up employee and student giving.

“My goal is to inspire staff, faculty, retirees, emeriti, and students to invest in the future of UC Davis,” she said. “No gift is too small.”

Her belief in the power of education fuels her enthusiasm.

“As a first-generation college student, I know firsthand that education makes a difference,” Dingeldein said. “I’m thrilled to be part of a community that inspires the next generation of leaders, and I know many of us want to contribute to their success.”

Dingeldein is in the process of moving to Davis with her husband, George Dingeldein ’05, an attorney and former UC Davis water polo player, their 1-year-old daughter and their 12-year-old dog.

As she finds her feet in her new position, she already has one notable achievement: making Chancellor Gary S. May cry on last month’s Give Day.

“I’m not crying. my cheeks are sweating!” Chancellor May tweeted in response to Dingeldein’s moving tweet, accompanied by a graduation photo of herself and her mother, about how attending UC Davis as a first-generation college student changed her life.