Foundation Staff

Allison Rickels, CFRE
Executive Director
E-mail: Allison@FarmHouse.org

Allison is executive director/CEO of the FarmHouse Foundation, serving as the first woman CEO of a men's fraternity educational foundation. She began this role in June 2007 and has been part of the Foundation staff since 2001. A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Allison graduated with honors in 2001 from the University of Northern Iowa in public relations with minors in marketing and journalism. She earned the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) in the fall of 2006. Allison is a member and leader of the MidAmerica chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is active with Alpha Phi Fraternity serving on its Quarterly magazine Editorial Board, is a former chapter advisor and as an active member of her local alumnae chapter. In 2010, she received Alpha Phi’s Ursa Major Award, for her role with the FarmHouse Foundation. She served five years on the Fraternity Communications Association’s board of directors. In 2007, she received CFEA's Marilyn Simpson Ford Award for outstanding service to the association. She has also been a facilitator and conference planner for numerous Greek-lettered foundation national fundraising conferences. Her husband Nick is an engineer for Weld Racing. Allison, Nick and their two daughters, Sydney and Delaney, live in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Bob Off, CRFE
Colorado State '64
Executive Director Emeritus
E-mail: Bob@FarmHouse.org

Bob is Executive Director Emeritus of FarmHouse Foundation and has worked for FarmHouse for 39 years. Bob was an undergraduate member of the Colorado State Chapter, initiated in 1964. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English literature in 1965 and his master's in English literature in 1967 from Colorado State. He worked as Assistant Director of Student Housing at South Dakota State University, where he served for two years before his career was interrupted with a 3-year stint in the U.S. Army. He was an intelligence officer with rank of captain from 1968 to 1971, serving 12 months in South Korea. When Bob returned from South Korea he resumed his position at SDSU. In 1973 he accepted the position of Executive Director of FarmHouse Fraternity and Foundation. In 1997, he began working full-time as Executive Director of the Foundation. Bob served as the President of the Fraternity Executives Association in 1988-89; as an FEA Advisor to the National Interfraternity Council (NIC) Board; and as President of the College Fraternity Editors Association (CFEA) in 1979-80. In 2007, he was awarded the William D. Jenkins outstanding fundraising professional award from the NIC Foundation and in 2006 received CFEA’s Varner Award for extraordinary fraternal service. He is a member of several community and philanthropic organizations. In August 2007, Bob retired as the Foundation’s Executive Director and now serves as Executive Director Emeritus. Bob and his wife, Linda, live in Santa Fe, N.M. Their daughter, Karlene, lives in Phoenix, Ariz.

 

Andrea Ward
Annual Giving & Communications Coordinator
E-mail: Andrea@FarmHouse.org

Andrea is the Director of the Annual Fund and Communications for the FarmHouse Foundation. She is a native of Plevna, Kan., and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kansas State University with a major in marketing and minor in leadership studies. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta International Fraternity, and has remained active with Theta, serving as recording secretary for the Greater Kansas City alumnae chapter and on the Kansas State chapter’s housing corporation board. She also served on the Campaign Committee for Kansas State’s 50 Years of Nobler Womanhood fundraising campaign for renovations of the Kansas State Theta chapter house. She is a member of the MidAmerica chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Andrea’s husband, Chris, is a mechanical engineer for Sega, Inc., and they live in Shawnee, Kan.

 

Jo Berryman
Administrative Assistant
E-mail: JBerryman@FarmHouse.org

      Nancy "Jo" Berryman joined the FarmHouse staff in May 2002 as part-time secretary for the FarmHouse Foundation. Before coming to FarmHouse, Jo retired from Honeywell in Kansas City where she worked for 31 years. She is a native of Lincoln, Neb.
      Her volunteer activities include the Red Cross, King of Kings Church and tutoring for Laubach Literacy Program.
      She and her husband, Bill, reside in northern Kansas City, Mo. She enjoys walking, hiking and family activities.