Meet the FarmHouse Foundation Staff
The FarmHouse Foundation is dedicated to cultivating donor passion and support to advance FarmHouse Fraternity’s mission and help members achieve excellence. Our talented, professional staff works to conduct the Foundation’s day-to-day business, support volunteers and donors and execute our mission. Get to know our Foundation Staff below.
Allison Rickels, CFRE
Executive Director and CEO
Alpha Phi
Allison is executive director and CEO of the FarmHouse Foundation, serving as the first and only woman CEO of a men’s fraternity educational foundation. She began this role in June 2007.
In the Foundation’s 50-year history, Allison is only the second person to fill this position on a full-time basis. She has led the efforts to grow the Foundation’s assets from $2 million, when she started on staff, to over $25 million today. Last fiscal year, the FarmHouse Foundation raised over $3.7 million.
Allison has been part of the FarmHouse Foundation staff for over 21 years, since July 2001, first as the director of annual fund and communications, and then as the senior director of the annual fund and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees. For 10 years, she was the design editor for Pearls & Rubies, the Fraternity’s award-winning magazine, and continues to help write and edit the magazine.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Allison graduated in May 2001 with a degree in public relations and minors in marketing and journalism from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
In August 2013, the North-American Interfraternity Conference Foundation (NICF) honored Allison with the prestigious William D. Jenkins Outstanding Professional Award. The award recognizes outstanding professional achievement and exemplary service in fundraising and philanthropy in the fraternity and sorority movement and craft. Allison and her staff have won 13 NICF Award of Distinctions under her leadership, and she is often a presenter at interfraternal conferences.
In November 2014, Allison and the Foundation Staff was honored with the “Excellence in Fundraising” Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter at the National Philanthropy Day Celebration.
Allison served on the NICF Board of Directors (now the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence) for six years including as President, Vice President and Secretary. She served for six years on the University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association Board of Directors. Allison is a member of the AFP MidAmerica Chapter, serving on their board of directors for six years, is a 13-year faculty member of her AFP Chapter’s Fundraising 101 Seminar and each semester presents to students at Rockhurst University, teaching about stewardship and fundraising.
She is active with her sorority, Alpha Phi Fraternity, serving on its Quarterly Editorial Board and was President of the Greater Kansas City Alpha Phi Alumnae Chapter for six years. In 2010, she received Alpha Phi’s esteemed national Ursa Major Award, for her role as the FarmHouse Foundation’s CEO. She was also named a Greater Kansas City Panhellenic Woman of the Year.
She served five years on the Fraternity Communications Association’s board of directors and in 2007 received their Marilyn Simpson Ford Award for service to the association. She is also a member of PEO, women’s philanthropic educational organization, and treasurer of the PTSA for her daughter’s middle school.
Allison’s husband, Nick, is Senior Product Engineer for Weld Racing, an after-market wheel manufacturing company. He proudly became an honorary member of FarmHouse at Conclave in August 2016. Allison, Nick, and their two daughters, Sydney and Delaney, live in Kansas City, Mo.
Jason Butler
Director of Leadership GivingDelta Chi
Miranda Howe
Director of Annual GivingPhi Mu
Jo Berryman
Administrative Assistant
Brian McCann, Ph.D.
Website AdministratorMississippi State 95
Jeanine Lane
Director of Stewardship and Grants
Foundation Staff
Meet the FarmHouse Foundation Staff
The FarmHouse Foundation is dedicated to cultivating donor passion and support to advance FarmHouse Fraternity’s mission and help members achieve excellence. Our talented, professional staff works to conduct the Foundation’s day-to-day business, support volunteers and donors and execute our mission. Get to know our Foundation Staff below.
Allison Rickels, CFRE
Executive Director and CEO
Alpha Phi
Allison is executive director and CEO of the FarmHouse Foundation, serving as the first and only woman CEO of a men’s fraternity educational foundation. She began this role in June 2007.
In the Foundation’s 50-year history, Allison is only the second person to fill this position on a full-time basis. She has led the efforts to grow the Foundation’s assets from $2 million, when she started on staff, to over $25 million today. Last fiscal year, the FarmHouse Foundation raised over $3.7 million.
Allison has been part of the FarmHouse Foundation staff for over 21 years, since July 2001, first as the director of annual fund and communications, and then as the senior director of the annual fund and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees. For 10 years, she was the design editor for Pearls & Rubies, the Fraternity’s award-winning magazine, and continues to help write and edit the magazine.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Allison graduated in May 2001 with a degree in public relations and minors in marketing and journalism from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
In August 2013, the North-American Interfraternity Conference Foundation (NICF) honored Allison with the prestigious William D. Jenkins Outstanding Professional Award. The award recognizes outstanding professional achievement and exemplary service in fundraising and philanthropy in the fraternity and sorority movement and craft. Allison and her staff have won 13 NICF Award of Distinctions under her leadership, and she is often a presenter at interfraternal conferences.
In November 2014, Allison and the Foundation Staff was honored with the “Excellence in Fundraising” Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter at the National Philanthropy Day Celebration.
Allison served on the NICF Board of Directors (now the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence) for six years including as President, Vice President and Secretary. She served for six years on the University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association Board of Directors. Allison is a member of the AFP MidAmerica Chapter, serving on their board of directors for six years, is a 13-year faculty member of her AFP Chapter’s Fundraising 101 Seminar and each semester presents to students at Rockhurst University, teaching about stewardship and fundraising.
She is active with her sorority, Alpha Phi Fraternity, serving on its Quarterly Editorial Board and was President of the Greater Kansas City Alpha Phi Alumnae Chapter for six years. In 2010, she received Alpha Phi’s esteemed national Ursa Major Award, for her role as the FarmHouse Foundation’s CEO. She was also named a Greater Kansas City Panhellenic Woman of the Year.
She served five years on the Fraternity Communications Association’s board of directors and in 2007 received their Marilyn Simpson Ford Award for service to the association. She is also a member of PEO, women’s philanthropic educational organization, and treasurer of the PTSA for her daughter’s middle school.
Allison’s husband, Nick, is Senior Product Engineer for Weld Racing, an after-market wheel manufacturing company. He proudly became an honorary member of FarmHouse at Conclave in August 2016. Allison, Nick, and their two daughters, Sydney and Delaney, live in Kansas City, Mo.
Jason Butler
Director of Leadership GivingDelta Chi
Miranda Howe
Director of Annual GivingPhi Mu
Jo Berryman
Administrative Assistant Brian McCann, Ph.D.
Website AdministratorMississippi State 95
Jeanine Lane
Director of Stewardship and Grants 
