Professional Staff

Very few, if any, companies can match College Connections’ experience and record of achievement in our areas of expertise.

CCI's Founder: Jim Warren

Jim Warren grew up at the beach in New Jersey where he was a competitive swimmer (four time national qualifier) and successfully coached a 120-member swim team to two unprecedented league championships. While in high school, he was primarily responsible for the organization of more than 10,000 people in efforts that raised more than $225,000 for charity.

He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1979, with distinction in Economics. In 1982, Jim received a juris doctor degree, with honors, from the National Law Center, at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In law school, he was selected the student director of the Community Legal Clinics and received first place for individual oral argument in the upper-class moot court competition.

Jim began his legal career as an associate in the seven office, 200 attorney international firm of Pettit & Martin, where he practiced in the area of government contract counseling and litigation. In 1988, after just six years as an associate, he was elected to a full equity partnership. In 1992, Jim decided to leave the full time practice of law to become president of College Connections, Inc.

Since 1983, Jim has been actively involved in higher education activities. His two-year term as president of the Duke Club of Washington in 1985 earned him one of the most prestigious awards for service to the University. In 1987, he began serving on Duke's national alumni board (the Duke Alumni Association or DAA) as a member of the Club's Committee. In 1989, he became a member of DAA's Board of Directors. After becoming chairman of the Club's Committee in 1990 and then the Travel and Continuing Education Committee in 1992, Jim also served as a member of DAA's Executive Committee and then on its Long-Range Planning Team. He was the ‘94-’95 President of DAA and was a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees from ‘95 to ‘96. Jim has also served a three-year term on the Board of Visitors for the Duke School of Divinity.

He has been an active participant in fund-raising activities, including the creation of D.C. area scholarship endowments. Jim has spoken at a number of Duke's Leadership Conferences on topics ranging from community service programs to how to lead a large club as a volunteer president. He also has been a guest speaker at "Leadership Clemson,” speaking on the topic of planning successful club events, and many high school programs for students and parents. Jim was the keynote speaker at Catholic University of America’s 2003 Leadership Conference.

For a 12 month period beginning in 2005, Jim served as the part-time, Interim Director of Alumni at Bucknell University. After completing a successful comprehensive program and staffing audit of the alumni office for the President, Jim was asked by the President to fill the Interim position while the university conducted a search for a permanent Director. In his role as Interim Director, Jim was responsible for all aspects of the alumni office, including hiring and staff management, Reunion, Family Weekend, Alumni Board, Parents Board, student engagement programs, affinity programs, volunteer activities, Homecoming, awards, Presidential briefings, young alumni programming, clubs, and strategic planning.

Jim is active in his church and a strong supporter of community service activities. In 1989, he co-founded Duke's award winning adopt-a-school program in downtown D.C. He enjoys all kinds of exercise and spending time with his wife and daughters.

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CCI's Senior Fellow: Laney Funderburk

Laney is one of the most prominent national experts in alumni affairs. He was a member of the Council of Foundations and has been actively involved with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) since 1972. He was a CASE trustee from 1995 to 1998 and a member of the Commission on Communications from 1993 to 1995. He served on the District III Board of Directors from 1989 until 2003, chairing the Board from 1993 to 1995. Laney also has been a member of the Council of Alumni Associations Executives since 1989, a member of the Board of Directors from 1996 to 2000, and chaired its Board in 1998-99. He has written on a range of subjects, including reunions and alumni as a resource in recruiting students.

Laney’s achievements at Duke are endless (at the time, many of these accomplishments were at the cutting edge for alumni affairs programming): established the award-winning Duke Magazine, created the Young Alumni Program, created an online directory, established a lifetime e-mail address and electronic newsletter, initiated a lifetime alumni membership program, began the Duke Experience Survey for seniors, established a Continuing Education Program, redefined regional programming, consolidated and revamped alumni reunions (setting records for attendance and participation), established an affinity card program to generate revenue for increased alumni programming, engaged hundreds of alumni in the Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee program, created the Alumni Admission Forum for alumni parents and their children, conducted the first comprehensive survey of alumni attitudes and opinions, built the Alumni Undergraduate Scholarship, helped shaped many student programs, including a new Career Week, started many Duke “traditions,” created the alumni Office of Marketing, built merchandising agreements, and established and supported 38 active international alumni clubs.

His experience spans the full breadth of higher education, having served on the following committees: Duke University Management Club (Chair); University Commencement Committee (Secretary); Founder’s Day Planning Committee (Secretary); Duke University Athletic Council (Secretary); President Keohane Inaugural Committee (Secretary); 30^th Anniversary of the Integration of Duke University Committee; Employer Advisory Board, Career Development Center; NCAA Recertification (a component of SACS accreditation) Steering Committee and member of the Executive Committee; Greek Life Task Force; Founding Member Inter-fraternity Council Advisory Board; Divinity School Campaign for Duke Committee; 75^th Anniversary Planning Committee; Search Committee for University Archivist; Search Committee for Career Center Director; Five-year Review Committee for Duke’s Athletic Director; President Brodhead Inaugural Committee (Secretary).

Laney has received many CASE awards: Gold Medal for Alumni Program Improvement, 1983 through 1986; national and district for Duke Magazine every year since its inception (overall editorial quality, feature writing, higher education reporting, feature stories, and design; “Magazine of the Year” honors twice from CASE (and the Chronicle of Higher Education).