Charles McKinzie has been selected as director of alumni engagement at Southwestern College.  

McKinzie, who has been a gift officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement since 2013, will transition into this new role at the start of 2017, following the retirement of Susan Lowe. 

“I am excited to pick up the torch Susan has carried so well and am looking forward to running the next leg to further advance SC,” McKinzie says.

DeAnn Dockery, vice president for institutional advancement, says that McKinzie will be a terrific fit.
         
 “Charles has a genuine love for Southwestern College and already knows many of the alumni,” Dockery says.  “With his skills and knowledge, he will hit the ground running.”
           
McKinzie has been a part of the SC community since his Wellington childhood days when he sang in the Walnut Valley Youth choir and participated in Horsefeathers & Applesauce productions.  
           
Prior to joining the Southwestern College staff in 2013, McKinzie was a development officer for United Way of the Plains in Wichita.  
             
In addition to recent responsibilities in the northeast section of the nation, McKinzie’s territory has included alumni and donor connections in Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. His special academic and interest areas have been performing arts and social sciences. 
On his first trip to meet California Moundbuilders, he says, he was struck by the instant connection with the SC graduates. 

“I called my wife and told her what a strange feeling it was to walk in the door and be welcomed like a long-lost cousin,” he recalls. “They told me ‘Because you’re from SC, you’re one of us.’”
           
 As he looks to the future McKinzie hopes to begin to develop programs that will more fully engage students from Professional Studies programs. He is a current student in this venue and plans to use his knowledge of the special issues that face adult learners to help these graduates continue their bond with the college. 
           
 McKinzie lives in Douglass with his wife, Carrie, and their children, Cambria, Catriona, and Charles III. They are active in Grace United Methodist Church in Winfield.