Jessie Goodson, Campus Carrier News Editor

Berry has hired a new Vice President of Advancement, Cyndi Court, who will begin in January of 2018. The current Vice President of Advancement, Bettyann O’Neill, is retiring at the end of December after holding the position since 1999. 

In regards to Court, O’Neill is very optimistic about the transition. 

“She has the support of a very outstanding and experienced team,” O’Neill said. 

As O’Neill prepares to retire from her position, she said that she and the advancement team won’t slow down and will keep progressing to better the Berry community. 

“The best part of the job was getting to know so many people who are passionate about Berry’s mission,” O’Neill said. 

Court is originally from Toronto, Canada, and is currently the managing director and non-profit leader for Harvard Group International in Atlanta. She received her bachelor’s degree in English, History and Education at York University in Toronto. 

Court began working for the Salvation Army when first moving to the U.S. and stayed in non-profits for the last 27 years. She served as the chief development and marketing officer for both the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics International. 

Court has worked with Berry before on various projects, like the hiring of the current VP of Marketing, Nancy Rewis, and working with President Briggs and Berry’s development team. 

“I fell in love with Berry then and just really enjoyed the team, the leadership and the students I met on campus,” Court said. “I just really enjoyed the experience.” 

Court said that she had always planned to teach, which is why she pursued an education degree, but ended up going into non-profits. Being at Berry is a new and exciting experience for her. 

Court hopes to get involved in all aspects of the Berry community and even mentoring students and getting to know them. She said she wants to see what Berry looks like from where the students are. 

“I want to add as much value as I can to the college as fast as I possibly can,” Court said. 

Court said she is looking forward to beginning new projects in January and working as best she can to create a great Berry experience for all. 

“What I hope to bring are some new ideas that maybe higher education has not tried before with corporate partnerships and community engagement,” Court said. “I look forward to bringing some of that creativity.” 

Not only is Court excited to begin her new work, she said she is also ready to be a part of the community at Berry.