Colleen Bailey-Knapke

As Senior Director of Gift Planning Strategic Operations, Colleen manages the administration of Notre Dame's matured estate gifts, charitable remainder trusts, donor advised funds, and life insurance program. She works closely with the Gift Planning Advancement team to support donors giving through these vehicles and identify opportunities to improve the engagement of planned giving donors with the University.

Colleen earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Notre Dame in 2013, then spent five years working as a public accountant for PwC and several small non-profit organizations in Michigan before returning to the University as an employee. Prior to joining Gift Planning in 2023, Colleen served on the Advancement Services team ensuring appropriate accounting for all charitable gifts to Notre Dame. She and her husband, Kyle (also ND ‘13) reside in South Bend with their three children.