Work for the department - Spotlights on staff

Head of Development Katy Duff joined the Department to make a tangible contribution toward our students' welfare and our programmes.

'I started my working life fresh from university as a marketing assistant at Oxford University Press. If I'm honest, I didn't really know that much about Oxford so it was a bit of a leap of faith for someone who'd never been out of Scotland for longer than 3 weeks at a time before – I'm not sure I could have picked Oxford out on a map! I very quickly grew to love the city and my work and was promoted to marketing manager at OUP.'

'After 6 years I accepted a job working as a Campaign Executive for the University of Oxford. The campaign executives are a team of non-portfolio fundraisers who work to engage alumni with the university, with a view to developing support for the University's "Oxford Thinking" fundraising campaign. Real highlights of the job included spending time with the University's alumni and talking to them about the university and their experiences. Knowing that the work I was doing was making such a difference to the university and its students was enormously motivating and I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Campaign Executive.'

'One of the areas of the University that I found myself most drawn while working on the Oxford Thinking campaign was the Department for Continuing Education - I loved the feeling of openness and accessibility as well as the transformational impact the Department can have on the lives of its students - so when the position of Head of Development was advertised I jumped at the opportunity and was thrilled to be successful in my application.'

'As a Department, our top priority is to ensure that all students who have the ability and desire to learn are able to study with us, whether they wish to undertake a day or weekend school, online course or part-time Master's or DPhil. The loss of core funding for much of continuing education has meant that this priority will only be possible with the continued support of our benefactors. I feel strongly that education should be available for all, regardless of age, background or circumstance and am looking forward to making a difference in this area.'

'I'm also excited about getting to know our students and working to develop a greater sense of community around our Department and will be planning a number of events and lectures over the coming months that I hope will be a great opportunity for me to meet some of our students and alumni.'

'I'd like to invite anyone with any thoughts or comments about the Department, or anyone who would be interested in finding out more about the Department for Continuing Education to contact me at katherine.duff@conted.ox.ac.uk or on 01865 280762.'