Faculty and Staff Support the U: Alumna and Staff Member Opens Doors for Students and the Community

Ann Helmers knows that the University of Miami is a powerful force for changing lives. The director of Career Services and Alumni Relations at the College of Engineering, Helmers is a longtime donor to United Way and has contributed to the UM Annual Fund. "I am very proud of our University and glad to be able to give back," she says.

"UM strives to open the doors of higher education for young people and change their lives forever. This mission is definitely worthy of our support."

Ann Helmers

Helmers has strong ties to UM, both personally and professionally. She began working at the University in 1981, two years after earning her bachelor's degree in education. She would go on to earn her M.B.A. in 1990. She also met her husband, Terry, a University alumnus and systems analyst in the Information Technology department, at UM. Nearly three decades later, both of the couple's children are UM alumni. Dan majored in ecosystem science and policy, graduating in 2011, and Caroline in history, graduating this past spring.

Now in her 20th year with the College of Engineering, Helmers helps students prepare for careers in this growing field. "There is an immense demand for engineering talent," she says. "This is a great time to be an engineer."

With the University's continued progress, it's also a great time, she says, to advise the college's student groups and cultivate alumni support. "It is a joy for me to work with so many bright and committed students and alumni," she says. "They are so attuned to the importance of giving back."

Through the years, Helmers also has contributed her time and talent to the United Way of Miami-Dade and has been a UM unit campaign coordinator since 1986. She served as a campaign leader for the entire University in 1992-94. "About 50 percent of the working people in South Florida are below the poverty line," she says. "Not everyone has a job with a steady income and benefits, and United Way agencies provide those individuals and families with the support they need."

She's also worked with a number of community outreach programs that inspire impoverished high school students to pursue a college education.

Helmers is doing her part to help advance the University through her professional and philanthropic efforts. As she says, "UM strives to open the doors of higher education for young people and change their lives forever. This mission is definitely worthy of our support."