SANI SILVENNOINEN

Interim Campaign Director, Finland
 
Sani Silvennoinen joined Brakeley in 2006 as the Interim Campaign Director for the Helsinki University of Technology in Espoo, Finland. Although working on location in Finland, Sani maintains his residence in Baltimore, MD, USA where he lives with his wife Patty Ponce.

Before joining Brakeley, Sani was most recently responsible for all European fundraising for Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA). While at Yale, Sani developed relationships with, and managed cultivation and solicitation of individual major and principal gift prospects in Europe and as well as select prospects in Midwestern United States. He also coordinated the European activities of the Yale University Capital Campaign which was still in its early stages, and served as Campaign Liaison for the Capital Campaign Committee members based in Europe.

Born in Järvenpää, Finland, Sani was raised in Turku, Finland. At the age of fifteen, he left Finland to attend Governor Dummer Academy (now The Governor’s School) near Boston, MA, USA. Following his high school education, Sani studied at Yale University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an interdisciplinary concentration in international relations.

An avid hockey player, Sani followed his dream to play the sport professionally by playing in Bayreuth, Germany following his graduation from college.

Following his brief foray into professional sports, Sani continued his studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland where he received his Master of Arts in Social Sciences, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Intercultural Communication and International Relations.

After a year-long internship at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations and a compulsory military service, Sani joined the Development Office staff at his alma mater in 2001 where he gained extensive practical experience in annual and major gift fundraising, campaign preparation and volunteer coordination.