The LiveLikeLou Foundation welcomes its first full-time executive director to lead the national nonprofit, a milestone for the organization and its fight for the cause of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Wendy Faust will leave her role as executive director of institutional advancement with Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana, later this month.
Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Executive Vice President and CEO Sean Wagner said, “Wendy’s extensive communications and fundraising background, along with her years of leadership experience in the Greek community, will be a perfect complement to LiveLikeLou’s partnership with Phi Delta Theta.”
In 2018, the Fraternity provided LiveLikeLou with administrative, governance, and philanthropic support to help it evolve from a regional grassroots operation which had been co-founded by Phi Delt brother Neil Alexander (University of Pittsburgh) and his wife Suzanne.
“Neil’s vision was always to build LiveLikeLou from a localized effort into a national brand, to have a meaningful impact on ALS research and ALS families,” Suzanne said. “This investment in executive leadership is the next step in fulfilling his promise to leave ALS better than he found it.”
When recruiting for the role this past summer, the LiveLikeLou board of trustees placed a high priority on fundraising expertise and non-profit strategic leadership. More than seventy professionals from across North America applied, providing a diverse and talented pool of recruits for the role.
“Wendy rose to the top,” said LiveLikeLou Board of Trustees Chairman WL Gray, TCU ‘70. “Her talents, experience, and vision will help us expand our reach into new communities of support, including families, corporations, and foundations that care about ALS.” He added that, “Wendy’s skillset is the perfect addition to our growing network of volunteers and compassionate supporters.”
Wendy has more than twenty years of professional experience in nonprofit leadership, including corporate communications, fundraising, leadership development, marketing, and administration. She held several volunteer and staff leadership roles with her women’s fraternity, Alpha Gamma Delta, most recently as executive director. Wendy has also provided volunteer leadership with the American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and several educational support organizations in Indianapolis. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in communication studies from Sonoma State University in 1997 and earned a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in September 2020.
“Just as Lou Gehrig never took a day off from baseball, ALS doesn’t take a day off for those who have been diagnosed with it, or for those who care for them,” Wendy said. “I welcome the opportunity to support families impacted by ALS and funding research to bring us closer to treatment, or better yet, a cure.”
Wendy and her husband Wesley have two daughters, Whitney and Wynter, and live in Carmel, Indiana. The Fausts love being outdoors—especially if it involves the beach, a pool, or a lake—and have enjoyed becoming Hoosiers since relocating to the Indianapolis area from California in 2015.
