Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Athletic Director, Major Gifts
- Email:
- Phone:
- 412-327-8747
Emily (Sejna) Nally joined Pitt Athletics in October 2018. In her current role as Assistant Athletic Director for Major Gifts, Nally’s primary focus is to cultivate major gift support for Pitt Athletics and its nearly 750 student-athletes, band and spirit squad members. Nally cultivates, solicits, and stewards a portfolio of nearly 120 generous major gift donors. She is a key part of a fundraising team that has achieved unprecedented success in both major gift commitments and total donors in her tenure.
Throughout her time at Pitt, Nally has had multiple fiscal years of seven-figure success in gifts and commitments. During the 2021-2022 and 2022-23 fiscal years, the number of donors to Pitt Athletics surpassed 12,000 donors for the only times in our history, with a peak of 12,778. Over that same time, $59M has been contributed to Pitt Athletics. She also played a key role in the organization and execution of the launch of Pitt Athletics’ philanthropic major giving society, The Script Society. Additionally, she completed the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate program at Pitt and is pursuing a certificate in Organizational Leadership and Ethics.
A Chicago native, Nally spent two years working at Northwestern University, serving as the program assistant for major gifts. Nally assisted all frontline fundraisers by reporting on all athletics major gifts activity and tracking metrics for fiscal year goals and progress towards Northwestern’s WE WILL $450+ million athletics fundraising campaign. Additionally, she created and implemented strategic processes to uphold prospect manager’s accountability for task management, prospect strategy, and proposal execution to help drive strategic discussions for major and principal gift conversations. She holds a Master’s in Sports Administration from Northwestern University.
Nally was a four-year varsity water polo student-athlete and captain at the University of Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree in communications studies. Nally was heavily involved in the student-athlete community; serving on SAAC’s executive board for three years, worked as a student-ambassador, and held a position as a development summer intern in the athletic development office.
She resides in Shaler with her husband, Brian.
Beyond the Bio
What is your favorite thing to do in the city of Pittsburgh?
I enjoy exploring all the different neighborhoods and what each area has to offer. Each neighborhood has its characteristics that make them unique and different from the next. I am either walking, running, driving or eating my way through the areas!
What do you love most about the University of Pittsburgh?
The University of Pittsburgh offers a one-of-a-kind balance – in Athletics, we preach “comprehensive excellence” and that’s what the University has to offer: our academic programs, world-renowned research and medical institution, our urban environment, the unique architecture, historic athletics program, and so many more things that continue to push the university’s presence nationally and globally.
What do you love most about working in athletics?
The best thing about working in athletics is knowing I am helping to make an impact on the current student-athlete experience. To have the opportunity to pay forward my experience as a former student-athlete AND work with a TEAM to accomplish this is a great feeling.
Favorite quote?
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” – Eleanor Roosevelt
