Kelsey Dale was appointed to lead the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) Advancement Department as the Vice President of Advancement in June 2022. She joined the Institute in September 2016 as Deputy Director of Advancement, in which she co-led record philanthropic growth at the Institute. As Vice President of Advancement, Kelsey continues to work very closely with the Institute’s Board of Directors and oversee departmental operations, programs, annual giving, and special events, while leading the Institute’s relationships with elite philanthropic partners and donors to secure private support for the Institute’s research. Kelsey is also responsible for overseeing the Institute’s planned giving program and working with LJI’s Planned Giving Advisory Council.

Prior to joining LJI, Kelsey worked in the fundraising and donor relations field for more than nine years at various San Diego organizations with a range of foci from higher-education, to global health and medical research. Early in her career she also served as an AmeriCorps Service Member in Seattle, WA.

She is an Active Member with ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) San Diego, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization founded and administered by women who support scientific advancement in STEM areas to address the national need for scientists by providing funding for the country’s brightest U.S. graduate Scholars. She is also a current member and has served on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) – San Diego Chapter, and is also a member of the North County Philanthropy Council and corporate member of the La Jolla Rotary Club.

Kelsey earned a B.A. in History and graduated with Honors from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. She lives in Carlsbad with her husband and two daughters.

Eileen Timken joined the Institute in April 2017. She was promoted to the Director of Advancement in August of 2023, and previously served the Advancement Department as an Advancement Officer (beginning in January of 2021), the Advancement Associate (beginning in September of 2018), and the Advancement Coordinator. Her role is to manage the department’s operations and develop the department’s annual fundraising and stewardship strategies to support the research of LJI. She is a Certified Salesforce Administrator. Eileen is also an active Member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Eileen earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 2015 from the University of Delaware Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration through an accelerated degree program, which she began as an undergraduate while pursuing a B.A. in Public Policy, completed in 2014.

Prior to joining LJI, Eileen worked for a range of non-profit and government organizations in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. These include the City of Lake Forest, of Chicago’s North Shore, and the nationally renowned Center for Community Research and Service of the University of Delaware.

As a student, Eileen also interned for Congress, the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Chelsea Luedeke joined LJI in March 2018 as the Institute’s Engagement and Stewardship Officer. In this role she develops and enriches relationships with donors and manages events supported by LJI’s advancement department. Having worked in the fundraising and donor relations departments of two of LJI’s peer institutions for over a decade, Chelsea brings significant industry and event planning experience to the Institute.

Chelsea earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an English minor from San Diego State University. She also holds a marketing degree from the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising.

Chelsea lives in Carlsbad with her husband and two daughters.