U of L alumni director resigns

The University of Louisville's $185,000-a-year director of alumni relations resigned Friday after questions emerged that she used the same position at the University of Georgia to take taxpayer-funded trips to run marathons.

U of L announced that Deborah Dietzler, associate vice president for alumni relations and annual giving, resigned from her position, saying that remaining in it would be a distraction and that she needed to focus on the issues at Georgia.

An internal audit at UGA found that after Dietzler signed up to run races in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Monterey, Calif., she would ask her staff to set up meetings or events in the area so she could get the university to reimburse her airfare and in some cases other expenses.

U of L puts alumni director on leave

U of L hired her after her contract was not renewed at Georgia in February 2014.

In a statement this week, U of L said it only recently learned about the allegations, which it said were not uncovered in a national search that included sending 1,500 emails to alumni professionals.

The statement said Dietzler had been placed on administrative leave to "enable us to conduct a thorough review" regarding her employment at Georgia and U of L.

In another statement, her Atlanta attorney, Andrew Coffman, said Dietzler "strongly denies any suggestion or claim that she intentionally violated any rule or policy at" Georgia.

Reporter Andrew Wolfson can be reached at (502) 582-7189 or awolfson@courier-journal.com.

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