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Vice President for Advancement and Chief Development Officer

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Vice President for Advancement and Chief Development Officer

Simmons University

Boston, Massachusetts

Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons University is a private university, home to a respected women’s undergraduate program as well as coeducational graduate programs in nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library and information science. Simmons has been a trailblazer and an innovator over the last decade, devoting considerable institutional capital to redesigning its institutional structure to meet the demands of 21st-century education and research, including high-quality online academic offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The Opportunity

Simmons University seeks an experienced, innovative, and strategic Vice President for Advancement and Chief Development Officer with the highest standards of achievement, integrity, and excellence. Reporting to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Leadership Team, the VPCDO will have a demonstrated commitment to the value of higher education and the opportunities it provides; a proven track record of success in building comprehensive advancement programs through engagement with key stakeholders, collaboration with internal and external community members, bold thinking that inspires constituents; and an unwavering focus on creating programs, engagement opportunities, and strategic funding priorities that motivate alumnae/i, parents, friends, and community members to invest in the future of the University.

With the opportunity to lead and expand the current Advancement team, the VPCDO will oversee and direct Simmons’ next campaign, which celebrates its 125th anniversary. As the University prepares to break ground on a new Science Center, residence halls, and a student-focused Living and Learning Center, the VPCDO will lead the efforts to engage donors and prospects in this bold vision for the institution. The VPCDO will bring the institution to its full philanthropic potential by building a best-in-class Advancement team that will identify, engage, and inspire donors at all levels. They will oversee all aspects of a robust and substantive advancement effort, including all fundraising, advancement services, and alumnae/i and donor relations programs. They will galvanize and lead the team in the boldest campaign in the history of the University and must be a strong motivator, have excellent leadership skills, and possess a commitment to education and social justice through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Simmons University

Past searches and placements for Simmons University

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    By admin|2021-06-08T13:43:00-04:00June 8, 2021|Comments Off on Vice President for Advancement and Chief Development Officer

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    Megan Abbett brings years of experience in advancement, nonprofit leadership, and executive search across many sectors and multiple professional functions. Respected and trusted across a broad range of regional and national organizations, clients return to and refer her to lead, manage, innovate, and execute searches whether in established, maturing, or emerging contexts.

    Just as Megan was adept at matching donors with causes close to their hearts in her nonprofit work, she excels at finding candidates with deep passion for her clients’ missions. Megan began her advancement career with six years at Simmons University in Boston, MA, then known as Simmons College. Her early years leading annual giving allowed her to gain a thorough grounding in development and in the complexities of an urban university with strong undergraduate and graduate programs. From Simmons she moved to her alma mater, Boston College, and later to another part of the nonprofit sector for Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that helps educators and students use history to take action against racism, prejudice, and hate. Her success there led her back to Simmons, where across a seven-year tenure she moved up through management to serve as a senior advancement leader and lead all Communications and Donor Relations. She made the career transition to executive search at Lindauer in 2011.

    Just some of Megan’s notable clients at Lindauer include The Aspen Institute, Auburn University, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Children’s Hospital Foundation, City of Hope, Columbia University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Grassroot Soccer, Intelligence Squared, Marietta College, Michigan State University, Pratham USA, Room to Read, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the United States Marshals Museum, University of Illinois, University of Kansas Hospital, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, White Plains Hospital, Whitman College, The United States Marshals Museum, and The University of West Virginia. Megan holds a BA in English from Boston College and a Master of Arts in Public Relations and Business Communication from Emerson College.

    Deb Taft, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Owner, leads Lindauer with over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the nonprofit sector, from education to healthcare/academic medicine to the youth service and voluntary sectors. Her considerable expertise includes governance, strategic planning, fundraising, program and staff management, strategic marketing, analytics, and constituent engagement, as well as talent recruitment, retention, and development.

    Taft was previously Senior Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), headquartered in Chicago and one of the world’s leading philanthropic consultancies. She led the firm day-to-day and oversaw all domestic and global consulting practices. She was also Interim Chief Financial Officer, Practice Area Leader for Analytics, and drove consultant recruitment, training, and resource utilization efforts.

    Taft also served as Chief Development Officer and Interim Chief Strategy Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA, based in New York. As one of the most senior officers in this iconic leadership organization representing girls in 112 US councils and 94 countries, she played a critical role in transforming organizational talent, culture, and social impact. She led the hiring and onboarding of a new national Executive Team and the $1 billion ToGetHerThere campaign, the largest fundraising campaign for girls in the world. She was also Executive Sponsor for the global alumnae initiative to acquire and engage 50 million former Girl Scouts. Her work at Girl Scouts is representative of the lasting impact she has made on numerous leading nonprofits in the education, healthcare, and youth service arenas.

    Taft held prior executive and senior development roles at Simmons University, Tufts Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and Concord Academy. She was one of the founding team members of City Year, which today has youth service teams in more than 31 regions across the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

    Taft is Board Chair for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Chair Elect of The Giving Institute, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in Washington, DC, having formerly served as its Chair. Taft also serves ex-officio on the Board of Trustees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), where she chairs its Industry Advisory Council (IAC) representing Educational Partners and leads the Board’s Task Force on Educational Programs.

    A recognized speaker, facilitator, and presenter, her honors include being a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple for excellence in teaching and recognition as a 2021 member of the YW Boston Academy of Women Achievers and a 2019 Leading Woman of Massachusetts by Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Taft holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and an MBA from Simmons School of Management.

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