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Chief Advancement Officer

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Chief Advancement Officer

The Lovett School

Atlanta, Georgia

A premier independent, coeducational day school, The Lovett School fosters “a community of belonging” where students develop the “cheerful resilience to thrive.” Lovett was founded in 1926 and serves more than 1,600 students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Every student comes to The Lovett School on the first steps of a journey uniquely their own — already steered by individual strengths and personal passions, already shaped by innate talents and distinctive graces. Fostering inquisitive minds as well as joyful spirits, strong bodies, good characters, and empathetic hearts, Lovett’s approach is guided by the values of their founder, Eva Edwards Lovett — an innovative educator who emphasized whole-child development, education through doing, and joyful learning. Their continuing mission is to provide experiences that inspire an enduring enthusiasm for learning and to graduate young people of honor, faith, and wisdom.

The Opportunity

The Lovett School seeks a seasoned Chief Advancement Officer to lead and grow its advancement team. This role will report directly to the Head of School, serve as a member of the Administrative Senior Leadership Team, and be responsible for developing a comprehensive fundraising strategy to support the school’s philanthropic priorities. As the school prepares to move into a comprehensive campaign, the Chief Advancement Officer will be charged with amplifying Lovett’s culture of generosity and further elevate the school’s seven-figure annual giving program, the True Blue Annual Fund.

A proven leader with team-building competency and the ability to motivate and inspire, the CAO must be a dynamic fundraising executive who possesses drive, vision, and initiative. The ideal candidate will demonstrate knowledge and prior success in campaigns, major and principal gifts, annual giving, and volunteer engagement.

By admin|2021-09-19T14:42:32-04:00September 19, 2021|Comments Off

About the Author: admin

An innovative and deeply committed thought partner for organizations across a range of sectors, Faith Montgomery equips nonprofit leaders to realize their visions in the world. She synthesizes the many variables of an executive search into a shared reality with her clients, providing vital support and guidance that helps them prepare for new leadership eras. Faith has served clients in education, healthcare, the arts, social justice, and policy with her strategic expertise in how to leverage evolving workplace dynamics and engage teams to unlock their full potential.

Expertise

As a trusted advisor to leaders and boards, Faith is known for prioritizing clarity, communication, and mutual understanding in all of her client engagements. She believes in getting to the root of organizational dynamics and contexts as a critical first step on the path to achieving her clients’ long-term goals.

Faith brings a collaborative approach to recruitment, creating an environment conducive to open dialogue and respect. With a focus on active listening, she asks the right questions to surface pain points and craft effective strategies that enable organizations to navigate challenges and ensure smooth leadership transitions.

Highly skilled in activating commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Faith advises organizations on reducing bias in hiring, building diverse pools of candidates, and mitigating the structural challenges facing leaders of color.

As an executive leader and consultant with Lindauer, Faith has recruited for leadership and executive positions across higher education, healthcare, think tanks, arts and culture, independent schools, and more.

Experience

Before joining Lindauer, Faith was Vice President of Operations at Columbus Advisors Group, LLC, where she developed organizational infrastructure and protocol, and Vice President of Development at Easter Seals Massachusetts, where she led major gifts, corporate and foundation relations, annual fund, and special events, raising millions annually to support people with disabilities.

Faith is Co-Chair of the American Council on Education’s Executive Search Roundtable and serves on the national Board of the African American Development Officer’s Network. She is also a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC) and The Giving Institute. She formerly served on the Boston Chapter Board of Jack and Jill.

A sought-after public speaker, C-suite advisor, and executive-level thought partner, Faith works with integrity, clarity, and a nuanced understanding of leadership dynamics to drive positive outcomes for both organizations and candidates alike.

Education

Faith holds a BA in Communications/Business from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MA in Interpersonal Communications from Purdue University.

Chandra Montgomery brings nearly 25 years of nonprofit sector experience to Lindauer and our clients. Her background spans higher education, academic medicine, youth services, public media, and museums. Over the past two-plus decades, Chandra has honed skills and expertise in advancement services, fundraising strategy, foundation relations, DEIB principles, and human resources.

Prior to joining the firm, Chandra oversaw grateful patient discovery, pipeline development, data management, and gift services for Health Sciences and the Keck School of Medicine during her tenure at the University of Southern California. She also launched and co-chaired the University Advancement DEI Council. Prior to USC, Chandra led prospect development teams at National Public Radio and Virginia Commonwealth University. In the course of her career, she has identified over $1 trillion in giving capacity and has supported nine- and 10-figure comprehensive campaigns, including USC’s historic $7 billion campaign.

Since 2008, she has been an active member of Apra where she has held numerous volunteer leadership roles. Chandra has also led training for Apra University and delivered keynote sessions for state and regional chapters across the country. Since 2014, she has chaired the Advocacy and Membership committees and is a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She has also served on the Conference Planning Committee and was a member of the organization’s inaugural Body of Knowledge committee for Relationship Management. Prior to her committee service, she was a member of the Apra-Virginia board of directors.

Chandra is also a member of the African American Development Officer’s Network (AADO), Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC), Association for Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), among others. In 2019, she was selected for CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute where she is also a member and conference presenter/faculty. Equally passionate about her personal philanthropy, she is a 2020 Philanthropy Together Launchpad participant and giving circle founder.

A passionate HBCU alum, Chandra earned her bachelor’s in English from Hampton University where she has served as a volunteer alumni leader. She also holds a master’s degree and graduate certificate in Human Resources Law & Compliance from the USC Gould School of Law. Chandra has also completed additional graduate coursework at the College of William and Mary and holds multiple DEI certifications.