Cook Silverman Search Recruits Executive Director for Ploughshares
October 2, 2025 – Greenbrae, CA-based Cook Silverman Search has placed Samara Dun as the new executive director of Ploughshares. “Samara’s journey began as a young activist in the nuclear freeze movement, which inspired her lifelong commitment to peace and collaboration,” Ploughshares said in a LinkedIn post. “Longtime friends of Ploughshares may remember Samara from her tenure as director of development, and her return to Ploughshares is a full-circle moment to lead our work toward a world that is free from the threat of nuclear weapons.” Ms. Dun brings over two decades of leadership experience in philanthropy and non-profit management to her role as executive director of Ploughshares.
She previously served as vice president of development, communications, and marketing at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, and held senior development positions at Larkin Street Youth Services and Environmental Defense Fund. From 2006 to 2016, Ms. Dun was director of development at Ploughshares, where she shaped fundraising strategy and supported significant organizational growth. For the past eight years, she has also operated as an independent philanthropy strategist, designing innovative funding models and conducting capital campaign feasibility studies.
Ms. Dun’s career has been dedicated to advancing peace and security, social justice, and environmental causes. She believes in the transformative power of strategic philanthropy to address humanity’s most pressing challenges, from nuclear threats to climate change. Her approach emphasizes integrity, transparency, and cross-sector collaboration to maximize collective impact. A lifelong advocate for nuclear arms control, Ms. Dun began as a young activist in the nuclear freeze movement.
“Ploughshares is where I experienced the most formative years of my professional development and stretched to accomplish things I never thought possible,” said Ms. Dun. “The extraordinary individuals at Ploughshares and throughout our community continue to inspire me, and I am deeply excited to spend my time with them working on our shared mission.”
In her new position with Ploughshares, Ms. Dun will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and guidance across all departments while supporting the president and board chair.
Ploughshares is a global security foundation committed to reducing nuclear threats and ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons. The organization envisions a safer and more secure world, driven by its mission to transform nuclear policy. To achieve this, Ploughshares strengthens the nuclear field by amplifying diverse voices, fostering public engagement, and challenging the status quo.
Cook Silverman Search focuses on many senior positions including but not limited to: development, CEO/COO/ executive director and CFO’s for non-profit organizations, predominantly in Northern California. Its client base represents a broad span of organizations, including social service, museums, science. independent schools, universities, conservation, health care, and culture. The firm has placed advancement executives for Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, Children’s Council of San Francisco, Eviction Defense Collaborative, The Unity Council, Earth Island Institute, among others.
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Victoria L. Silverman is managing founder of the search firm. She has more than 30 years of experience in the philanthropic sector. Throughout her career, Ms. Silverman has worked in senior fundraising, advancement, and management positions at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of California, the American Film Institute, and the Buck Institute for Age Research, among others. Her search work focuses on higher education, the arts, biotech and environment sectors. She has been a speaker for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and has served on fundraising advisory committees for several non-profit organizations.
Chief Development Officer Search
Cook Silverman Search was recently retained by St. Anthony’s Foundation in San Francisco to lead in its search for a chief development officer. The non-profit seeks a strategic, mission-driven CDO to lead all fundraising and donor engagement efforts. As a key member of the executive team, this executive will be a thought partner to the CEO and an architect of fundraising modernization. The CDO will be leading change management efforts following organizational restructuring and a reduction in force.
This is a moment of transformation for St. Anthony’s. The incoming CDO will join a newly aligned executive team and play a pivotal role in shaping a high-performing development function—one rooted in Franciscan values and built for long-term growth. The organization is seeking a dynamic leader with deep experience across all fundraising channels, a strong grasp of data-informed strategy, and a talent for cultivating meaningful, values-aligned donor relationships. The CDO will inspire others through collaboration, clarity, and a commitment to connecting philanthropy with purpose.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
