DRiWaterstone Human Capital Seeking Chief Development Officer for the U.S. Naval Institute
October 22, 2025 – DRiWaterstone Human Capital is currently seeking a chief development officer for the U.S. Naval Institute. The U.S. Naval Institute seeks a development leader of presence and confidence with an authentic passion for the Naval Institute’s mission. The chief development officer will oversee a comprehensive development program, building strong relationships with individual, corporate, and foundation supporters to secure unrestricted, specific, endowment, and planned gifts that advance the organization’s mission.
Candidates should have non-profit fundraising experience, with a deep understanding of strategic comprehensive development. Those applying should be a relationship builder who is comfortable working with high-level individuals and making subsequent six and seven-figure asks. Candidates must also have substantial experience engaging senior leadership teams, managing staff, and developing and working with boards and volunteers. They must have deep experience with military and national security funders and an authentic passion for the Naval Institute’s mission. Extensive experience in donor relations and management, ensuring strong and lasting relationships with supporters is also preferred.
The Naval Institute is a private, not-for-profit educational institution with a current membership of over 27,000 worldwide. The institute operates from revenues generated by book sales, membership dues, advertising income, conferences/events, and from tax-deductible gifts made to the Naval Institute Foundation.
Created through a recent merger between DRi and Waterstone Human Capital, DRiWaterstone Human Capital is a culture-centric executive search, leadership advisory, and human capital firm focused on helping mission and purpose-driven organizations across the U.S. build high performance teams and cultures. The firm’s team of talent management professionals has placed over 1,000 exceptional executives since it opened in 2001.
The firm offers executive search services focused on helping clients achieve sustainable organizational and cultural growth by finding leaders who align to the organization’s purpose, and who can help take the organization and its culture to the next level. DRiWaterstone Human Capital also offers a full portfolio of cultural talent management and leadership advisory services (including culture assessment, culture measurement, and culture curation) – to help organizations put culture at the center of strategy and drive success.
Chief Development Officers
Virtually every industry needs top-drawer chief development officers. CDOs play a key role in planning, coordinating, and administering capital campaigns, corporate giving, and galvanizing new donors while keeping previous funders content. Implementing funding strategies that “keep the lights on,” according to recruiters specializing in the function, is job No. 1. Here is a sampling of recent searches for chief development officers from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives.
Lochlin Partners has helped to recruit Heather Lancaster as chief development officer of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation (GWOTMF), a non-profit corporation formed in 2015 to honor the service and sacrifice of all individuals who have contributed to global counterterrorism efforts since September 11th, 2001. Ms. Lancaster most recently served at the U.S. Naval Institute, joining in 2012 as director of development and advancing to executive vice president in 2018. During her tenure, she led a small team focused on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors. She also oversaw the planning and successful execution of the Institute’s first-ever comprehensive campaign.
TM² Executive Search (TM²) is currently looking for a chief development officer for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). The search is being led by TM² Executive Search’s managing principal, Dakota Doman. The chief development officer at TMCF serves as a critical member of the executive leadership team, directly reporting to the president and CEO. This role is charged with designing and implementing a robust fundraising strategy to amplify TMCF’s mission, impact, and sustainability. With a competitive salary range of $175,000–$230,000 and a bonus potential of 20 percent, this position offers an unparalleled opportunity for a dynamic leader to champion innovative development strategies, enhance donor relationships, and drive transformational change for historically Black community colleges (HBCCs), and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) across the nation.
After a nationwide search, Boston-based Pearl Street Collective has assisted UMass Amherst Foundation (UMAF) in the recruitment of Robin Elkins as senior executive director and chief development officer for the UMass Amherst College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. Ms. Elkins is a highly regarded fundraising strategist and relationship builder whose experience spans higher education and the non-profit space. She joins UMAF from Emerson College where she led principal and major giving for the School of the Arts, the School of Communication, and the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies as associate dean for advancement, securing critical funding to advance institutional priorities. Prior to joining Emerson, Ms. Elkins was vice president, development at the New England Aquarium where she set the development strategy to support organizational goals for the institution.
Related: Lindauer Selected by Scouting America to Lead Chief Development Officer Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
