Lindauer Recruits Chief Development Officer for C-SPAN
September 1, 2026 – Following a national search, Lindauer has assisted in the recruitment of Adele Hixon-Day as the first chief development officer of C-SPAN. The search is being led by Lindauer vice president Maureen Huminik, senior vice president Bob Giannino, and senior consultant Taylor Beard. “Adele joins C-SPAN at a pivotal moment,” said C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist. “For decades, the cable and satellite, and recently the streaming industry, has made C-SPAN’s unique public service possible, and that support remains vitally important. At the same time, we need to broaden the community of individuals and organizations invested in C-SPAN and its future. Adele as the experience, energy, and vision to help us build that next chapter.”
“C-SPAN was created with a remarkably durable idea: give the American people direct access to their government and let them make up their own minds,” Mr. Feist added. “Building a strong philanthropic program will help ensure that C-SPAN — and our commitment to Democracy Unfiltered — remains strong for the next generation.”
Ms. Hixon-Day is an experienced non-profit executive with more than 15 years of experience in fundraising, development and organizational leadership, including service as a chief advancement officer at the Smithsonian Institution and as vice president of development at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Throughout her career, she has built and led development programs, cultivated philanthropic partnerships, and helped organizations expand the resources available to advance their missions.
As chief development officer, Ms. Hixon-Day will lead C-SPAN’s philanthropic strategy, building relationships with foundations, major donors, and individual supporters who share C-SPAN’s commitment to providing Americans direct, unfiltered, and nonpartisan access to their government and the political process. She will also help develop philanthropic support for priorities including C-SPAN’s journalism, civic education, digital innovation and preservation, and modernization of its extensive video archive.
“C-SPAN occupies a truly unique place in American civic life, and I’m excited to help strengthen that public service for the future,” said Ms. Hixon-Day. “There is a tremendous opportunity to connect people and organizations who care about democracy, civic education and access to trusted information with C-SPAN’s mission. I look forward to expanding the community of supporters who will help C-SPAN continue to serve the American people.”
For more than four decades, C-SPAN has served as the nation’s non-profit political network of record, providing unfiltered, nonpartisan access to the work of government and public affairs without editorial commentary, political advocacy, or commercial interruption.
Lindauer serves higher and secondary education, hospitals, academic research centers, think tanks, research facilities, and foundations, as well as advocacy, public service, social justice and other mission-driven non-profits. The firm has led searches for The Aspen Institute, Auburn University, Franklin & Marshall College, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Princeton University, MIT Sloan, Dickinson College, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Columbia University, University of Illinois, Room to Read and Educate Girls, among others.
Related: Yale University Taps Lindauer to Lead Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development
Deb Taft leads Lindauer with over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the non-profit sector, from education to healthcare/academic medicine to the youth service and voluntary sectors. Her expertise includes governance, strategic planning, fundraising, program and staff management, strategic marketing, analytics, and constituent engagement, as well as talent recruitment, retention, and development.
The Search Team
Ms. Huminik co-leads Lindauer’s healthcare and academic medicine practice and its advocacy, policy, and social enterprise practice. Her healthcare clients include City of Hope, Cleveland Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center, and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, while her work in higher education includes Arizona State University, Binghamton University, DePauw University, New York University, and University of Massachusetts. Ms. Huminik has also worked with organizations and missions as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Catholic Charities, JDRF, YMCA, and YWCA.
Mr. Giannino is senior vice president and co-leader of the firm’s advocacy, policy, and social enterprise practice. With decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, he has had a transformational impact in advancing opportunity, access, and equity. Mr. Giannino joined Lindauer in July 2024 from the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, where he has provided the leadership and strategic direction that drives the organization toward creating greater opportunity, access, and equity for all in Eastern Massachusetts. “Bob has made a transformative difference at the highest levels of non-profit leadership by identifying opportunities for impact, making bold plans, and bringing people together to find common cause for the common good,” said Ms. Taft.
Ms. Beard brings to Lindauer and its clients several years of philanthropic consulting and project management experience in the non-profit sector. Throughout her career, she has partnered with a range of clients including American University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Chicago Urban League, Colgate University, Da Vinci Science Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Englewood Health Foundation, Folger Shakespeare Library, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Germantown Friends School, Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Macalester College, Milwaukee Art Museum, Louisiana State University Athletics, National Cathedral School, Oregon Health and Science University Foundation, Pennsylvania State University Athletics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Minnesota Foundation, University of New Mexico Foundation, University of the Arctic, Trinity College, and Upper Canada College.
Related: Lindauer Assists Destination Imagination with CEO Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
