Lochlin Partners Assists the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation with Chief Development Officer Search
July 11, 2025 – 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. The campaign’s cornerstone was the construction of the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center; a transformational capital project located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy. Under her leadership, the institute’s annual fundraising more than quintupled and supported the creation of an eight-figure reserve fund to ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability.
Before her time at the Naval Institute, Ms. Lancaster held key fundraising roles at the Naval Academy Foundation, where she was both a rising gift officer and class giving program coordinator. She created the foundation’s young alumni giving initiative and a “first gift” program for graduating midshipmen. Earlier in her career, Ms. Lancaster worked at FINRA, where she managed educational content for conferences serving the securities industry.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Lancaster is actively engaged in community service. She serves on the board of the Jess Carson Foundation, an Annapolis-based family foundation supporting terminally and critically ill children and their families. She is also proud to have served as chair of the Board of Trustees for St. Margaret’s Day School.
Lochlin Partners conducts searches for board and executive-level positions within government and corporate affairs, government contracting, technology and services, higher education, the public sector, financial services, and healthcare. The firm is led by managing partners Liza Wright, and Pat Friel. Each of the managing partners has been in the search business for 20 or more years and has been a partner in one of the four large international firms—and in most cases has run a major office or practice at those firms.
For more than 25 years, Mr. Friel has provided executive search and leadership advisory services to a broad range of clients. He works extensively with clients in government, financial services, technology and professional services organizations, trade and membership associations, and non-profits, helping these clients build world-class management teams. Mr. Friel provides particular expertise in recruiting senior executives in the areas of general management (CEOs and general managers), financial management (CFOs, controllers, tax and audit leadership) and business management functions including marketing, business development, legal and human resources.
Ms. Wright has over 25 years of experience in the executive search industry. Prior to co-founding Lochlin Partners, she served at the highest levels of government, working at the White House as the assistant to the President and director of Presidential Personnel. As the senior personnel advisor to former President George W. Bush, she met with the President regularly to recommend individuals to fill critical presidential appointments, including Cabinet Secretaries, Ambassadors and other key positions in Cabinet-level departments and U.S. regulatory agencies.
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.
BroadView Talent Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Danielle Muckley as the new chief development officer of Signal Ohio. The assignment was led by Christie Angel, Melania DaSilva Deaver, Robyn Quinn, and Elizabeth Keyser. Ms. Muckley will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive, enterprise-wide fundraising strategy that supports Signal Ohio’s mission and expanding network of local newsrooms. Reporting directly to the CEO, she will be responsible to create the fundraising strategy and grow revenue across diverse funding streams, including individual donors, institutional philanthropy, corporate partners, and grants, while building and managing a high-performing development team.
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
