Jennifer M. Dunlap

Jennifer Dunlap is DRiWaterstone’s co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. After spending decades as a senior executive in premier non-profit organizations, Jennifer was convinced that the sector needed a dedicated and proven partner that could build capacity for organizations whose work is too important to fail.

DRiWaterstone’s core mission is to provide executive search and strategic consulting services that help non-profits grow, thrive, and excel. Under Jennifer’s leadership, DRiWaterstone has become a nationally successful enterprise that has helped hundreds of non-profits secure the right leadership and resources to execute their missions and achieve their goals. With offices in Washington, DC, Boston, New York, Denver, Omaha, Austin, and Seattle, DRiWaterstone has increased the capacity of more than 375 organizations at the local, regional, and national levels.

Jennifer’s personal experience as a senior non-profit leader with a proven track record has made her a highly valued adviser and partner to DRiWaterstone’s clients. Over the last 15 years, Jennifer has led executive searches for CEOs who have reinvented non-profit business models at blue-chip organizations such as AARP, Heifer International, League of Women Voters, NPR, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She has developed strategic plans and built high-impact fundraising initiatives that have driven major service expansions at start-ups and established organizations. Jennifer’s strategic consulting has helped social service providers such as Martha’s Table; major academic organizations such as Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology; arts and cultural landmarks such as the Phillips Collection; and numerous other clients.

With Jennifer at its helm, DRiWaterstone has also offered unparalleled expertise to U.S.- and foreign-based international NGOs with unique executive search and strategic consulting needs. Before founding DRiWaterstone, Jennifer served as a Senior Vice President at the American Red Cross, as Vice President at CARE USA, and a senior leader at the United Way and Easter Seals. Jennifer has utilized her expertise in the international sector to provide executive search and strategic consulting for such notable organizations as Accordia, Global Fund for Children, PATH, Special Court for the Sierra Leone, the UN Foundation, and Women for Women International.

Jennifer’s strategic thinking, business acumen, and steady application of these practices to the world of executive search and strategic consulting has made her one of the foremost consultants working with non-profits today. Jennifer is a sought-after advisor who has been featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Non-Profit Times, and other major non-profit publications. She brings her personal understanding of the non-profit marketplace to each of her clients.

Jennifer is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo and has completed several management programs with the Kennedy School at Harvard University. She has received her Certification as a Fundraising Executive. Jennifer is an accomplished public speaker, guest lecturer, trainer, and mentor. She lives in Arlington with her husband Gary and their two children.