Gonser Gerber LLP, advancement and leadership consultants, announces the appointment of Dr. James W. Smith as a Senior Consultant.
“Gonser Gerber’s nearly 75-year history of providing excellent and trusted advancement and leadership counsel to hundreds of clients across the nonprofit spectrum is attributable to one primary commitment: attracting the best people,” said Charlie Shepard, Gonser Gerber LLP Partner. “In bringing James onto our team, our resolve to that commitment is upheld. I am thrilled to welcome James because I am confident that he will elevate our partnership with clients by providing the highest level of counsel.”
James joins the firm with more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Most recently, James served at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio for 16 years in positions of increasing responsibility in areas ranging from recruitment and financial aid to marketing and advancement. James served as a member of the MVNU Senior Leadership Team, first as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing and then with expanded oversight as the Vice President for University Relations (VPUR). As VPUR, James provided strategic direction, leadership, and oversight for a broad set of offices including advancement, alumni relations, church relations, enrollment management, financial aid, and marketing. Additionally, James was tasked to lead several institution-wide initiatives including presidential task forces on tuition pricing and affordability, student success and retention, athletic expansion, and institutional strategic planning.
Under James’ leadership, MVNU received a stream of some of the largest gifts in the institution’s history while growing its annual, major, alumni, and planned giving donor base. He successfully completed several campaigns and capital projects including a community-wide collaboration to build a shared-use sports park and several projects renovating historic buildings for MVNU’s downtown campus. During his time, James built a dynamic team that established institutional records for unrestricted annual giving, improved donor retention, dramatically expanded planned and major giving, and increased President’s Circle membership ($1,000+ annually) by 65%.
As a member of the Gonser Gerber LLP team of consultants, James will provide counsel to educational institutions, healthcare systems, religious, cultural, and other nonprofit organizations in the areas of building effective advancement programs and comprehensive campaigns, board development, integrated marketing, enrollment, public relations, and strategic planning. He also will leverage his experience in executive search to assist advancement teams with their hiring needs.
James holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration. His dissertation focused on identifying the characteristics and practices of highly regarded higher education senior leadership teams.
Gonser Gerber believes nonprofit organizations help promote the most virtuous of human impulses and individuals, families, communities, and societies are strengthened through the collective efforts of the nonprofit sector. Since our founding in 1950, our firm has provided comprehensive advancement and leadership consulting services to educational, healthcare, human service, and other nonprofit organizations throughout North America.
Join us in welcoming James.
Senior Consultant
Telephone: 630.505.1433 (office) / 419.788.0390 (mobile)
Email: jsmith@gonsergerber.com / Website: www.gonsergerber.com
