Chief Development Officer Spotlights New Building

November 27, 2007

Stephen Whisnant joined the Institute early in the fall of 2007 as the new Chief Development Officer and Capital Campaign Director. The Institute's Headquarters Project, a $186,000,000 campaign, will provide a permanent home for the work of the Institute and an expansive Public Education Center at the northwest corner of the National Mall.

"It's the mission of the Institute and its building project that drew me here—what it is, what it stands for," he said. "What it means to everybody, the founders, the framers of this institution. But also the possibilities of what the organization can do and will do in the future."

Whisnant's work focuses on issues of "long-term sustainability for development, strategic planning, and development—finding the resources for a great national enterprise to do what it needs to do," as he described it.

Whisnant has an extensive background in fund development and general management in nonprofit work. Prior to joining USIP in September 2007, he served as Vice President for Development and Investor Relations at Venture Philanthropy Partners.

He also has consulted with a number of national and international organizations, advising them on their development plans and operations. He served full-time as Senior Director of Development for Paul Allen, Jody Patton, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation in Seattle, Washington. He developed long-term fundraising strategies for the Experience Music Project, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Documentary Film division of Vulcan Productions, and the Microcomputer Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Whisnant spent fifteen years in higher education as a senior development officer and advisor, including ten years at Harvard University, working on two capital campaigns. He also worked on the Davidson College development campaign.