Shirley Hartman Joins Beacon Institute as Chief Development Officer
Shirley Hartman
Shirley Hartman, a respected and highly successful senior development professional, has joined the staff of The Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries as Chief Development Officer. Hartman’s impressive career has included top-level positions at such prestigious institutions as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Sage Colleges and the National Audubon Society, as well as political and educational causes.
Hartman will lead Beacon Institute fundraising strategies, working closely with Institute board members and staff. She will also collaborate with staff and faculty from its partner universities, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Columbia University and Pace University, and oversee fundraising efforts for programmatic and capital initiatives, including a state-of-the-art laboratory on Denning's Point and satellite facilities that are planned along the Hudson River, among other projects.
“Shirley’s achievements highlight her sophisticated understanding of the fundraising process and donors’ motivations when investing charitable assets,” said John Cronin, Director and CEO of the Beacon Institute. “Her professionalism and leadership of our institutional advancement program will inspire significant support for the Institute’s interdisciplinary research, policy-making and educational initiatives in the Hudson River watershed and beyond."
“I am thrilled to have this opportunity return to the environmental movement through The Beacon Institute,” said Ms. Hartman, who, as State Director of Development for the National Audubon Society, raised over $35 million in capital, endowment, and operating funds statewide. “As a society, we are at a critical juncture in determining how we choose to interact with our environment, and I am deeply inspired by John Cronin’s vision to harness the power of emergent technologies for the benefit of our natural world. I truly believe this is the global future of the conservation movement.”
Hartman most recently served as a front-line senior advancement officer and regional team leader in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s $1.4 billion campaign. At The Sage Colleges, she directed corporate, government and foundation relations and raised millions for multiple capital and programmatic initiatives. Prior to her significant achievements with the National Audubon Society, she spearheaded development and communications efforts for the New York State Senate, Robert C. Parker School and the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, as well as directed several state Democratic campaigns.
Ms. Hartman is Vice President and Treasurer of the Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She holds degrees in economics and political science from Hartwick College.
