Jennifer Conley

Biography

Jennifer Conley (MPNL, CFRE & MFA-P^TM) has over 20 years of Advancement leadership experience in Education, Health Care and International Development.

In 2014, Carleton University appointed her as Chief Advancement Officer and President and CEO of the Carleton University Foundation (US) to lead Alumni Relations, Development, Advancement Communications and the $300-million “Collaborate” Campaign, the most ambitious campaign in Carleton’s history. Under her leadership, the campaign was successfully completed ahead of schedule, in April 2019. Previously, she served as Carleton’s Director of Faculty Development and Major Gifts.

Before Carleton, Jennifer served for more than 10 years as the first Executive Director and Campaign Director for The St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa Foundation, creating the entire fundraising infrastructure while leading a $10-million campaign to build the new St. Patrick’s Home, the largest campaign successfully completed in Ontario’s Long Term Care Sector.

Jennifer started her fundraising career as a student caller for her alma mater, Nipissing University. After completing her second degree, she was named the University’s first Alumni Officer, where she created the Alumni Office and all alumni programs and architecture.

Jennifer has served on the Boards of both the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and frequently speaks at conferences across Canada. She was named as one of Ottawa’s Top 40 under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal, as AFP’s Outstanding Fundraising Executive of the Year, and received the Influential Alumni Award by her alma mater — and was named Ottawa’s Businesswoman of the Year in 2021.

Jennifer graduated with her MPNL degree in June 2019, and is looking forward to serving as an instructor for the fourth time for MPNL’s “Planning and Management of Integrated Fundraising” course in 2022.