Deb Taft

Deb is CEO and co-owner of Lindauer, a global search and talent firm serving nonprofits in the education, health and science, arts and culture, policy and advocacy, and civic and social justice arenas. Known as an innovative leader in the nonprofit and professional services arena, Deb was

Senior EVP and Managing Director for Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A) in Chicago, overseeing all domestic and global philanthropic consulting practices. She previously served as Chief Development Officer and Interim Chief Strategy Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA, where she led the launch of the $1 billion ToGetHerThere fundraising campaign, shaped the initiative to engage 50 million Girl Scouts, and served as executive sponsor of the 2014 National Council Session and Convention. Deb held prior executive roles at Simmons University, Tufts Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and Concord Academy. A seasoned volunteer leader, she serves on the Editorial Board of Giving USA, the Board of The Giving

Institute, and recently completed her service and leadership of the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in Washington, DC. She continues to advance inclusion and equity through her service to Allies in Action for Women of Color in Philanthropy (WŌC), the CASE Opportunity and Inclusion Center, and various appointed roles. Deb was a founding team member of City Year, which today has youth service teams in more than 31 regions across the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. She was honored as a Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Leading Woman in 2019 and as a 2021 member of the YW Boston Academy of Women Achievers. Her expertise includes governance and strategic planning, organizational growth and talent; equity, inclusion, and diversity; and fundraising, marketing, and communications. A respected speaker and facilitator, Deb holds an AB from Harvard University and an MBA from Simmons University. Deb joined the Board of Directors in 2020 and serves as Chair of the Fund Development Committee. She also serves on the Long Range Property Planning Advisory Group, Finance Committee, and Executive Committee.