Frank Shannon
Frank is the principal of Shannon Consulting and started this business because of his passion for helping develop people and organizations that are committed to serving others.
A native Texan and graduate of Texas A&M, Frank began his career in philanthropy more than 25 years ago at his alma mater where he helped raise money for the College of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Business Administration and the Evans Library. Frank then spent eight years in athletic fundraising including six years as executive director of the 12th Man Foundation.
During his career, Frank has served four
institutions of higher learning: Texas A&M, Mississippi State University and The Citadel. He currently serves as Executive Director of Development at Baylor University. He has enjoyed notable success at every opportunity.
In 2006, he founded eduSearch, a company that has completed successful searches for major universities and small colleges on both the East and West coasts and points in between. He has now expanded his services to include philanthropic consulting and executive coaching with the establishment of Shannon Consulting.
Frank’s primary strengths include his ability to build quality relationships both inside and outside the organizations for which he has worked. He is highly motivated and has an upbeat, effective communication style. His belief system is one that values honesty and integrity, hard work and a genuine commitment to making the world a better place for all.
Frank and his wife, Debbie, have six children, two sons-in-law and one grandchild, and reside in Hewitt, Texas.
Email Frank ShannonSpencer Yantis
Spencer Yantis began a successful fund raising career with The Boy Scouts of America in 1972. He later served for 10 years as President and CEO of the American Lung Association/San Jacinto area. While there, the National American Lung Association recognized Spencer for five consecutive years due to his success in fundraising and board development. He was also appointed as a national trainer and served as the chair of the national direct mail council – overseeing a 72 million piece direct mail plan.
In 1992, Spencer began serving as Chief Development Officer for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and also as the Texas Tech University Chief Constituent Development Officer for the general academic campus. There he co-developed the successful Horizon Campaign plan which raised $550 million, exceeding the original goal by $200 million. Most recently, Spencer served as the Chief Development Officer for the University of Houston and the UH System. After a successful run of 13 years at UH, Spencer retired in 2011.
Spencer’s fundraising management experience includes expertise in team building and volunteer board training. He has assisted many non-profits with mission/vision statement development as well as putting strategic plans into action.
In Spencer’s view, real fundraising success comes when the organization meets the needs of the donor. The institution must approach supporters with this fundamental belief; it does not have needs, it has answers – answers the donor can become part of. This is a true Donor Centric Model.
R. Daniel Shephard, CFRE
R. Daniel Shephard, CFRE is a committed and proven development professional, a veteran of the not-for-profit sector since 1986. Dan knows from personal experience the value to the fundraiser of being equipped with both the information and the confidence to engage a prospective donor in a discussion that will result in a significant gift commitment.
Dan has served as Planned Giving Director for the Florida State University Foundation, Director of Development for the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, Director of Gift Planning for The Citadel Foundation, and currently is Director of Development for Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University. His variety of experiences at small and large schools, at public research universities and private colleges, have given him opportunities to learn how theory and best practices may be successfully implemented to fit the distinctions of the particular institution he serves. He brings this breadth of experience and this philosophy to his workshops and coaching programs.
Dan is the founder and Principal of Development Training Solutions (DTS). Learn more about Dan at www.linkedin.com/in/danshephard.
Email Dan Shephard
John R. Stropp
John has joined the Shannon team having most recently served the University of New Mexico Foundation as President and CEO. His experience and vision has provided leadership to the organization for its transition to providing all the fundraising activities for the University as well as managing and investing the assets of gifts received on its behalf.
John holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Texas A&M University. He served in a number of executive positions at the Texas A&M Foundation and the Texas A&M Foundation Trust Company before being named chief executive officer at the UNM Foundation. In addition, he served as interim president and chief administrative officer of the Texas A&M Foundation.
During his tenure at A&M, John participated in two major campaigns which raised more than $1.5 billion. He also helped guide the A&M Foundation’s growth from an institution with $70 million in total assets to a nationally recognized foundation with $1.3 billion in total assets. He has more than 25 years of experience in this field.
John and his wife, Dianne, reside just outside Albuquerque, NM. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Patricia McArver
Patricia has a wide range of experience in professional communications and has been a part of Shannon Consulting since its inception.
She currently teaches in The Citadel School of Business Administration and directs the college’s Oral Communication Lab. Prior to that appointment, Patricia served as vice president for communications from 2002-2007, a period when The Citadel received frequent national attention including designation by Newsweek magazine as one of America’s 25 hottest colleges.
In addition to 14 years of experience in community newspapers and radio, Patricia has helped businesses, independent schools and colleges develop communications/marketing plans to get their messages across.
She holds a B.A. and M.A. in mass communications from UNC-Chapel Hill. She and her husband, Charles, live in Charleston, S.C. They have one daughter who teaches in Virginia.
Dawn Sandone
Dawn Sandone currently serves as Chief Development Officer for the Palm Beaches – Treasure Coast Region of the American Red Cross.
She is an innovative and high-energy leader with 12 years of progressive responsibility in development. Her prior experience includes positions of Director of Development, Director of Development & External Relations and Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations at the University of Illinois and West Virginia University. She has a proven track record of success in identifying fund raising opportunities and delivering strong results in today’s competitive economic environment.
She has been recognized for her adeptness in the close collaboration of CEOs, CTOs, COOs, and other leading corporate executives to advance research partnerships, and has achieved fundraising success through the use of print and electronic media. She has been a dynamic facilitator in domestic and international alumni relations.
Ryan Marsh
Ryan Marsh is Executive Director of Development at Utah State University. He has spent 12 years in higher education development, nearly eight of these in major research universities including the University of California, Irvine, the University of Utah and Utah State University. He graduated cum laude from Utah State University in 1994 and attended graduate school at the University of Miami, where he lived and worked before returning to Utah in 2004. He lives with his wife Monica and two children in Nibley, Utah located in the beautiful Cache Valley.
Phil Bossert
Phil spent twenty-eight years on active duty in the United States Air Force before retiring in 2010 as a colonel. A command pilot with 3,900 hours of flying time, he is a veteran of military operations in Panama, the First Gulf War, and Afghanistan.
Phil is currently back in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Defense where he is teaching 30 Afghan senior officers how to develop a three year, $15 billion defense budget. He returns in February 2012.
An Eagle Scout and distinguished military graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he has extensive experience in various flying, command, joint, and multinational assignments.
Phil holds master’s degrees in economics, military studies, strategic studies, and public administration from Old Dominion University, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Air War College, and Auburn University, respectively. He has also served on the faculties of the Air Force Academy and the University of Houston and has published over 85 articles.
Phil writes and speaks about leadership, strategic planning, transformational change, and the U.S. military. He is the principal of CM Leadership Seminars, LLC, and has a profile on Linkedin.
Phil and his wife, Anita, also a retired Air Force officer, reside in Friendswood, TX. They have two children and two shorkies.