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Deborah Gillespie, Immediate Past Chair


During her career, Deborah provided the functions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for three grant making organizations with endowments ranging from $100 million to $1 billion. Through the years, she gained deep knowledge in investment portfolio management and organizational development, including the professional development of staff.

After a deeply satisfying professional career, Deborah is now engaged in opportunities to use her skills and experiences as a consultant and coach. Her goal is to improve organizational processes and stretch the bandwidth of CEOs by addressing, “If only I had the time, I would ….” In her consulting practice, she works with executives and rising stars who desire skill development to advance in their field or are building organizational structures.

Deborah currently serves on the boards of New Moms, Poetry Foundation, and Project Unloaded. She is the chair of the New Moms board of directors. Deborah is a member of the Finance & Investment Committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. She is an Emeritus Member and a past president of the Foundation Financial Officers Group, a national organization of financial officers from large, private foundations. Deborah completed a four-year term as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee. Deborah also served on the board of directors of Forefront and the Lumpkin Family Foundation and was a member of the Advisory Board of ARZU Studio Hope.

Why I Joined…

“My first term with New Moms began in December 2015. I have three wonderful sisters, an incredible daughter and granddaughter, three awesome nieces, and a number of remarkable women friends. These special relationships fuel my passion for the advancement of women and girls. New Moms provides an opportunity for me to serve women and girls and support their development efforts and goals.“

Favorite Quote…

“Live each moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each moment.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

“The reason I love this quote is that it is a reminder that all we have is now and that each day we are laying the tracks for the future.”