Suzanne Helm Named New VP of Development

Council President Richard N. Haass named Suzanne E. Helm, an administrator with twenty years of experience in not-for-profit fundraising, as vice president of development. “We are thrilled that someone of Suzanne’s range and experience has joined us to head up our development program,” said Haass. “I am confident she will help us build the Council’s resource base and thereby contribute to our long-term quality and independence.”

Helm will be part of the Council’s senior management team and will oversee and coordinate all aspects of fundraising and development.

“All institutions are only as strong as their financial foundation,” said Development Committee Chair Richard E. Salomon.” Suzanne Helm is the ideal person to take the Council to the next level of financial strength.”

Before coming to the Council, Helm was director of alumni and development at the Potomac School in McLean, VA, a nationally rated K-12 independent school, where she was responsible for coordination and oversight of all fundraising and alumni activities. While there, she oversaw the launch of a three-year, $50 million comprehensive campaign, surpassing the phase-one goal of $20 million in just seven months. Additionally, her department managed the school’s 2004-05 year-long Centennial Celebration during which annual giving reached a record level of $1.5 million, and participation in alumni programs more than doubled.

Helm began her career in higher education, working in admissions, communications, and development positions at Roanoke Collegeand the University of Virginia. From 1987 until 2001 she served in the external affairs office of the Brookings Institution, where her duties ranged from managing corporate and individual fundraising to board activities and communications. While there she coordinated Brookings’ 75th anniversary campaign and gala celebration. She also served as vice president for external affairs at the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation from 2001 until joining The Potomac School in June of 2002.

A native of Towson, MD, she holds a B.A. from of the University of Virginia and is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. She currently serves as chair of the development committee of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.