Valerie Thompson joins The Actuarial Foundation as its first Director of Development

The Actuarial Foundation is thrilled to announce the hiring of Valerie Thompson as the Foundation’s first Director of Development.

Valerie has worked in the Chicago nonprofit environment for more than 20 years. She comes to The Actuarial Foundation from the American Academy of Dermatology, where she most recently served as Senior Manager for Individual Giving. Previous roles include Director of Development at the American Brain Tumor Association, Executive Director of Emergency Fund for Needy People (now known as All Chicago), and Executive Director of Resources in Community Living. Valerie has a Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Medical Society Fund Raising Network (MSFRN) and Association Forum.

“I am excited to join The Actuarial Foundation at this pivotal time in their growth. As I’ve come to know more about the Foundation’s work, I have been impressed by their proactive approach to math education – not only for future careers but also for daily life – which gets kids excited about learning,” says Valerie. “Online tools and resources, games, and other alternatives to classroom instruction also support the needs of teachers as they work to address the different learning needs of students and today’s reality of changing learning environments.”

The Actuarial Foundation retained KEES as its executive search partner in November 2019. A comprehensive search for the Director of Development position was launched, and Foundation leadership ultimately selected Valerie from a commendable group of top finalists.

“We are very excited to have Valerie taking on the role of Director of Development for The Actuarial Foundation,” says Jason Leppin, Executive Director. “Valerie brings to the job an exceptional combination of fundraising experience, program development, and proven leadership to the challenges we face providing math and financial literacy programs to students across the U.S. Both the Board and Staff are impressed with her extensive knowledge, her 20-years of work within the nonprofit sector, and her strong management skills.  We expect Valerie to not only continue the Foundation’s excellent fundraising programs, but to work with partners and funders to help expand the Foundation’s programs to more people in need.”