Lydia Rae Levinson
Chief Development Officer (CDO) @The Zekelman Holocaust Center
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WORK HISTORY
Chief Development Officer (CDO) @The Zekelman Holocaust Center
The Chief Development Officer is the strategic partner to the CEO, Leadership andDevelopment teams focused on growing and strengthening the fundraising department(people and processes) and day-to-day donor management (individual and institutional). TheChief Development Officer is responsible for managing the operational processes for annualand multi-year planning, pipeline development, and staff engagement to support theDevelopment team’s goals and strategy. The CDO also leads in the areas of Marketing, Communications, and Events.
EDUCATION
Iowa State University
Dual Master's degrees, Community and Regional Planning and Sustainable Agriculture
Iowa State University
BS, Community and Regional Planning
Wayne State University
Fine Arts, Painting
SKILLS
ABOUT LYDIA RAE LEVINSON
I am a nonprofit development executive with over 10 years of experience in fundraising, grant management, and community development. Skilled at forging cross-sector collaborations – from coordinating with municipal leaders to aligning foundation and corporate philanthropic investments with community needs. As a mission-driven leader, I excel at guiding teams and projects to drive social impact. I’m passionate about empowering communities and creating equitable development. Deeply familiar with Detroit’s philanthropic ecosystem and neighborhood development initiatives.In my current position as Chief Development Officer at The Zekelman Holocaust Center, I serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and lead the institution’s development, marketing, communications, and events functions. I am responsible for driving fundraising strategy and managing annual and multi-year planning, pipeline development, and team performance. My portfolio includes a $100M comprehensive campaign, along with annual targets of $9.6M in institutional gifts and $8.5M in individual giving to support our operational budget. Previously, as Deputy Chief Development Officer for the City of Detroit, I directed the day-to-day operations of a team of five Development Officers and managed a portfolio of more than $3 billion in public and private funds across more than 30 departments and agencies. In collaboration with the Chief Development Officer, I set annual strategic targets, developed fundraising plans, built budgets, and secured seven-figure investments for housing, human services, neighborhood revitalization, and other priority initiatives. I draw upon my own experience working for and alongside grassroots organizers, block clubs, farmers, and CDCs in urban and rural communities to support sustainable, equitable solutions that address local challenges. Experienced with fund development, budgeting, strategic planning, leadership, grant management, urban planning, food system planning and policy, economic development, statistical analysis, spatial analysis, information visualization, real estate valuation, property management, property preservation, and working in racially and ethnically diverse environments. Member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Detroit, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and Member of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Detroit River.
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