Carla Willis serves as a managing principal and joined Washburn McGoldrick in 2019, following a 25-year campus-based fundraising and consulting in higher education advancement and thought leadership. Carla has served a diverse range of clients including DePauw University, Duke University, Guilford College, Haverford College, Lincoln University (PA), the UNC System, the University of Pittsburgh, Simmons University, Smith College, the University of Toledo and Virginia State University. Her projects have included pre-campaign readiness assessments, feasibility studies, executive and staff coaching, advancement staff, cabinet and volunteer campaign and fundraising training.

Prior to joining the firm Carla served in chief advancement roles at UNC Asheville, Kean University and Florida A&M University (FAMU) and in a long-term interim CAO role at Saint Leo University. In each of these leadership roles Carla also led each university’s foundation operations. Carla began her advancement career in annual giving at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has worked at two Big Ten institutions, other large public universities, both public and private liberal arts colleges, law schools, an HBCU and an academic medical center. Carla has led and been on teams for comprehensive and capital campaigns ranging in size from $40M to two campaigns exceeding $2.5B. Carla served as a major gift officer for the University of Toledo during its UT40 campaign and as a regional director of development in the east coast for the University of Michigan Law School during its Michigan Difference campaign, securing many principal and major gifts for these universities. She also served as an Assistant Vice President for Development for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center during its But for Ohio State campaign and worked to close many major and principal gifts including a cross disciplinary $13.5M dollar gift which benefited several units of the university.

Additionally, Carla’s innovative approach to fundraising and resource investment enabled many new platforms and social media fundraising optimization tools for the advancement offices in each of her chief advancement posts. While serving FAMU, Carla honed her corporate engagement skillsets, securing gifts from the likes of Disney, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Northern Trust, 3M, Walmart, the Orlando Magic and Tyson Foods, to name a few. Carla is also credited with launching one of the very first higher education text to give campaigns while serving at FAMU.

Additionally, Carla had previous success as a senior consultant for John Brown Limited, a boutique development consulting firm, leading her own firm, Willis Development and Communications Associates and prior to her work in advancement, a successful ten year stint at the IBM Corporation.

Carla is active in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), has served on the Industry Advisory Council, Commission on Philanthropy, the District III and V Board of Directors and chaired the District V Committee on Equity (COE.) She is a frequent presenter at conferences on advancement related topics, leadership and more as related to the advancement profession. Carla is a member of the North Carolina Central University Foundation Board, The Kendal Corporation Board, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Links, Incorporated.