Kathy A. Whelpley

Kathy Whelpley leads the governance, program, development and operations functions at NCFP. Together with the President, she also helps shape the strategic direction of the organization.

Kathy has spent the past 25 years working to build the assets and impact of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she was with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, where she served in a variety of roles over 12 years. As Chief Operating Officer, Kathy led the organization’s strategic planning, measurement and governance functions, while also managing all donor service, community investment and marketing activities. Beginning in 2001, Kathy led the Foundation’s response to 9-11, developing and managing the $25 million Survivors’ Fund, the largest fund in the country dedicated to the survivors of the attack on the Pentagon.

Earlier in her career, Kathy was the founding Associate Director of the Freddie Mac Foundation, helping to grow this corporate foundation over 10 years into the largest corporate giver in the Washington, DC region, with an annual giving budget of $20 million and national initiatives in education, child abuse prevention and foster care/adoption. Previously, Kathy was a consultant at Campbell Communications, a public relations and health communications firm and held several positions at newspapers in Virginia and New Jersey.

Kathy is a graduate of James Madison University, where she earned a degree in communications and also holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. She is a member of the Leadership Washington Class of 2000 and has been actively engaged in the local philanthropic community for two decades, serving as a board member and Vice Chair of Washington Grantmakers, a board member and Chair of the Washington AIDS Partnership, a board member and Treasurer of Street Sense and a volunteer with numerous local and international nonprofits.