Senior Vice President for Advancement California Institute of the Arts | Valencia, California California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) announced the appointment of Kathleen (Katie) Nicely as its new senior vice president for advancement. Nicely will begin her work as a member of the institute’s senior leadership team February 5, 2024.Building on a career-long commitment to the support of higher education and the arts, Nicely brings a wealth of experience in all areas of institutional advancement, from capital and endowment campaigns, annual funds, and fundraising strategy to enhancing organizations’ philanthropic cultures, alumni relations, and building effective advancement operations.Nicely comes to CalArts from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), where she oversaw a $130-million capital campaign which included the construction of the Bowes Center for the Arts, a 170,000 square-foot building incorporating affordable student housing, dining, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, performance spaces, offices, and a radio station. She also built and professionalized the fundraising operation while at SFCM and created, in tandem with the president and board, the beginning of the next endowment campaign with a significant but yet-to-be-announced lead gift.Before joining SFCM, Nicely led philanthropy for the United Way Bay Area’s $18 million annual fund for its operations, as well as $36 million in major philanthropic dollars to be invested in Bay Area communities. Before that, she spent over eight years at the San Francisco Symphony in various roles in development and public engagement, including serving as divisional leader for all community engagement, overseeing the symphony’s annual fund, managing all events, stewarding the volunteer council, leading institutional giving, and serving as the head of development. While at the symphony she successfully completed the organization’s Second Century Campaign, exceeding its goals by $20 million, and served as a key leader for the celebration of the orchestra’s centennial season in 2011–2012.Prior to her tenure at the San Francisco Symphony, Nicely was the director of development for the Lively Arts at Stanford University (now Stanford Live), increasing its annual fund by 20 percent over 18 months and managing the performing arts segment of Stanford’s university-wide $4 billion campaign. She moved to the Bay Area to complete the fundraising campaign for a brand new arts facility in the south Bay Area, and before that held positions in development and external relations roles in Washington, DC, including at the University of Maryland where she helped spearhead external relations and admissions at the launch of the new Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center which housed the departments of music, dance, and theater; at the Folger Shakespeare Library; and at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.Originally from Indiana, Nicely earned her bachelor’s degree in music and communications at DePauw University and a master’s degree in arts administration from Indiana University.Rachel Ellenport led this search with Grace Zakim, Megan Gorman, and Rebecca Lyons.