Rollins College Philanthropy Center Selects New Executive Director

Margaret Linnane, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, has been selected as the new executive director of the Rollins College Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center. Linnane succeeds Pamela A. Peters, who left the Philanthropy Center in January 2004 to become executive director of the Florida Philanthropic Network.

Linnane’s selection followed an intensive, four-month national search that garnered more than 200 applications. Her extensive experience in resource development, program and fiscal management, community outreach, and public policy advocacy distinguished her from the field of candidates.

“Margaret Linnane has the nonprofit experience, knowledge and commitment that will take the Rollins College Philanthropy Center to a new level of performance and impact,” said Rollins College President Rita Bornstein. “We are delighted to have her join us.”

Echoing Bornstein’s remarks, David Odahowski, president of the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation and a member of the search committee charged with selecting the new executive director, said of Linnane’s appointment, “Successful communities are built by effective alliances of business, government and nonprofit organizations. Margaret is a demonstrated leader who has excelled at creating community alliances to produce nationally recognized results. Her appointment as executive director of the Philanthropy Center will serve to further enhance the reputation of an already superior program.”

Dr. Craig McAllaster, dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College oversees the Philanthropy Center’s activities. “Now more than ever, non-profit agencies need good financial management and business practices to remain effective,” said McAllaster. “Margaret’s background and experience make her well-qualified to lead the education of non-profit executives in the Orlando community.”

Linnane joined Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida as its chief professional officer in 1986. During her 17-year tenure, she grew the organization’s assets from $100,000 to $4.5 million, spearheaded a capital campaign that raised $2.1 million for a new warehouse, increased food distribution from 2.3 million to 12.6 million pounds per year and increased the number of member agencies from 165 to 450. As a result of Linnane’s leadership, Second Harvest Food Bank was honored in 1997 as recipient of the “Food Bank of the Year” award from the National Food Bank Network of America’s Second Harvest.

In addition to directing Second Harvest Food Bank, Linnane fills a number of volunteer roles both locally and nationally. She sits on the advisory boards of the 2-1-1 Community Helpline and the University of Central Florida’s College of Public Administration. She recently served as chair of the National Hunger Awareness Day Committee and completed a three-year term on the board of directors of Gulf States Credit Union.

Linnane is past president of the Florida Association of Food Banks, former chair of the Heart of Florida United Way’s Council of Agency Executives and was a delegate to President Clinton’s Summit for America’s Future in 1997.

No stranger to the Philanthropy Center, Linnane is a founding member of the Center’s local CEO Advisory Council. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a Philanthropy Center member organization, and Linnane and her colleagues and board members have been frequent participants in Philanthropy Center programs.

“The Philanthropy Center has a significant role developing and strengthening the non-profit sector in Florida,” Linnane said. “I am looking forward with enthusiasm to enhancing Rollins College’s role as a leader in this important work.”

Linnane is a past recipient of the prestigious Martin L. Bell Memorial Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship awarded annually to a nonprofit executive enrolled in the Executive M.B.A. Program at the Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business. She holds a M.B.A. and a B.A. from Rollins College. She will officially assume her new duties at the Philanthropy Center on July 19.

Established as a program of the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in 1999, the Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center is a community resource committed to advancing philanthropy and supporting the work of the non-profit sector through education and training programs, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit the Philanthropy Center’s Web site at www.pnlc.rollins.edu.

The Crummer Graduate School of Business was founded in 1957 at Rollins College and is consistently ranked by Forbes magazine as among the best business schools for return on investment. The School offers four personalized MBA programs taught by distinguished faculty. U.S. News & World Report ranked the Crummer School among the top 25 part-time professional MBA programs nationwide. Because of the Crummer School’s high admission standards, focus on real-world experience, curriculum tailored to meet today’s business needs, small classes, and intense instruction by distinguished senior faculty, graduates of the Crummer School consistently receive job offers with the most prestigious national and international organizations.

Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida’s oldest recognized college and is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s best colleges.” For more information about Rollins College and the Crummer School, visit our Web site at www.rollins.edu.