Elizabeth J. Dale, Ph.D., joined the Johnson Center in September 2024 as the second holder of the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy, the world’s first endowed chair for family philanthropy. She previously held a faculty position and directed the Nonprofit Leadership Program at Seattle University and was the Visiting Eileen Lamb O’Gara Fellow in Women’s Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Dr. Dale has authored or co-authored more than 20 publications and reports for both scholarly and practitioner audiences, which have been published in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, Voluntary Sector Review, The Foundation Review, Philanthropy and Education, and several prominent edited volumes. Her scholarship has focused on social justice philanthropy, women’s giving and giving to women’s and girls’ causes, LGBTQ+ philanthropy, and couples’ charitable giving, as well as gender and the fundraising profession. Ultimately, Dr. Dale seeks to understand the power and potential of philanthropy, the role of identity in giving, and the role of philanthropy in contributing to a more just, equitable, and inclusive society.

Dr. Dale is a sought-after speaker for fundraisers and philanthropists and has provided commentary to The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Center for Effective Philanthropy, and The Guardian. She has also written for The Conversation. Dr. Dale has taught courses and professional development workshops in philanthropy, nonprofit governance, fundraising, and nonprofit marketing and communications among other topics, both in online and face-to-face formats. She received the Association of Fundraising Professionals Early Career Emerging Scholar Award in 2021, awarded to a pre-tenure scholar for research contributions to the profession.

Dr. Dale earned a Ph.D. in philanthropic studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, a master’s degree in women’s studies at The Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and women’s and gender studies from Ohio Wesleyan University. She spent seven years as a front-line fundraiser in Chicago, receiving the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2012. She currently serves as the book review editor for Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and is on the editorial board for Administrative Theory & Praxis.