Certificate, Social Entrepreneurship, Oxford University
Education:M.S., Nonprofit Management, Columbia University
B.A., Communication, Roberts Wesleyan University
Publications
- Self-Care for Nonprofit Government Relations Leaders, Association of Fundraising Professionals, 2025.
- MBAs for the public good? Vital City, 2025.
- Philanthropy on the Blockchain: Crypto Giving and Nonprofits, Association of Fundraising Professionals, 2024.
- Strategic Philanthropy Gets a Wake-Up Call, Nonprofit Quarterly, 2021. Co-authored with J. Bennett, C. Damick, K. Layne, D. Salas, K. Swanson, & A. Webb.
- Ethical Considerations Related to Blockchain Adoption in the Nonprofit Sector, Columbia Paper, 2019.
Narrative
As Fisher’s Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations, Ben leads private grant and corporate gift activity as part of the university’s Institutional Advancement division. Ben also serves as co-chair of Fisher’s Rapid Response Government Relations Team and as a representative on the DePeters Family Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence’s Learning Space Advisory Board. Ben brings over 25 years of nonprofit leadership and development experience to Fisher in public and private grants, government relations, program development, and strategy. In addition to his responsibilities at Fisher, Ben serves as a Senior Advisor with Empreinte Consulting and is a current member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (Global) United States Government Relations committee. Ben spent the decade before his time at Fisher with the Hillside Family of Agencies, overseeing public grant development and government relations throughout their upstate New York footprint. Ben has also held leadership roles with Catholic Charities Family and Community Services, Roberts Wesleyan University, and Villa of Hope. Through various board, volunteer, and consulting roles Ben has worked with Wine To Water, Kiva, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Tech Rochester, and the Rochester City School District. He is a co-founder of the conservation nonprofit TrailsROC. Ben’s grant work has resulted in the successful development of over USD $160 million in public/private awards and investments across upstate New York. His government relations work spans three decades of advocacy at the State, Federal, and International levels. Ben worked on multi-state TANF reauthorization in the early 2000s, has represented organizations in Albany and at multiple New York State Regional Economic Development Councils, championed Congressional appropriation requests, and was a regular participant with the White House’s Offices of Public Engagement and of Intergovernmental Affairs (Biden/Harris). As an active member of Oxford University’s POGO Club (Blavatnik School of Government), Ben was a signatory to the group’s guidance for the United Kingdom’s recently enacted National Procurement Policy, codifying social outcomes targets into government funding practices. While at Columbia, Ben co-chaired his graduating cohort’s capstone which advised the ‘Prepared To Teach’ National Teacher Residency Model that was subsequently funded under the Biden White House. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication (Media) from Roberts Wesleyan University (‘00), a certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from Oxford University (‘18), and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management (Philanthropy) from Columbia University in the City of New York (‘21). Originally from Pennsylvania, and now a self-professed upstate New York convert, Ben enjoys spending time with his family, trail running, and listening to punk rock. Ben is the proud parent of a Fisher student.