Ford’s Theatre Names Sarah J. Wilber as Director of Development

Ford’s Theatre Society has appointed Sarah J. Wilber as Director of Development. A nationally recognized fundraising strategist and arts philanthropy innovator, Wilber will oversee all development operations for Ford’s Theatre, including major gifts, institutional giving, membership, corporate partnerships and special events.

“Sarah is a visionary fundraising leader whose strategic and data-driven approach has reshaped some of the most respected institutions in the performing arts,” said Paul R. Tetreault, Director of Ford’s Theatre Society. “Her ability to combine innovation, collaboration and purpose will strengthen Ford’s Theatre’s fundraising efforts and help us continue to share Lincoln’s legacy with new generations.”

Wilber most recently served as Fundraising Strategy Lead at Stand Together, where she built and led a new fundraising strategy team, developed data-informed processes and designed collaborative frameworks for major national initiatives—including the first phase of the organization's historic initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Before this role, she spent more than a decade at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she was promoted to Vice President of Capital Campaigns and Strategic Planning. In that role, she led the creation and launch of Together for the Arts, a landmark $250 million endowment campaign for the Kennedy Center and its affiliates and developed the organization’s first department-wide strategic plan to guide growth and innovation across an $80 million annual fundraising program.