Meet Ray A. Foote
Vice President of Development
A hard hike up to Angel's Landing in Zion National Park with his 14-year old son was a turning point for Ray's view of what the National Parks can mean. "We got to the top, looked around at this incredible view, and then both realized that the best part was, well, we had done it together."
Since joining NPCA's development staff in 2006, Ray has seen over and over how deeply the parks touch people's lives. "It really is a privilege to raise support for something as life changing as the parks. These places open people's eyes, provide lifelong memories, and help us really understand our country much better."
As Vice President of Development, Ray works with a great team of fundraisers and support staff to generate philanthropic support for NPCA from individuals, corporations, and foundations. He has 21 years of professional experience in nonprofit development work. Prior to NPCA, he was Senior Director for Membership & Development at Washington National Cathedral. He has also held development positions at Scenic America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Ray is a frequent speaker on fundraising, volunteer development, and nonprofit management. He has spoken at the International Conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, George Mason University, Center for Nonprofit Advancement, University of Virginia, and other venues. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA and MA in history. He served for five years on the Board of Directors of EarthShare, an environmental workplace giving consortium, and for two years as a political appointee to the Environmental Quality Advisory Council of Fairfax County, Virginia. He serves on the Board of Scenic Virginia (Richmond), the Development Committee of Partners for Sacred Places (Philadelphia). Ray serves on the Vestry (governing board) of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) in Burke, VA. His hobbies are photography and playing blues piano. Ray and his family try to do one big National Park vacation each year. "We've got a lot more memories to make out there!"
