Lauren Kimball, CFRE, is WOLA’s Vice President for Development, overseeing WOLA’s entire fundraising program and developing and implementing strategies for organizational growth. She manages WOLA’s relationships with philanthropic foundations and works closely with the board of directors on fundraising outreach. Ms. Kimball also directs fundraising efforts with individuals as well as WOLA’s annual gala, which honors defenders of human rights in Latin America.
Ms. Kimball has nearly two decades of experience in philanthropy and fundraising. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), which is a credential granted to individuals that have met a series of standards set by CFRE International, which include tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated fundraising achievement.
Ms. Kimball spent over a decade as a senior program specialist for the Open Society Foundations’ Latin America Program. At Open Society, her work focused primarily on transparency and accountability, as well as shaping institutions to respond to 21st century democracies. Prior to working at OSF, Ms. Kimball served as a program associate at the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), working on ending the embargo on Cuba and improving the United States’ relationship with other Latin American countries. She has also worked as a staff assistant at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), providing support to lawyers litigating human rights cases before the Inter-American System.
Ms. Kimball holds two degrees from George Washington University, a BA in English and Spanish and an MA in international affairs with a focus on Latin America. Her graduate work focused on security and human rights issues in the region. Also, she holds an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University, a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and is an alumna of Middlebury College’s Spanish immersion program.