Detroit Institute of Arts hires Nina Holden as senior vice president, chief development officer

Updated Feb 28, 2018

February 27, 2018 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has hired Nina Holden, CFRE, as its new senior vice president and chief development officer, leading the division responsible for all fundraising efforts at the museum. Holden has served as vice president for Institutional Advancement for the College for Creative Studies (CCS) since 2007, leading fundraising of more than $90 million. Holden will be charged with leading the DIA’s development team and working with Director Salvador Salort-Pons and the board of directors to raise funds for the DIA’s operating endowment. Holden begins at the museum March 31.

“Nina’s skills and experience will help us achieve one of our most important goals, which is to secure the DIA’s long-term financial sustainability,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The fundraising challenge the DIA faces for the upcoming years is substantial, and the entire organization is behind this critical effort to ensure the DIA will be open for future generations. Recognizing that we have many shared donors and Trustees with the College for Creative Studies, I am confident that Nina’s leadership will also reinforce our partnership with CCS and the greater community moving forward.”

A Detroit native, Holden has been a passionate advocate for the fundraising profession for almost two decades. Her fundraising career began when she returned to Detroit in 1998 at the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), where she later became a board member. Holden then joined Vista Maria where she spent four years as chief development officer, overseeing the nonprofit’s first ever capital campaign. In 2004, St. John’s Health Foundation tapped Holden to lead fundraising efforts as its chief development officer, where she and her team raised $24 million in 2007. She also oversaw a $30 million capital campaign, and was instrumental in assembling a new local board of directors for the St. John’s Hospital Foundation. That same year, 2007, Holden was named to Crain’s 40 under 40. In 2016, Holden was named Outstanding Fund Raising Executive by the Detroit Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals, the highest recognition within their membership.

“Nina’s leadership in the nonprofit sector has supported positive momentum and growth in Detroit, most recently by her advancement of CCS’s ambitious vision to expand its reach and impact,” said Laura Trudeau, principal, Trudeau Consulting, and longtime foundation professional. “With her relationships and success in fund raising, volunteerism, and mentorship of others, Nina is a great choice to lead the DIA’s philanthropic efforts.”

“I am very pleased to welcome Nina to this important role at the DIA,” said Eugene A. Gargaro, Jr., chair of the DIA board of directors. “We are delighted to have someone of Nina’s high caliber, extensive experience, and important regional connections join our team. We have a wonderful museum, with an extraordinary history, and as I look to the future and the opportunities that lie ahead, the board and I look forward to working closely with Nina.”

February 27, 2018 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has hired Nina Holden, CFRE, as its new senior vice president and chief development officer, leading the division responsible for all fundraising efforts at the museum. Holden has served as vice president for Institutional Advancement for the College for Creative Studies (CCS) since 2007, leading fundraising of more than $90 million. Holden will be charged with leading the DIA’s development team and working with Director Salvador Salort-Pons and the board of directors to raise funds for the DIA’s operating endowment. Holden begins at the museum March 31.

“Nina’s skills and experience will help us achieve one of our most important goals, which is to secure the DIA’s long-term financial sustainability,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The fundraising challenge the DIA faces for the upcoming years is substantial, and the entire organization is behind this critical effort to ensure the DIA will be open for future generations. Recognizing that we have many shared donors and Trustees with the College for Creative Studies, I am confident that Nina’s leadership will also reinforce our partnership with CCS and the greater community moving forward.”

A Detroit native, Holden has been a passionate advocate for the fundraising profession for almost two decades. Her fundraising career began when she returned to Detroit in 1998 at the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), where she later became a board member. Holden then joined Vista Maria where she spent four years as chief development officer, overseeing the nonprofit’s first ever capital campaign. In 2004, St. John’s Health Foundation tapped Holden to lead fundraising efforts as its chief development officer, where she and her team raised $24 million in 2007. She also oversaw a $30 million capital campaign, and was instrumental in assembling a new local board of directors for the St. John’s Hospital Foundation. That same year, 2007, Holden was named to Crain’s 40 under 40. In 2016, Holden was named Outstanding Fund Raising Executive by the Detroit Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals, the highest recognition within their membership.

“Nina’s leadership in the nonprofit sector has supported positive momentum and growth in Detroit, most recently by her advancement of CCS’s ambitious vision to expand its reach and impact,” said Laura Trudeau, principal, Trudeau Consulting, and longtime foundation professional. “With her relationships and success in fund raising, volunteerism, and mentorship of others, Nina is a great choice to lead the DIA’s philanthropic efforts.”

“I am very pleased to welcome Nina to this important role at the DIA,” said Eugene A. Gargaro, Jr., chair of the DIA board of directors. “We are delighted to have someone of Nina’s high caliber, extensive experience, and important regional connections join our team. We have a wonderful museum, with an extraordinary history, and as I look to the future and the opportunities that lie ahead, the board and I look forward to working closely with Nina.”