Angela Seaworth, Ph.D
Angela Seaworth began her journey in governance and fundraising 25 years ago. Serving on nonprofit boards in her first role in corporate public relations spurred her curiosity in various aspects of nonprofit governance and, since then, she has accumulated more than 60 years of combined board service. Her growing interest in board governance and fundraising led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where she researched nonprofit governance and leadership and was a Graduate Fellow at the Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence.
Dr. Seaworth is passionate about nonprofit and philanthropy education. She was the founding director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University where she designed curriculum and managed educational programming for nonprofit executives and board members. During this time, she was simultaneously working on her dissertation in the most diverse city in the United States, which resulted in her dissertation – Limited Leadership: An Examination of Houston Nonprofit Board Diversity and Whether Selection Processes and Executive Director Perceptions of Governance Models Affect Composition.
Currently serving as Director of Philanthropic Initiatives and Capacity Building at the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service, she teaches Management and Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations, Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector, Fundraising in Nonprofit Organizations, and Nonprofit Board Governance for Executives. Dr. Seaworth intends to continue her work around diversity in board governance and fundraising as a path to creating inclusive boards that truly welcome female leadership.
Seaworth is also an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) and has 20 years of professional fundraising experience. She earned her MBA from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University’s O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), and B.A. from Denison University.
Dr. Seaworth enjoys promoting the nonprofit profession and preparing the next generation of nonprofit leaders, so she is delighted to be a part of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy to encourage other women in their careers.