Meet Jane 

Jane Whitfield is the president and chief executive officer of Whitfield Consulting Group, a national consulting firm focusing on innovative and effective strategic planning, fundraising, leadership development, and team-building. She is an experienced senior executive, DISC Personality Assessment provider, qualified Myers Briggs® practitioner, trained in administering the FIRO® and Strong®  assessments, and certified in mediation and conflict resolution.  A sought after speaker and panel moderator, Jane has been invited to speak around the country.  As a moving and passionate keynote speaker, she draws on her personal and professional experiences to inspire and motivate her audiences to action.

Jane has worked in the foundation, nonprofit, and higher education sectors for more than 20 years, and has served as President and CEO of the PenFed Foundation, Interim CEO of the UC Press Foundation, Interim Executive Director of the California Symphony, Executive Director of University of California Berkeley Law School Alumni Center, Vice President for Advancement at the Graduate Theological Union, CEO of the California Culinary Academy Education Foundation, and numerous other leadership positions.

Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, Jane was a nationally recognized leader in sales and marketing, and was honored as Sales Person of the Year, achieving the highest sales percentage increase in her company, all during an economic downturn. With her broad professional experience, Jane has a breadth of knowledge in key functional areas including fundraising, sales, communications, marketing, accounting, program planning, evaluation, and assessment.  She is a specialist in producing integrated and comprehensive organizational strategies that achieve results.

Jane currently chairs the board of Rappahannock Trails Coalition, and has served as a member of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Legal and Financial Advisory Council, sponsorship chair of National Philanthropy Day, advisor to MissRepresentation.org, member of the Leadership Council of Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, and member of the Advisory Board for United Way of the Bay Area’s Women’s Leadership Council.  She has published several articles and has been featured on radio and television news programs like Home and Family Finance with Paul Berry and Defense News with Vago Muradian.

Jane comes from a military family. Her father was a pilot in the Navy in World War II, while her brother had a 20-year career in the Army. Her stepson, Marine Sgt. Matthew Abbate, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for valor shown in an ambush in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2010. Whitfield says her family’s culture of service inspired her to focus her work on helping others.  A graduate of Mills College in Oakland, California, Jane was named Anthropology Student of the Year and graduated with honors.  She enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and spending time with her husband and two beagles, Wesley and Ellie.