FISHERS, Ind. (Monday, Aug. 17, 2015/Conner Prairie) – Fundraising professional Karrie Zuccarello of Indianapolis has been named chief development officer at Conner Prairie.
She joins the museum from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where she was director of development since 2011. In that role, she managed SPEA’s major gift program, corporate and foundation relations, annual fund and stewardship.
Karrie Zuccarello
Previously, she worked as associate director of major gifts, corporate and foundation relations and events at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She started her career with the March of Dimes Foundation, where she served as senior community director in the Chicago division and community director in the Pennsylvania chapter.
In her role, Zuccarello will lead a team of seven charged with securing critical philanthropic support and developing partnerships with corporations, foundations and individuals for Conner Prairie, which draws more than 360,000 visitors a year.
“Karrie is a skilled fundraiser who will become an important strategic partner for the staff and board,” said Conner Prairie President and CEO Ellen M. Rosenthal. “With her leading our fundraising efforts, I am confident that Conner Prairie will continue in its role as a dynamic and vital part of the central Indiana community.”
Originally from Greensburg, Ind., Zuccarello earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a certificate from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education and Network of Academic Corporate Relations Officers.
“Conner Prairie is the kind of place that you can have a true, meaningful connection with land, history and one another,” Zuccarello said. “The opportunity to connect donors to this great institution and watch it continue to grow and develop is a tremendous honor.”
Spanning 850 wooded acres in central Indiana, Conner Prairie welcomes more than 360,000 visitors of all ages annually. As Indiana’s only Smithsonian Institute affiliate, Conner Prairie offers various outdoor, historically themed destinations and indoor experiential learning spaces that combine history and art with science, technology, engineering and math to offer an authentic look into history that shapes society today.
