New Cathedral Vice President of Development
Fran Sheeley Sees Enormous Opportunities

 

 

By HERB KATZ

Not surprisingly, first time visitors to the Close are awed by the architectural splendor of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the stately stone buildings set among well-kept grounds that form a unique and unexpected oasis in Manhattan.

Recently appointed Cathedral Vice President of Development Fran Sheeley sees beyond the grandeur. Her mind’s eye views “enormous opportunities” anchored in the founders’ far-reaching concept of the Cathedral itself: a house of prayer for all people. From Sheeley’s perspective, the Cathedral is far more than a great church. It is an institution whose appeal resonates with a wide spectrum of people, be they concerned with weekly prayer services, social justice, historic preservation or drawn to culture and the arts. Perhaps most of all, it is a special place open to all, where diverse groups can gather to discuss, calmly and rationally ,important issues of the times. In this way, the Cathedral is greater than the sum of its many parts.

Sheeley sensed the special, often ineffable quality the Cathedral evokes on two occasions some years ago. She recalls the “haunting sound of horses’ hooves” as they entered the Cathedral for the funeral of a doctor of veterinary medicine at the New York Zoological Society, where Sheeley was Director of Planned Giving. The horses were part of the New York Police Department’s mounted unit and were at the Cathedral as a tribute to the late doctor who had cared for them.

She returned to the Close a few years later to attend a party at Synod House sponsored by The Legal Aid Society for homeless youngsters. At the time, Sheeley was Director of Development at the Society.
A skilled and experienced fundraiser, Sheeley believes the Cathedral is “poised at an interesting juncture” when it will benefit from several important projects. These include the completion of the Cathedral interior restoration in 2008, which will allow the entire space to be used for the first time in three years; the reinstallation of the Great Organ; and the real estate initiative.

In welcoming Sheeley, Cathedral Dean, the Very Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski said, “Her strengths include major gift fund raising, the planning and implementation of capital campaigns and the organization and structure of development offices. She has great familiarity with the philanthropic community in the metropolitan area and we are delighted to have her as part of the Cathedral’s senior management staff and a member of the Office of the Dean.

During her career, Sheeley has played a key role in bolstering fundraising at a number of well-known New York institutions, including Fordham University School of Law, The Legal Aid Society, Fresh Air Fund, and the New York Zoological Society. Prior to joining the Cathedral, she was a managing director at Changing Our World, a philanthropic consulting firm that provides strategic services to national clients.

Born in a small town in northern Maine, Sheeley grew up in central Connecticut and spent her college years at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, where she majored in history.

After graduation, she joined American Airlines as a flight attendant. “It was a great way to see the world.” Eighteen months later she began a four-year stint as a flight service supervisor for the airline. Then it was on to Director of Admission at the Katharine Gibbs School, a position that materialized through a bit of serendipity: answering a newspaper help-wanted advertisement.

A contact with an executive at the firm that owned Gibbs resulted in Sheeley’s being tabbed for Director of Alumni Affairs at Iona College, and the start of a long and successful career in development.