Linda Wise McNay, Ph.D. — Partner

Linda Wise McNay, Partner, has completed her sixth year at Alexander Haas. Linda’s professional background includes work with both higher and secondary education, the arts and human service organizations and has included work in capital campaigns, annual fund, planned giving, membership, strategic planning and organization development.

Linda has lived and worked in Atlanta for more than 20 years. Most recently, she served as Chief Development Officer for the High Museum of Art leading its efforts to raise $95 million to bring great art from the Louvre and China to the Atlanta community. During her tenure she also managed the execution of an endowment campaign, initiated the institution’s first full-time planned giving effort and increased the museum’s membership to a record 50,000. During this time Linda served as national president of the Art Museum Development Association.

Prior to the High, Linda served as Director of Advancement at Pace Academy, a K-12 private school in Atlanta. During her time at Pace, she led the school’s largest and most successful capital fundraising campaign with a goal of $15 million. The campaign was an overwhelming success, reaching goal ahead of schedule, under budget and with 95% parent participation and 100% faculty/staff participation.

In higher education, Linda has held positions including Vice President of the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges; Executive Director of the Emory Challenge Fund at Emory University; Director of Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology and alumni and development roles at her alma mater, Transylvania University. A regular speaker and presenter at workshops and conferences and author of numerous articles for publication, her doctoral dissertation was entitled The Relative Cost Effectiveness of Three Direct Mail Techniques on Non-Alumni Prospects.

Linda earned her Doctorate in Philosophy of Higher Education from Georgia State University; a Master of Business Administration specializing in Personnel Administration, from the University of Kentucky; and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

Linda and her architect husband, Gary, have two grown sons. In her spare time, Linda likes traveling to new places with family and friends, reading, writing, and roller-skating.