About Me
For two decades, Ms. Hughes has distinguished herself through contributions to the not-for-profit and political sector, serving as a strategic planner, board strategist, community organizer, spokeswoman and fundraiser for National & grassroots organizations within diverse verticals. Securing over $250 million+ in private funds, specializing in building programs from the ground up in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, she has a zeal for scaling organizations and building high-performing teams that love what they do!
Ms. Hughes currently serves as Managing Director for Resource Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Previously Ms. Hughes served as Vice President of Development for Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA), one of the largest Native serving organizations in the U.S., charged with reversing the continuing decline of net revenue over a four-year period. Ms. Hughes took swift action to transition a passive, siloed model to an integrated moves management structure diversifying revenue and realizing significant modifications to Development operations, structure, and systems/processes, aimed at right-sizing the organization for today, and fundamentally repositioning it toward new business. As a result, cash fundraising and total funding was restored to prior levels securing $46M annual revenue, while maintaining cost efficiencies with an excess of revenue over expense, and inventory gift in-kind levels reached a five-year high. Ms. Hughes was appointed Vice President of Development and Communications in January 2022.
Ms. Hughes served as Vice President of Development and Communications for Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Inc. building the vision and framework for the first in-house development team, the first of its kind nationally recognized program, overseeing a $42 million capital campaign and endowment to support job creation for individuals with barriers to employment. She launched THE LUNCH, placing in Dallas’ top 10 philanthropic events seven years running and putting Goodwill on the map.
Formerly, Ms. Hughes represented The Army Distaff Foundation as Administrator of Philanthropy and Public Relations spearheading new-market growth, public affairs, and securing $17 million for capital growth at a medical facility for America’s service members and their families, named 50 Most Innovative Not-for-Profit organizations. Ms. Hughes served as Managing Director and Director of Development for a non-partisan think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, in Washington, DC where she enhanced strategic partnerships and new business initiatives, while co-authoring The Surge: the untold story, accredited with the 2010 Military Channel Award, GI Film Festival Award and Special Jury Award.
At the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Ms. Hughes secured $85 million and a lead gift of $10 million towards a $286 million campaign to construct phase II of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. She also served as a Research Analyst for the Presbyterian Clergy Project on Human Rights and represented Meals-on-Wheels of Johnson and Ellis Counties and United States Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), in Washington, DC. Ms. Hughes is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, speaker for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and maintains professional affiliations with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Association of Professional Women, Board Source and Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.
Ms. Hughes and her husband, Greg, moved to Prosper, Texas, a community that closely resembles their family’s values—authenticity, commitment, and compassion, where they raise their two young boys. Ms. Hughes also serves Prosper's Town Council on the Community Engagement Committee and is actively involved as a volunteer for Prosper ISD. She was named in Top 50 Executive Leaders in Dallas for Women We Admire Magazine in 2024.
