Kevin Dowdell, the new chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, plans to use his experience in business development to help raise money for the organization.
Mr. Dowdell spent six years as a business development executive for HBO Inc. Before that, he was a senior consultant at Strategic Planning Associates, where he helped Fortune 500 companies in the fields of telecommunications, financial services and consumer products.
“I helped a lot of large companies make a lot of money,” said Mr. Dowdell. “But then I had a change in my life. My mom passed away and I met Arthur Ashe and together we started the Safe Passage Foundation.”
The foundation was Mr. Dowdell’s first foray into what he calls “youth development,” bringing tennis programs to inner cities. The program lasted from 1989 to 1993, when the legendary tennis player died.
Today, Mr. Dowdell is back in youth development, overseeing a 148-year-old organization that manages 19 youth clubs throughout the Washington area.
One of his main responsibilities is raising money for the clubs through foundations, governmental organizations and charity events. Although Boys & Girls Clubs charge membership fees, the vast majority of operating income comes from donors.
“I see my job as combination of youth development and business development,” said Mr. Dowdell. “We need to have some fiscal ability.”
Donations have remained relatively steady despite a downturn in the economy, Mr. Dowdell said, a testament to the organization’s resilience and marketing ability.
“Our general base is relatively solid, but we have seen some variations by industry,” said Mr. Dowdell. “The financial and real estate industries have been hit harder than others, so we have seen some reductions. Overall, we are reacting to the changes in the economy but so far they have not had an adverse effect.”
The organization hired Mr. Dowdell to apply his business mind-set to a nonprofit operation.
“I have the utmost confidence in Kevin Dowdell as he begins to lead this organization as CEO,” said George Ferris Jr., chairman of the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. “He has proven himself to be a strategic thinker and his tireless commitment to this organization will be invaluable as we overcome our challenges and prepare our young people for success in life.”
Mr. Dowdell, who grew up in Schenectady, N.Y., earned a bachelor’s degree in management systems engineering from Princeton University in 1983 and a master’s degree in finance and marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1985.
Mr. Dowdell resides in the District.
— Timothy Warren
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