The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the appointment of Katie Nicely as Vice President of Advancement. Nicely, an established fundraising figure in the nonprofit and arts communities, comes to SFCM from United Way Bay Area where she most recently served as Chief Development Officer. She will start her position on Monday, April 24.

“I am honored to welcome Katie Nicely to our school and thrilled to have her lead our advancement efforts,” says SFCM President David H. Stull. “Katie builds exceptional teams and her imaginative approach to development is evident in all aspects of her distinguished career. She is an inspiring advocate for music and we are very fortunate to have her with us.”

“I'm excited to return to musical pursuits,” says Nicely. “The San Francisco Conservatory is on the rise with a transformational capital project and with a very strong team in their faculty, staff, students, and board. To play a part in improving the music students' (of all ages) experience at SFCM is close to my heart, having worked on other capital projects in the arts and having studied and majored in music myself. I've seen the power of how facilities can enhance the study of music and how it creates a stronger connection between the audience, performers, and the community.”

At United Way Bay Area, Nicely oversaw the organization’s $18 million annual fund and over $36 million in philanthropic dollars invested in the Bay Area's community efforts to overcome barriers to economic opportunities for those in need. Prior to United Way Bay Area, Nicely was at the San Francisco Symphony where she held various roles in development and engagement for eight years; she served as a division head in charge of community engagement and also worked in the development division for six years as acting director of development and associate director of development overseeing the annual fund, their events, and volunteer council, as well as institutional giving. While at the symphony, she also successfully completed the organization’s Second Century Campaign, which exceeded its endowment and operating fundraising goals by $20 million, and served as a key leader of their centennial season in 2011–12.

Prior to her tenure at the San Francisco Symphony, Nicely was the director of development for Stanford Lively Arts (now Stanford Live). In that capacity, she increased their annual fund by 20% over 18 months and represented the organization in Stanford’s university-wide $4 billion campaign. Nicely also served as the director of development and campaign director for the Gallo Center for the Arts, completing its $40 million capital campaign. She also worked in development and external relations in the Washington, DC area before moving to California where she worked at the University of Maryland School of Music, Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, as well as serving as a campaign consultant for a prospect screening company headquartered in Maryland.

Nicely also teaches fitness classes at the Bay Club, UCSF Mission Bay, and Google’s San Francisco offices and resides in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. She attended DePauw University as an undergraduate, majoring in music and communications, and has a master’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington in Arts Administration.