CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC, a nationally-ranked boutique executive search firm specializing in nonprofit and social impact organizations, is proud to announce the successful placement of Maggie McDow as Vice President + Chief Development Officer at Rainforest Flow following an extensive national search. Rainforest Flow, an international nonprofit organization founded by Executive Director Nancy Santullo, develops integrated clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in collaboration with Indigenous people in rainforest communities, specifically in the Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peru’s Amazon rainforest
Ms. McDow brings ten years of experience in international development and nonprofit leadership and more than a decade on Capitol Hill to her new role at Rainforest Flow. Most recently, she served as Chief Development Officer at Health in Harmony, leading fundraising initiatives that resulted in an average year-over-year growth of 50%. Previously, McDow held roles in the US Congress, focusing on education and environmental policy. Her deep understanding of environmental issues and proven track record of driving organizational growth make her the ideal candidate to lead Rainforest Flow’s development strategies, ensuring the organization’s continued impact and expansion as it proliferates its scalable, replicable model of training Indigenous communities and policymakers on building simple, effective clean water infrastructure.
Cooper Coleman Founder and CEO Johnny Cooper, who led the search, shared, “I consider it my privilege to connect passionate leaders with worthy missions, then witness the incredible work that transpires as they do what they are called to do. This match is no exception. Maggie and Nancy share a vision for Rainforest Flow that will profoundly impact the intersection of global health and climate. Furthermore, their vision is underpinned by the dedication and leadership of Board Chair Samuel Schwan, which will serve as a model for funders well into the future.”
McDow joins Rainforest Flow at an exciting time as the organization continues to expand its work in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rainforest Flow’s strategic growth plan includes the establishment of a Global WASH Learning and Research Center, which will serve as a hub for knowledge exchange among Indigenous leaders, scientists, and policymakers. The WASH Learning and Research Center will benefit Indigenous communities as stewards and protectors of the rainforest by training the next generation of Indigenous leaders, engineers, and health and environmental professionals to replicate and adapt these technologies to their communities.
“We are excited about Maggie’s placement to our leadership team as our new VP and Chief Development Officer and are looking forward to a meaningful and prosperous relationship,” said Nancy Santullo. She continued, “We could not have done it without Johnny, Jennifer, and their team. We are grateful for the care they demonstrated on our behalf. Cooper Coleman was an absolute pleasure throughout the many months of the search and hiring process. It means the world to us.”
About Cooper Coleman LLC
Cooper Coleman LLC is a full-service retained executive search and consulting firm partnering exclusively with nonprofit organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions to drive meaningful growth. Its team moves organizations forward by placing the right leaders in the right roles at the right time and helps to strengthen their management and fundraising capacity to amplify their mission and impact.
Cooper Coleman partners with clients spanning the social sector, including those focused on civil rights, global health, performing arts and culture, social services, and LGBTQ+ issues, among others.
Founder and CEO Johnny Cooper has more than 17 years of leadership experience throughout the social sector. He established Cooper Coleman to solve a gap in service delivery to the sector, specifically how search firms represent nonprofit clients and the attention paid to the candidate experience throughout a search—chosen or not. Knowing the transformational impact that having the right leaders in the right roles can have on an organization and its mission, Cooper partnered with retained search veteran William B. Coleman, Jr. to establish Cooper Coleman as a firm that prioritizes making the essential services of executive search accessible to organizations across the social sector. William Coleman has more than 25 years of experience in retained executive search, including leading his own firm, Coleman Search Consulting LLC, for more than ten years until its sale in 2018.
For more information on Cooper Coleman LLC, visit their website at www.coopercoleman.com and find them on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coopercoleman.
About Rainforest Flow
Rainforest Flow (RF) delivers clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs to indigenous people in the Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest. Since 2003, Rainforest Flow has collaborated with Peruvian health and environmental agencies and indigenous communities to deliver more than 82.3 million gallons of safe drinking water to four villages in the global biodiversity hotspot. RF has educated hundreds of families about health, hygiene, and sanitation to help them strengthen the health of their communities.
Rooted in more than 20 years of technical, scientific, and anthropological research and hands-on field experience, their multicultural team works closely with Indigenous families to bring sustainable clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs to remote communities. Their work in the Amazon Rainforest contributes to fulfilling goals set by the United Nations to ensure the availability and management of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene for all.
For more information on Rainforest Flow, visit www.rainforestflow.org.