Laura Brehm

Brehm Consulting

Laura Brehm is a philanthropy advisor serving the non-profit sector in Montana and across the West. She has more than 30 years of leadership and fundraising experience in complex institutions of higher education, arts organizations, land conservation and related environmental causes on a national scale.

From 2003-13, she was the president and CEO of The University of Montana Foundation, the private non-profit corporation supporting the university and responsible for investing and managing assets of more than $170 million. She led the University’s largest-ever capital campaign with a goal of $100 million, The campaign exceeded goal within 5 years and raised $172 million in private support for buildings, programs, faculty support and scholarships.

Before joining the UM Foundation, she spent three years as the vice president and national director of development for the Trust for Public Land in San Francisco, where she managed the national program and established regional development offices across the United States.

Prior to her service at the Trust for Public Land, she spent more than 15 years in a number of senior advancement positions at the University of California, Berkeley, her alma mater. She was part of the leadership team of two major capital campaigns with goals of $350 million and $1 billion respectively. In addition, she founded the development department for Cal Performances, the world-renowned performing arts organization at Berkeley. From 1999- 2000 she was the assistant dean for development and alumni relations at the Berkeley Business School where she directed the most effective and productive fundraising program on campus, leading an endowment campaign of $75 million that established 5 new endowed chairs for the School.

She began serving as an independent philanthropy advisor in 2013. She has focused her work on organizational development, strategic planning, executive search, campaign management, constituent relations, board governance and education, volunteer engagement and training, strategic communications and fundraising at all levels.