Nesha Crossman is a seasoned philanthropy executive with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and consulting services spanning higher education, human services, global development, and faith-based nonprofits. Her nonprofit development expertise spans capital and comprehensive campaigns, board relations, strategic planning, principal, major, and annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, marketing, communications, board relations, and advancement services.
Throughout her career, Nesha’s development leadership experience has helped organizations raise over $50 million for capital projects, deferred gifts, and current use funding. Most recently, Nesha served as the Senior Executive Director of Development at the University of California, Riverside, where she led a dynamic team of fundraisers focused on securing private support for university initiatives spanning seven different campus units. Her leadership efforts at UC Riverside contributed to securing $29.2 million in private support in 2024, an increase of 17% over the prior year, surpassing a $50 million goal two years ahead of schedule for a student support-focused initiative and serving on the development executive team contributing to the close of UC Riverside’s first comprehensive campaign raising over $300 million in campus-wide support.
A committed servant leader with a heart for advocating for children, Nesha is skilled at building strong, authentic relationships with colleagues, board members, and philanthropists to advance mission-driven goals that support the well-being of the communities she serves. She is committed to data-driven approaches, consistently leveraging strategic insights to drive fundraising growth and exceed targets.
Nesha is a past president and board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Inland Empire Chapter, a past AFP Global Nominating Committee member, and has served on the UC Riverside Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Disability Inclusion. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UC Riverside and is a graduate of Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence.
A native of Southern California, Nesha has been married to her husband Micah for 26 years, and together, they have raised three adult children.