Colette M. Murray, J.D., CFRE
CEO Emeritus & Senior Search Consultant
As former Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Paschal Murray, Mrs. Murray oversaw a distinguished and varied staff of professional and support personnel. Her continuing goal for Paschal Murray is to remain a highly dedicated and ethical executive search firm and provide clients and candidates with exceptional personal services.
Ms. Murray has a professional record of over thirty-five years in senior-level advancement at major education and health institutions throughout America. Colette began her professional career as a criminal defense attorney. Not long after, she was recruited to serve as the first legal counsel for the UC Berkeley campus. She initiated her advancement career as Executive Director of the Cal Alumni Association. She has served as the senior advancement executive at UC Santa Cruz, University of Louisville, Texas Tech University, Henry Ford Health System, and Sharp HealthCare. Administrative responsibilities for these organizations have primarily included Fundraising and Alumni Affairs.
Ms. Murray has a long history in leadership positions with professional philanthropic organizations. She is the only professional in history to serve as board chair of both the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), an international organization with 30,000 members and Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE). She received the nationally acclaimed Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for her leadership as a CASE Trustee. Colette was a member of the board of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) Foundation. She is past president of the Health Systems Development Network of AHP whose members include all of the top senior philanthropy executives managing health systems nationally and she is a past member of the AHP Board of Directors. She has had a long and active role as member and chair of the AFP Ethics Committee and has led numerous workshops on ethical issues and case studies on ethics in philanthropy.
Ms. Murray has been on the faculty for dozens of CASE, AFP and AHP conferences and has also taught fundraising management at Texas Tech University, Wayne State University and UC San Diego. Ms. Murray is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and has a law degree from the University of San Francisco. Ms. Murray has been, a certified fundraising executive (CFRE) for the past twenty years.
Ms. Murray is an alumnus of Leadership America, Leadership Texas, Leadership California, and LEAD San Diego. She currently is a member of three boards and believes very strongly in volunteerism and diversity. She was President of San Diego Breakfast Rotary in 2000-2001. She is founding board member of the Desert Cities Chapter of AFP.
