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President and Chief Executive Officer
Jacob Harold came to GuideStar from the Hewlett Foundation, where he led grantmaking for the Philanthropy Program. Between 2006 and 2012, he oversaw $30Â million in grants that, together, aimed to build a 21st-century infrastructure for smart giving. Before that, he worked as a consultant to nonprofits and foundations at the Bridgespan Group and as a climate change strategist for for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation based at The Energy and Resources Insitute in New Delhi, India. At the beginning of his careers he worked as a climate change campaigner for Rainforest Action Network and Greenpeace USA and as organizing director at Citizen Works.
Harold has written extensively on climate change and philanthropic strategy. His essays have been used as course materials at Stanford, Duke, Wharton, Harvard, and Oxford. He earned an AB summa cum laude from Duke University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with a certificate in public management. Harold has further training from Green Corps in grassroots organizing, Bain in business strategy, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in complex systems science, and the School for International Training in Tibetan studies. Harold was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where his parents ran small community-based nonprofit organizations.
Chief Financial Officer
James is responsible for coordinating strategic and financial oversight across the organization and also heads fundraising. Before joining GuideStar, he spent 14 years in the New York City area leading financial planning and analysis for media companies in television, radio, publishing, and the Internet. He served on the board of nonprofit Pacifica radio stations in both New York and Virginia and was a juror for the International Emmys for the last 10 years. He started his professional career as an environmental engineer for firms and clients across the East Coast. James received BAs from the University of Virginia in Economics and Biology, and earned an MBA from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship.
Vice President, Information Technology
Jim oversees GuideStar's Information Technology Department. He has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of telecommunications, technical systems management, and applications development. Before joining GuideStar, Jim served as the vice president of Technical Operations for DS3 Data Vaulting, a start-up company specializing in off-site, on-line network backup; as chief information officer for McGuire Woods LLP, an international law firm based in Richmond, Virginia; and the Southeast regional vice president of operations for Systems and Computer Technology in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Management Science and an MBA, both from Kent State University.
Vice President, Research
Chuck is responsible for conducting research for GuideStar and customers interested in nonprofit sector data. He also works to identify new data sources and ways to present data effectively to GuideStar users. Chuck produces the annual GuideStar Compensation Report, which analyzes the salary and benefits of thousands of nonprofits throughout the country. He has 15 years of experience as a teacher and researcher in various institutions of higher education. Chuck serves on the advisory committee of the National Center for Charitable Statistics and is a member of the Panel of Nonprofit Sector Representatives for the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations. A graduate of Christopher Newport University, Chuck also received an M.S. degree in mathematics from the College of William and Mary.
Vice President, Operations
Debra is responsible for our D.C. and Williamsburg facilities management and oversees all administrative activities, human resources, accounting, internal communications, and project coordination at GuideStar. Debra has 30 years' experience in the communications field, having worked for Gannett, Inc. and a number of catalog companies and public relation firms. Before joining GuideStar, she served as an elected school board member in upstate New York and was a board member of Camp Chin Gu, a camp for Korean adoptees. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University.