Sheila M. Cawley

Sheila M. Cawley is the chief philanthropy officer for The Chicago Community Trust.

Cawley leads a team of philanthropic experts committed to partnering with donors to meet their personal philanthropic goals while increasing support to strengthen the Chicago region. She has nearly 30 years of civic and philanthropic experience engaging donors and partners to connect giving to impact. Most recently, Cawley served as the Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Chief Revenue Strategist for the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). In this role, she doubled their endowment with the success of a $360 million fundraising campaign.

Before joining MSI, she spent seven years at the Field Museum, her last position being the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, where she led a successful capital campaign. Additionally, she has served in a development capacity at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, The Andrews School, and Secondary School Consulting.

Cawley has a bachelor’s in humanistic studies from Saint Mary’s College and a master’s with distinction in history from DePaul University. She currently serves on the board of The Good Food Pantry in Park Ridge.