Senior Director of Principal and Major Gifts

The Morton Arboretum (Morton or the Arboretum), globally recognized for its century-long commitment to tree-focused science, conservation, and education, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kristin Scott as senior director of principal and major gifts, effective April 14, 2025. In this newly created and elevated role, Scott will provide vision and leadership of a comprehensive and well-integrated major and principal gifts fundraising program for the Arboretum as part of its annual fundraising strategy and in preparation for a multi-million-dollar comprehensive campaign. 

Scott joins Morton from the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) where she served as the inaugural senior director of strategic and planned giving since 2022. In this role, Scott led a team of major and principal gift officers and was instrumental in significantly growing the organization’s major and planned giving annual philanthropic revenue, as well as assisting in bringing GCFD’s $75 million campaign to a successful conclusion. Prior to GCFD, Scott served the National Marrow Donor Program, formerly Be The Match, as director of development in the midst of the organization’s $100 million comprehensive campaign. Her early career experience includes roles in athletics fundraising at the University of Missouri and in regional, major, and annual giving at the University of Minnesota. 

Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in sports administration from Illinois State University. 

Jack Gorman and Nicole Poe led this search with Sandeep Kaur.