2025 40 Under 40 Winners

Claire successfully led the fundraising campaign for the Dr. Joseph Bell Scholarship Endowment, exceeding initial goals and building authentic relationships with stakeholders to honor the legacy of North Carolina’s first American Indian pediatrician. Over the past two years, Claire has consistently outperformed benchmarks by surpassing her visits and proposals goals by nearly 250%. 

She successfully documented a $1 million+ estate gift, showcasing her skill in cultivating and securing major philanthropic commitments. Claire serves on the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run, where she supports fundraising, program promotion, and strategic guidance to empower young girls. 

I have always been drawn to work that addresses the root cause of an issue, leading to long-term change. I started my career in public health and nonprofit management, where I developed a broad set of skills and a love for building relationships. When a mentor suggested healthcare philanthropy to me, and an opportunity arose to support UNC School of Medicine, it felt like a perfect fit. I feel fortunate to have found work that reflects what I care most about: advancing access, equity, and system-level change in a field I am passionate about.

Healthcare philanthropy brings together the issues I care about most—health, education, and equity. It allows me to support both the training of future healthcare providers and a broader effort to improve individual and community health. I chose this path because I want to play a part in creating lasting systemic changes, and I love connecting people who are uniquely positioned to help achieve this goal.

Before moving into fundraising, I was Director of Volunteer Services at a small nonprofit. I felt confident in project management and strategy, but assumed my more introverted nature would prevent me from being a good fundraiser. That changed during an onboarding meeting with a new volunteer who, unprompted, told me: “You need to be in fundraising. What you just did, building trust and making someone feel valued, is exactly what it takes. You’re already doing the work; you’re just asking people to give their time instead of money.”

As it turns out, she had recently retired from a long career in fundraising. Her words reframed how I saw my own strengths and gave me the confidence to pursue a path I hadn’t fully considered. I realized my work had always been rooted in relationships, and fundraising was a natural next step.

My greatest passion is learning. I’ve always been curious about myself and the world around me, and I genuinely enjoy the process of growing and evolving—whether through new experiences, meaningful conversations, or stepping outside my comfort zone.

I feel incredibly grateful for the support and opportunities I’ve had to pursue education, explore new topics, and learn more about the things I’m genuinely curious about, so helping ensure others are afforded these same opportunities is incredibly fulfilling work.

'Trust the process.'

It’s a mindset I’m still working towards achieving, but one that’s already making a meaningful impact on how I approach my work. As someone who is naturally driven by goals and metrics, I often find myself wanting to see immediate results—but in major gift fundraising, progress is rooted in long-term relationship building, and often not linear.

I’m incredibly grateful to my supervisor, Jeanine, who is constantly reminding me of the importance of patience and perspective in this field. Her guidance has helped me stay grounded while focusing on the bigger picture and long-term impacts.