Debbie Mason is a trusted and proven nonprofit CEO and consultant with more than 35 years of experience leading organizations through transition, growth, and turnaround. Known as the “Swiss-army knife” of nonprofit leadership, she combines sharp analysis, collaborative problem-solving, and decisive action to stabilize organizations and deliver measurable results.

As President of Strategists, Inc., Debbie has guided hundreds of nonprofits nationwide through strategic planning, governance alignment, capital campaign readiness, and executive transitions. Boards call on her to quickly diagnose issues, engage stakeholders, and implement solutions that strengthen brand, culture, operations, revenue, and performance.

Her executive employed track record includes serving as CEO/President of three nonprofits—the Tidewell Foundation, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, and United Way of North Central Florida—and as Senior Vice President/Chief Marketing & Development Officer for United Way of Broward County. In each role, Debbie improved brand reputation, culture, fundraising, governance and systems while driving measurable community impact.

Earlier in her career, she founded Mason Strategic Communications, one of Florida’s largest independent agencies, later sold to a national firm. Also, she served in executive leadership at JM Family Enterprises, one of the nation’s largest private companies, where she led corporate branding, crisis response, and stakeholder communications across 20+ subsidiaries, while establishing its first corporate communications department and strategy for charitable giving and employee volunteerism.

Debbie’s results speak for themselves. She:

• Led the Broward Child Welfare Initiative, securing $60M as Florida’s first county for foster care privatization funding. This work was recognized with the national PRSA Silver Anvil Award.
• Directed strategy to establish the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, now generating $100M+ annually for children and families.
• Guided the Florida Keys SPCA in raising $9M for a new animal shelter, resulting in Monroe County’s largest-ever capital campaign.

A certified fundraising executive, accredited public relations counselor, and PRSA Fellow, Debbie is also a BoardSource-trained governance facilitator, certified DiSC® trainer, and accredited in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™. Her volunteer leadership includes service as national chair of the PRSA Foundation, chair of PRSA’s Nonprofit Section, and governance roles on numerous nonprofit and civic boards.

Boards and colleagues describe Debbie as strategic, decisive, and collaborative—a leader who can step in during uncertain times, steady the organization, and position it for long-term success.

LinkedIn: Debbie Mason