Gillian Howell

National Philanthropy Executive

Gillian Howell is the National Philanthropy Executive and a member of the Foundation Source leadership team. Ms. Howell brings more than 35 years of executive and philanthropic management experience to Foundation Source where she is responsible for overseeing and expanding the Philanthropic Advisory Services function. In this role, she leads a team of specialists as they help individuals, families and companies achieve their charitable objectives with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Ms. Howell is also tasked with increasing the visibility of our in-house expertise in the national philanthropic and wealth management markets. In this capacity, she advocates for Foundation Source clients as well as philanthropic individuals, families and companies, nonprofits, and school and universities to ensure a complete and competitive total service solution from a broad set of available offerings.

Previously, Ms. Howell served in multiple philanthropic leadership roles for Bank of America, most recently as Managing Director and Philanthropic Market Executive for New England. Her earlier roles include heading up the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund and National Private Philanthropy Executive, a role in which she was a top-producing leader of the private philanthropic sales and relationship management team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. During her 31-year tenure at Bank of America and its predecessor organizations, she collaborated with high-net-worth donors, private foundations, donor-advised funds and nonprofits on strategic planning, donor development, mission advancement, next generation engagement and board governance, as well as philanthropic investments and fiduciary and risk management.

Ms. Howell is a native of Ireland and a long-time resident of Hartford, Conn., where she is active in its local nonprofit community. She is a board member and sits on the investment committee for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. She also serves as Chair of the Board for Everyday Democracy, an organization focused on building multiracial democracies within the local community. She is also a longtime member of the board and past-President of the Trustees of the Colt Bequest Inc., that provides a residence and support for senior women in Hartford and surrounding areas of Connecticut.