Jacki Davidoff

Jacki is Principal of Davidoff Strategy, a national consulting firm for philanthropic organizations. Davidoff integrates strategy, culture, and leadership development to lead organizations, boards, and teams to identify the next level of their organizational growth, including uncovering internal barriers that limit their effectiveness.

Davidoff clients include the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Christopher Family Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, One Hope United, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Public Health Institute, Public Narrative, NORC at the University of Chicago, and Seattle Foundation.

Jacki is also an executive leadership coach and sought-after facilitator, supporting individuals, teams, and boards to create drama-free, high-functioning cultures aligned to principles of self-awareness and other-awareness.

Jacki has been actively involved in racial justice training nationally and locally. She is immediate past Board Co-Chair of Chicago Women in Philanthropy and is former Co-Chair of the Racial Equity & Social Justice committee. Jacki recently completed the inaugural cohort of Dismantling White Supremacy led by Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy and University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute on Race and Public Policy.

Jacki is founder and facilitator of the Leadership Forum, a monthly convening for diverse nonprofit CEO’s and Executive Directors; and the Leadership Intensive, supporting women at all levels of leadership. She is also founder and co-facilitator of The Self-Aware Leader: Understanding How Race Affects Your Leadership, a 12-week cohort women’s leadership group for women of color and white women launched in April 2022.

Jacki’s communications background includes 30 years in leading national advertising agencies including Ogilvy & Mather and DDB, and senior executive positions in Chicago nonprofits. Prior to joining Davidoff, Jacki completed nine years at the Chicago Botanic Garden where she worked in leadership roles in marketing and corporate/foundation fundraising, increasing the organization’s national and regional presence and growing its corporate support to record levels.

She is from Houston, Texas and earned her BS in Advertising with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed her Masters in Transformational Leadership and Coaching at Wright Graduate University for the Realization of Human Potential in 2017.