Jennifer Pachus serves as the Chief Development Officer at The Trustees. Jennifer is committed to inspiring donors to help the Trustees have a lasting impact on the landscapes and people that make Massachusetts home. A passionate learner and idea generator, she strongly believes in the power of relationships as the basis of successful fundraising.
Jennifer leads teams that engage donors with the people, places, and passion of the Trustees, in the effort to attract philanthropic revenue to support the mission. The development team’s work spans the annual fund and the Founders’ Circle, individual giving, corporate and foundation giving, planned giving, operations, the Trustees’ signature and governance events, and other areas that support fundraising and governance. The team is enthusiastic about the opportunity to raise funds to support the Trustees’ strategic plan, For Everyone, Forever, which outlines a commitment to land conservation, community engagement, and enhancing access to nature across Massachusetts.
Jennifer joined The Trustees in 2026 with significant experience and thoughtful leadership drawn from several decades of fundraising for Harvard University. Most recently, as the Associate Vice President for the University Development Office, she led a team responsible for engaging donors centrally, across the breadth of the university, and cultivating transformative, cross-school gift opportunities. Jennifer also led university-level planning for the launch and execution of Harvard’s record-setting campaign. She began her development career at Harvard as a fundraiser with the Harvard College Fund, later turning to major gifts, then serving as associate dean for development in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Growing up in Atlanta, Jennifer was inspired by her mother’s community activism focused on the environmental impacts of transportation choices and land-use planning. Jennifer enjoys walking and occasional bird-watching—on the coast and in the woods—and has been fortunate to do these activities on Trustees properties over her 35 years living in the Boston area. She is grateful to be one of the many who can connect to natural, historical, and cultural places that have been acquired and well-stewarded by the Trustees.
Jennifer graduated from Yale College with a BA in Philosophy. She has also taken several classes in nonprofit management at the Harvard Kennedy School. When not fundraising for work, Jennifer raises gifts for her alma mater, her children’s colleges, and other organizations. She and her husband, children, and rescue dog, live in Needham, near Trustees property Charles River Peninsula.
