As vice president for principal gifts and interim vice president for development central programs, Constance French serves as the OSU Foundation’s chief principal gifts strategist and provides leadership and direction for the Foundation’s principal gifts program, which focuses on the individuals or organizations who have made, or have the capacity to make, transformative investments in the university. Additionally, she provides leadership and direction for the departments of gift planning and foundation relations.  Ms. French serves on the foundation’s strategic management team. 

Ms French served in several leadership positions over the course of her 30-year career.  She held numerous roles over her eight years at the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation (OHSUF) including senior vice president for development, chief operating officer, and interim president. Prior to her time at OHSUF, Ms. French was  director at the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine overseeing fundraising for the Brain Sciences (the departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, and the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences), the Friends of Medicine Program, and the School of Medicine Alumni Relations and Development Program.  From 1996-2002, Ms. French served as the Director of Major Gifts at Smith College which included oversight of major gifts, stewardship, events, and the parents’ fund.  Ms. French started her career at Trinity College in Harford, Connecticut and held positions in annual giving, major gifts, and regional programs. Ms. French served as a senior consultant in the global advancement consulting firm GG+A as well as an independent consultant.  In those capacities, her primary clients were the Obama Foundation as they planned for the Barack Obama Presidential Center and Portland State University Foundation as interim president.

Ms. French holds a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in religion from Smith College. She has served on the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) Commission on Philanthropy and has presented for CASE, the National Society for Fund Raising Executives, Willamette Valley Development Officers, AFP, and Women in Development.

Ms. French was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the Portland Business Journal in 2016 and is a CASE Crystal Apple recognized speaker.