Director of Nonprofit Advisory Services
& Business Development Manager
McKinley Carter Wealth Services
By Samantha Cart
While Wheeling native Kathleen McDermott’s first job consisted of washing laboratory equipment at her family’s analytical testing, sampling and consulting business, it was her hobbies that truly foreshadowed what her future would hold. Even as a young girl, she had an appreciation for the arts—particularly literature and cooking.
“My mother always said that instead of stuffed animals I would take books to bed with me,” she says. “I just can’t live without a good book.”
McDermott’s parents supported her pursuit of a non-traditional career when she decided to major in art history at Dickinson College. “My parents were firm believers in a liberal arts education,” she says. “They recognized the importance of inventiveness, creative thinking and experiential learning. They instilled in me a strong work ethic so that whatever I chose to pursue, I would be happy and successful.”
McDermott put her skills to use straight out of college as the director of development at Oglebay Institute where she helped make strides in arts and environmental education programming and bring in several large grants. She then joined McKinley Carter Wealth Services in 2013 as the director of nonprofit advisory services. In 2017, she took on an additional role as the firm’s business development manager.
“In 2013, the firm was managing a few nonprofit endowments and recognized the need to offer nonprofit clients a service model similar to its model for individuals and families,” she says. “Many nonprofit organizations struggle with sustainability, and their efforts in fundraising, planning and governance must be aligned with their financial investments. While our trusted advisors are managing these institutions’ portfolios, I work with executive directors and boards on long-term strategies that will help them be more sustainable, independent and efficient.”
As business development manager, McDermott helps develop strategies to grow the firm in all areas and serves as a champion for its many projects, which requires strong coordination and communication.
“I am incredibly organized, which is helpful when managing multiple projects and teams,” she says. “When working with teams, I believe it is important for each person to contribute in a way that also strengthens their own individual skills and when that person achieves success, to recognize their accomplishments.”
Her mastery of communication, teamwork and organization as well as her love for the arts and the Wheeling community are reflected in her various community service roles. She currently volunteers as a board member for the YWCA Wheeling, president of the Wheeling Symphony Society Auxiliary, treasurer of the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley’s Women’s Giving Circle and sustaining member of the Junior League of Wheeling. McDermott is also a trustee for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, W.E. Stone Foundation and Wheeling Landscape Commission, and she volunteers on the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley’s allocation panel.
In the past she has served as commissioner of the West Virginia Women’s Commission, board member for the Rotary Club of Wheeling, member of the Wheeling Arts & Cultural Commission and the Oglebay Institute Mansion Museum committee and trustee for the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce and Arts Advocates of West Virginia, among others.
“I am primarily drawn to organizations supporting women, children and the arts,” she says. “I feel I have been blessed throughout my life and that my children are fortunate as well, and I do what I can to help others whose circumstances might not be as well off.”
McDermott has dedicated her life to the Wheeling community and the state of West Virginia, and she can’t imagine living and serving anywhere else.
“My husband and I were both born and raised in Wheeling, and most of our families still live here, so it was natural for us to stay,” she says. “There is something incredibly special about having your children grow up with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins just a few miles away. Wheeling is a great place to raise a family.”
1991 Graduated from Dickinson College
1994 Hired as director of development at Oglebay Institute
1999 Earned the Certified Fundraising Executive designation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals
2001 Co-chaired the Junior League of Wheeling project for child advocacy that became Harmony House
2006 Hired as the first female and eighth president and CEO of Oglebay Institute
2013 Hired as director of nonprofit advisory services at McKinley Carter Wealth Services
2019 Nominated as treasurer of the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley’s Women’s Giving Circle
