Purpose

I’m deeply committed to helping others achieve what they didn't know was possible through their leadership and philanthropy.

At 18 years old, I found my dream career: university fundraising. For 20+ years, I raised hundreds of millions of dollars in my beloved field, eventually working my way up to the corner office as a senior VP. Through my experiences as a working woman and leader, I saw the need to develop more leaders, build stronger workplace cultures, and help people create meaning through philanthropy, which led me to found Hocking Leadership.

Bio

Shanna A. Hocking (Shanna rhymes with Donna) is the founder and CEO of Hocking Leadership, which helps universities and nonprofits develop leaders, strengthen workplace culture, and advance fundraising. Shanna found her dream career of university fundraising as a freshman in college. Shanna then spent 20 years raising 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-figure gifts and leading collaborative teams (ultimately nearly 50 professionals) at organizations such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Alabama, and Duke University. Shanna is the author of One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions to Help Women Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential (November 2022, McGraw Hill), which was named "one of the 9 motivating books to supercharge your 2024" by the Next Big Idea Club. Shanna's articles have been published on Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Fast Company, Chicago Tribune, The Muse, and Motherly. Her expertise has been featured in Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Harper's Bazaar UK, Entrepreneur, New York Post, Business Insider, and Today.com, among others. Shanna was named a LinkedIn Top Voice in April 2024. She has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, and Nexstar affiliate television stations across the country.

Shanna received a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

let's continue learning together, shall we?

Sign up for my email list to get my leadership insights directly to your inbox.