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AFP Ends 16-Month CEO Search
AFP

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) stayed within the Beltway and association space to find its new president and chief executive officer. Effective Nov. 1, Mike Geiger will be the new president and CEO at the Arlington, Va.-based organization, which has been led by an interim CEO for nearly a year-and-a-half.

Geiger will succeed Andrew Watt, who stepped down in June 2016, three weeks after a reorganization that reduced a quarter of the staff and aimed to streamline operations and improve member services. AFP General Counsel Jason Lee has been serving as interim president and CEO for the past 16 months. Watt had been the chief executive since 2011.

Geiger previously served as executive director and chief operating officer of the Chief Executives Organization, Inc. (CEO) for seven years. He directed the day-to-day global operations of the Washington, D.C.-based membership organization, overseeing a staff of 30 and supporting the board of directors and organizational committees.

Prior to that, he was chief financial officer at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for seven years after six years as vice president and chief financial officer of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

“At this time in AFP’s history, we feel that Mike has the right blend of skills and assets to not only help us grow, but also excel as an organization,” AFP Chair Ann Hale, CFRE, said in a press release announcing the appointment. “He is a proven association leader with experience in international membership organizations. He has a keen financial acumen and a passion for public service which will serve our members, chapters, and the fundraising profession well,” she said.

In his previous posts, Geiger is credited with having increased membership significantly, generated budget surpluses each year, developed innovative new collaborations and partnerships, and overseen the redesign of CEO’s website and other technology platforms. “For both organizations, he provided global strategic director in finance and accounting, fundraising, information technology, human resources and administration,” according to a press release announcing the appointment.

Geiger also has held CFO and director of finance posts in the Washington, D.C. and Virginia areas in the hospital/medical provider industry. He is a current board member and chairman of the Finance Investment Committee of the Romanian American Foundation, which aims to “strengthen and promote conditions for a sustainable market economy and democratic society, providing access to opportunity for all segments of Romanian society.”

Born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, Geiger is a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a Master’s in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Founded in 1960, AFP has some 33,000 members that raise $100 billion annually for charities around the world. The organization has about 30 employees, with reported revenue of $11.1 million for 2015, according to the most recent available Form 990.

AFP’s announcement did not include details on contract length of compensation. Watt earned total compensation of $367,853 in the most recent year.