Success Stories

Interim Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Leadership and Organizational Coaching for Nonprofit Organizations

Successfully Staying the Course … During his 47-year career in nonprofit and higher ed management, John Vitali, Principal at Daval Consulting, LLC, has been tapped by Boards to fill several transitional chief executive leadership roles. In 2023 he successfully completed the Support Center for Nonprofit Management’s Interim Executive Institute and has since served as the interim Executive Director for the Society for Classical Studies at New York University. As an experienced nonprofit leader, John has successfully participated in several Center-supported Organizational Navigator engagements including assisting a nonprofit as it transitioned from a vision to a start-up. And another that needed guidance for a major capital expansion plan and coaching for senior staff. Whether your organization retains an interim executive officer or you engage an organizational coach, making this decision will help your nonprofit maintain its direction, commitment, and resolve despite unexpected challenges, obstacles, or distractions.

Strategic and Tactical Financial and Operational Leadership

Throughout John’s career, especially during the last 20+ years, he has routinely led enterprise-wide financial operations as part of his overall executive management portfolio as a Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. From clean independent audits over many consecutive years, sustainable organizational realignment programs, and the restructuring of millions in bond debt to introducing operational efficiencies, instituting strong internal controls, and strategically identifying new sources of funding, John led successive financial operations with integrity that were mission-driven, collaborative, transparent, professional, and accountable.

Campus Real Estate and Infrastructure Improvements

John’s work at Drew University included executive divisional oversight of real estate, capital infrastructure improvements, campus beautification, and the supervision of a multi-million-dollar annual capital budget for a 186-acre suburban campus with 51 operational buildings and an aging physical plant. He was also the lead staff person for the Board of Trustees’ Buildings and Grounds Committee. Outlined here are examples of a broad range of work done by the Facilities Department team that John supervised, ranging from the monetization of assorted non-core housing properties and a thoughtful, yet purposeful discussion about property development through a public-private partnership to the installation of new instructional spaces and infrastructure improvements.

XEROX Project

Conceived, developed, and implemented a multi-award-winning reservation and print management system with XEROX Corporation for 1100 public PCs and 300 printers using 65 touch-screen self-service transactional kiosks with integrated library and “smart debit card” technology. Repurposed nearly $2 million in supplies and highly trained professional labor to the delivery of core services and programs. Led to improved customer service, a new annual revenue stream of $370,000 and stronger internal controls through cash-less operations at all 60 sites.

UPS Project

Planned and negotiated a distinctive service relationship with United Parcel Service to fully outsource a 60-site intra-library delivery service. Cut the book-to-customer delivery cycle from 7 business days to 24 hours while annually moving over 5 million books and other library materials. Introduced real-time tracking technology for all book deliveries. Cut escalating in-house fleet costs and significantly reduced related financial risk. Gave highly degreed senior librarians the quality release time to focus on their core programs and services.

Campus Master Plan

At University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, John led a 16-month campus facilities master planning process that gave the University a 10-year plan to significantly improve student housing via off-balance sheet financing; add new learning, research, and sports facilities; repurpose other buildings to provide more instructional, research, and student activity space while eliminating expensive property leases; use existing instructional space more efficiently; and further beautify the campus and its adjacent neighborhood. Directed by the University Board to implement Phase 1 of the plan including the design and construction of a 416-bed student residence hall. (Note: USciences recently merged with St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. This link will bring you to an SJU web page that offers information about this res hall.)

Additional Projects

• Led a cross-functional team of City officials, Library staff, and outside consultants to implement a self-funding strategic real estate master plan for BPL’s 58 neighborhood libraries. The plan was endorsed by NY City as an innovative, cost-effective approach to mixed-use developments for new libraries with luxury and market-rate housing. The Library  completed its first successful developer partnership for a new luxury condo and affordable housing high rise with a new replacement library at street-level and a $40 million unrestricted allocation to the Library’s organizational capital renewal budget.
• Launched a passport service sanctioned by the US State Department that within two years was annually grossing $500,000 and a net profit of $375,000 to the Library. Due to the inaugural site’s success, a second site was opened at another Brooklyn location.
• Introduced the integrated automation of procurement and vendor payment functions, including an online vendor portal and data base, online tracking and approval of procurement paperwork such as purchase orders and invoices, and direct ACH payments to vendors. This cut hours of tedious manual labor and data entry by highly trained accounting staff and internal customers of the Finance Department.