Kirsten Cameron Schachter

Kirsten Cameron Schachter is Menninger's director of Philanthropy. With more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, she has worked in the arts, social service, K-12, higher education and healthcare settings, leading teams of fundraisers raising up to $100 million per year. Kirsten has developed deep expertise in major gift fundraising and grateful patient giving.

She is a board member of the Houston chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where she serves as vice president for Education and chair of Ask the Experts 2023. She is also a member of the Charitable Gift Planners of Houston and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

Kirsten has given presentations on a range of topics, including major gifts, creating a culture of philanthropy and trends in philanthropy.

She earned a bachelor's degree in French Literature from the University of Texas at Austin.

Fun fact: You’ll probably have a hard time placing her accent as she is an Australian-American dual citizen who was raised on four continents. As a “third-culture kid,” she works hard to help people feel welcome.

Kirsten says it’s an honor to bring people together to fund innovations in research and patient care, and to help train tomorrow’s leaders.