Today, the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s (NLC) board of directors announced that Charles (Charlie) D. Imbergamo, MA, CFRE, will be the next chief executive officer for the organization, effective July 1, 2023.
This decision comes after a rigorous, four-month search for NLC’s next CEO, led by a CEO Transition Committee chaired by Mariana Bugallo-Muros and supported by Katherine Young with Young Search Partners. Charlie will succeed Emily Benham when she retires after nearly nine successful years as CEO on June 30.
“Having been part of eight CEO selection processes at the Nonprofit Leadership Center, I can say with confidence that this was the best and most talented candidate pool we have ever seen. The board is excited that an internal candidate rose to the top after such a thorough and competitive process.
“I love the Nonprofit Leadership Center’s mission and am humbled by the board’s confidence in me to lead the organization into the next phase of our service to the sector. Building communities is the heart of what we do. That involves all of us going together. I’m energized to get started.”
“It has been a privilege to work with Charlie during the past three and a half years, and our sector and community couldn’t be in better hands with him as NLC’s next chief executive. I look forward to seeing his vision come to life as he leads this organization forward in its next chapter, with people and purpose at the center of everything.”
In a note to NLC staff, CEO Transition Committee Chair Mariana Bugallo-Muros summarized several of the reasons the board chose Charlie for this crucial role:
- Personally and professionally, Charlie represents in character and experience the type of leader who matches NLC’s high level of integrity, knowledge and positive entrepreneurial spirit.
- Charlie’s experience in the nonprofit community is extensive. He brings a wealth of experience from many facets of nonprofit leadership, including CEO experience, fund development success, and overseeing program development at NLC.
- Nonprofit leaders throughout our community trust and highly regard Charlie — a critical factor as we seek to partner for collective impact across the sector.
- Charlie’s ability to hire, develop and grow team members is impressive and essential to NLC’s continued growth as a people-centered organization.
- Charlie’s passion for NLC is infectious and got the board even more excited about NLC’s future under his leadership.
“During my first few weeks as CEO, I’m looking forward to meeting with nonprofit leaders, community partners, funders and staff as we map our strategic plan forward. My vision is for NLC to be even more innovative, agile, responsive and present in our community and among our various stakeholders so we may represent our sector’s hopes and challenges and bring information to support sector decision-making in the region.”
Before joining the Nonprofit Leadership Center, Charlie was the founding president and CEO of the first Cristo Rey Network School in Florida, a college preparatory high school and corporate work-study program for underrepresented youth in Tampa. He has also served as president and CEO of two different learning institutions in Texas.
A native of New York, Charlie earned his bachelor’s degree in Spanish from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, New York, a master’s in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. Charlie has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 2012 and is a certified facilitator of the Conflict Dynamics Profile® and TCC Group’s® Core Capacity Assessment Tool.
When Charlie is not in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the water on his boat Seaquel. He is a fan of good food, music and theater and is proud to call Tampa Bay home.