Paul D. Daugherty is the Chief Executive Officer of Exponent Philanthropy, the country’s largest association of funders and the only one dedicated to serving foundations, philanthropic families, and individual donors who are lean, but have a mighty impact.
Under Paul’s leadership, Exponent continues to advance its vision of transformed communities through informed giving. As someone who has served in different philanthropic roles for nearly 25 years, Paul recognizes the influence and importance of funders, foundations, and private giving of all sizes working in true partnership with the residents and communities they serve.
His impact is recognized on many levels. Most recently, he was the first West Virginian and national philanthropy leader to be selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar through the George W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Libraries. His two plus years as a scholar led him and his classmates through an exploration of leadership principles of the four presidents that address needs in today’s society.
From growing up in Doddridge County, WV to his work now at Exponent Philanthropy, Paul’s commitment and leadership is steadfast ensuring philanthropy effectively engages with residents and the community to create a thriving future. Paul is a champion of community-serving philanthropy and integrity-driven partnership that achieve outsized impact benefiting all communities. He believes this is done effectively and to advance justice by
engaging residents with lived-experience, the community, nonprofits, businesses, and the government in the work.
Currently, Paul serves on the National Rural Equity Working Group. He is also a part of the Independent Sector’s Nonprofit Infrastructure Investment Advocacy Group, and West Virginia University’s Organizational Leadership Advisory Board. Paul formerly served on the boards of United Philanthropy Forum, Leadership West Virginia, Bethlehem Farm, and Generation WV.
Before joining Exponent Philanthropy, Paul was president and CEO of Philanthropy West Virginia, a regional philanthropic transformation organization committed to strengthening philanthropy in the Mountain State to ensure its communities thrive. His expertise in community development, rural philanthropy, public policy engagement, and community transformation has been sought out by national, regional, and state leaders and organizations. He is the co-founder of the WV Nonprofit Association, the founder of Generation West Virginia, and a former AmeriCorps member who served as both an AmeriCorps and an AmeriCorps VISTA.
He has also received the National Association for Secretaries of State Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Advance Charitable & Philanthropic Endeavors, the Independent Sector’s American Express NGEN Fellowship, and WV Executive’s Top 10 Young Leaders Award, WV Wesleyan College Young Alumni Achievement Award, State Journal’s Generation Next, Bonner Scholar, among other honors. Paul is a seventh-generation West Virginian from Doddridge County and a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College. He and his wife live in Appalachia in southwestern Pennsylvania with their two young children and rescue border collie mix.