Chantal Bernard Joins Asia Society as Managing Director of Philanthropy

Asia Society is pleased to welcome Chantal Bernard as Managing Director of Philanthropy. Chantal brings over 16 years of fundraising experience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), and over 20 years working in corporate sponsorship and strategic partnerships.

Chantal will oversee the day-to-day operations of Asia Society’s development department, where she will focus on strengthening the organization’s New York City partnerships, planned giving, and strategic corporate partnerships, and prioritize ROI for special events, stewardship, and cultivation activities.

“Asia Society is thrilled to welcome Chantal to our Development team as Managing Director of Philanthropy,” says Chief Development Officer Shane Williams-Ness. “Her extensive fundraising, sponsorship, and strategic planning experience at NYC cultural organizations will be invaluable to Asia Society as we work to maximize opportunities and measurement of impact of our fundraising efforts.” 

Chantal was previously Associate Vice President of Advancement at BAM. In this leadership role, she was responsible for individual giving, major gifts, corporate sponsorship, planned giving, special events, BAMart, and development operations and budget. Working closely with the President and Board of Trustees, she played a significant role in organizational structure and strategic planning.

Prior to this role, she was the Associate Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at NYBG where she led a team effort to develop relationships with brands to create opportunities for sponsors by providing them with strategic partnerships. She also served as the Director for Corporate Relations and Sponsorship at BAM, a position she assumed in 2008, generating funds from both marketing and philanthropic areas of corporate sectors as well as foreign governments. 

Before working in the nonprofit sector, Chantal spent a decade at Macys Parade Group negotiating strategic partnerships for iconic events such as The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Fourth of July Fireworks. She also spent several years creating community programs and developing volunteer engagement initiatives at New York Cares, and acting as a child advocate and providing counseling for families and children at both Louise Wise and Covenant House.

She received her B.A. in Political Science and Liberal Arts from State University of New York at Stony Brook.