Kerri Cleghorn Lai Bio

Kerri Cleghorn Lai, CAP®, CFRE®, serves as Vice President of Development for the Dallas Symphony Association, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience across the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She is responsible for guiding all contributed-revenue strategies that support the Symphony’s annual operations, endowment growth, and special community and capital priorities. As a member of the Management Team, Kerri partners closely with the President & CEO, the Board of Governors, the Foundation Board of Directors, and colleagues across the organization to advance the DSO’s mission of transforming lives through musical excellence.

Kerri is known for her ability to build strong donor relationships, inspire high-performing teams, and deliver meaningful philanthropic results. She has successfully led multimillion-dollar capital campaigns; strengthened major gift, annual fund, and planned giving programs; and enhanced board engagement and strategic planning efforts across a variety of mission-driven institutions.

Before rejoining the DSO in July 2025, Kerri served as Executive Director and Senior Philanthropic Trust Advisory Specialist at Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management, where she advised charitable individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations on philanthropic strategy. Her nonprofit leadership experience includes roles with the Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum—where she played a pivotal part in a comprehensive campaign that raised more than $84 million for its new state-of-the-art facility. Earlier in her career, Kerri worked at the Boston Public Library Foundation, University of Massachusetts, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra where she held progressive fundraising roles from planning nationally recognized galas to stewarding large endowment programs to securing seven-figure gifts from C-suite executives.

Kerri graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester’s Honors Psychology Program and was Valedictorian of the University of Massachusetts Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. She holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designation, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE®), and is an alumna of Leadership Dallas and the Bloomberg Philanthropies AIM program. Her writing has been published in “Fundraising Success Magazine,” and she is a frequent speaker at nonprofit conferences.

Outside of work, Kerri enjoys cheering on her two children, Josie and Jack, at their sporting events alongside her husband, Peter. She remains active in the community through volunteerism and engagement with organizations such as the Junior League, Leadership Dallas, and the CAP® alumni network.