Sissy Spence joined the J.F. Smith Group in October 2009 as a vice president. In 2010, she was promoted to senior vice president of client services. Due to her hard work and dedication, Sissy was recently named president of the company in January 2022.

As president, she reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for overall strategy and operations management of the J.F. Smith Group. Externally, she serves as both executive counsel and project manager. In this role, she assists each organization in maximizing fund-raising effectiveness to meet its mission and builds relationships between a client and its staff, volunteers, donors, and other key constituencies.

Since joining the J.F. Smith Group in 2009, Sissy has also worked with a number of clients as executive counsel or project manager, including universities such as Auburn University at Montgomery, University of West Alabama and Marion Military Institute; private institutions such as The Donoho School and Norfolk Christian Schools; and non-profit organizations such as The National Center for Sports Safety, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and New Horizon Community Theatre. She has also conducted advancement assessments for a number of universities including Belmont University, Emporia State University, Alabama State University and University of Louisiana at Monroe.

“Sissy was a pleasure to work with. Her knowledge of capital campaign structure and execution was invaluable and set us up for success from the start. She was a trusted resource for fund-raising strategy and best practices, making us confident throughout the entire campaign process.” — Todd Clingman, President, North Cobb Christian School

Prior to joining the J.F. Smith Group, Sissy worked at Jacksonville State University from 2004 to 2008 as their first development officer and successfully helped raise over $31 million in the Power of 125…Join the Celebration capital campaign. At JSU, she was involved in the coordination of fund-raising programs for annual giving, major gifts, and deferred and estate giving. She developed and implemented strategies that ensured successful identification, cultivation and solicitation of donors with the potential to make gifts of five to seven figures.