Gwendolyn Freed is an experienced leader in higher education, nonprofit organizations, and the arts. She is currently Interim Chief Development Officer at Second Harvest Heartland. At the University of Minnesota, she has served as Interim Director of the School of Music and as Chief Development Officer at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She has served as Vice President at Cornish College of the Arts and at Gustavus Adolphus College. Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Handbook of Higher Education Theory and Research, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. She holds a PhD in Educational Policy and Administration and a master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota, as well as music degrees from The Juilliard School and Oberlin Conservatory.