NACDL - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Clay Braswell
NACDL Staff, Chief Development Officer
April 06, 2025
H. Clay Braswell, Jr. joined NACDL and the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice as the first Development Director for the organizations in September of 2019. Just prior, Clay served as Vice President for Advancement at the Maryland Historical Society, where he directed all advancement and communications staff and launched a major capital campaign. Before taking that position, he served as Trustee for six years and Chair of the Society's Development Committee for eight. Prior to assuming the staff position at the Historical Society, Clay served as the Director of Advancement at the Virginia Institute of Autism, in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he managed all fundraising activities, including major events, donor outreach, and proposal development.
He also guided a strategic planning process for the Institute. Prior to his work for VIA, Clay worked at The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law for 13 years, where he served as Director of Development and Operations. His extensive portfolio included management of grants and government contracts as well direct involvement with donor cultivation and board engagement. He has served on numerous boards and was a program manager for the Inland Foundation, a corporate foundation based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Clay brings to NACDL an expertise in nonprofit governance, strategic planning, marketing and development.
Clay has been involved in numerous volunteer activities and has been an active participant in the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Clay earned his B.A. at Randolph-Macon College, and an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies at the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University (now the Lilly School of Philanthropy).
