Douglas D. Mason ’75
Naperville, Illinois

At the heart of Doug Mason’s success as a consultant is a recurring word: stories. When Wartburg College President Bob Vogel hired a young Wartburg graduate with a bachelor’s in music education and no higher education experience in 1982 to be the director of admissions in a period of stagnant enrollment, it sounds like a story, especially the ending: Mason thrived in the role and quickly turned around the trend with a 14-year high of 1,400 students.

After a year as vice president for student affairs, Mason was named vice president for advancement. His vision led the areas of admissions, alumni, development, college relations and financial aid, and with no prior experience in development, he established an ongoing program for major gifts. In his 10 years at Wartburg, gift income doubled, enrollment grew by 35%, and he built an integrated marketing team. His vision, told through stories, brought others alongside in building a bright future for the college. “No one since his departure has been responsible for so many college departments,” noted one nominator. And another extolled, “Wartburg would not be where it is today had the College not had the benefit of Doug’s leadership at a key juncture.”

A consulting firm, Gonser Gerber Tinker Suhr LLP in Illinois, took notice, and Mason’s story continued in 1992 as a sought-after consultant, presenter, facilitator, and trainer, giving guidance to numerous organizations in the cultural, educational, religious, and health-care fields. Just three years later, Mason was promoted to partner, using his Wartburg foundation to empower other organizations across the country to tell their own stories and serve their constituents faithfully. His work has yielded countless successes in capital campaigns, endowment and planned giving programs, strategic plans, board development work, public relations, and more for Gonser Gerber clients, many of whom have come to count Mason as a personal friend after working with him.

“Doug has always emphasized in his personal and professional life that relationships and serving others come first. If one keeps the focus there, the resources will follow,” wrote one college president. Another one, whose college Mason helped through a time of crisis, added: “He has stood by us, challenged us, allowed us to dream, and helped to shape our future. He is a servant and a leader, a teacher and a student. He is the finest example of Wartburg’s mission to challenge, nurture, lead, learn, and serve through faith.”

Mason’s spiritual foundation expresses itself over and over in his work. His nominators praised his humanity, calmness, and care, sharing how he prayed with them as well. Developing personal relationships and sharing stories to nurture and challenge are at the core of his work, and are an expression of his deep faith in God.