Eric T. Caldwell, Ph.D.
Short Bio
Eric Caldwell earned his Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia in 2008. He subsequently served for eight years as an Assistant Professor of English at Sweet Briar College, where he also directed the Blue Ridge Summer Institute for Young Artists, a residential, college-credit-bearing summer program for talented high school students in the arts. During this period, he served as co-founding Executive Director of the Galapagos ICE Organization, an international nonprofit supporting health care, education, and environmental awareness in the Galápagos Islands. He also served in multiple vice-presidential roles at Charlottesville’s McGuffey Art Center.
Following his tenure at Sweet Briar, Eric founded Caldwell Communications, a consulting practice specializing in nonprofit capacity building, fundraising and development, and strategic communications. His work is grounded in an understanding that effective fundraising grows from organizational coherence: clear mission and strategy, well-designed internal systems, thoughtful communication among staff and leadership, and an external voice capable of building trust with donors, partners, and communities. Through this integrated approach, he has helped organizations across environmental education, health and human services, arts and culture, and education strengthen their development efforts, communications, and institutional capacity. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor (Adj.) in the University of Lynchburg’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership program, where he brings this experience in nonprofit systems, development, and communications strategy into the graduate classroom.