Make-A-Wish® Illinois Welcomes
Jessica Dolan as Chief Development Officer
CHICAGO (April 20, 2026) — Make-A-Wish Illinois is pleased to announce Jessica Dolan as the new Chief Development Officer for the statewide organization dedicated to creating life-changing wish experiences for children with critical illnesses.
A seasoned fundraising executive with deep experience in major and principal gift fundraising, Dolan also has a history of building strong giving pipelines and driving strategic organizational growth.
As a member of the executive leadership team at Make-A-Wish Illinois, Dolan will be charged with leading revenue growth of one of the largest Make-A-Wish chapters in the world. This fiscal year, Make-A-Wish Illinois will grant approximately 600 wishes to children statewide through the support of hundreds of volunteers and with an estimated operating budget of roughly $15 million.
“We’re excited to have Jessica bring her expertise to this important and life-changing mission as we strive to reach every child with an eligible condition in Illinois, said Casey Marsh, Make-A-Wish Illinois CEO. “A wish can be just the turning point a child fighting a critical illness needs to find hope again and having Jessica on our team will help us reach even more children with the power of a wish.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to join this inspired team to work on fulfilling this important mission,” Dolan shared. “Children shouldn’t have to wait for wishes and I’m looking forward to being part of leading the way to reaching more children than ever.”
Most recently, Dolan served as Vice President of Development with the National Audubon Society. She also held senior roles at USO and Breakthrough Collaborative, along with early career roles of increasing responsibility at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Sarah’s Inn. She holds a J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law and a B.A. from Eckerd College and is a current member of the Illinois bar. She and her husband reside in Berwyn.