The People Behind Hocking Leadership
Hocking Leadership partners with chief advancement executives and leadership teams through some of their most important leadership challenges, including executive transitions, organizational change, institutional relationships, team dynamics, and competing strategic priorities.
Founder & CEOShanna A. Hocking
Shanna Hocking (rhymes with Donna) is a nationally recognized expert in higher education advancement and nonprofit leadership, and founder and CEO of Hocking Leadership.
Hocking Leadership is a strategic advisory firm that partners with universities and academic medical centers to strengthen leadership, team ownership, and decision making, so institutions can achieve the fundraising outcomes they’re counting on. Shanna founded the firm because she believes when you invest in leaders, results will follow.
Shanna partners with chief advancement executives and leadership teams navigating some of their most important leadership moments, including executive transitions, organizational change, institutional relationships, team dynamics, and competing strategic priorities.
Before founding Hocking Leadership, Shanna spent 20+ years leading advancement teams and raising transformational gifts at top institutions, including the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Alabama, and Duke University. Having managed teams of nearly 50 professionals, she understands firsthand the opportunities and challenges facing advancement and translates that experience into practical guidance leaders can implement immediately.
Shanna is the author of One Bold Move a Day, named “must read nonfiction” by the Next Big Idea Club. She writes frequently for Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and Fast Company, and her expertise has been featured in The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and Inside Higher Ed. She received the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence in 2026 and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2024. Shanna speaks across North America on strategic leadership, workplace culture, and supporting women in advancement.
When she’s not transforming advancement teams, you’ll find Shanna plunging down waterslides, attending live concerts, and raiding her stash of sour gummy candy.
Chief Operating OfficerPeter Giordano III
Peter Giordano III believes institutions make better decisions when leadership, finance, and philanthropy work together. Throughout his career, he has helped leaders translate complex organizational challenges into thoughtful investment decisions that strengthen organizational capacity and advance institutional priorities.
As Chief Operating Officer of Hocking Leadership, Peter leads the firm's operations, finance, and long-term strategy, helping shape its growth, strengthen its advisory practice, and expand its reach across higher education and academic medicine. Working closely with CEO Shanna Hocking, he helps ensure the firm’s leadership philosophy is supported by the operational, financial, and strategic foundation needed to deliver exceptional client experiences. In addition to leading the firm’s operations, Peter partners with advancement leaders on strategic finance, organizational capacity, and staffing strategy, helping clients build the conditions that enable philanthropy to thrive.
Peter began his career in financial strategy and planning at Harvard University, where he worked alongside CFOs, deans, and executive leadership to support some of the institution's most consequential financial and strategic decisions. He later founded a consulting practice advising presidents, boards, and senior leaders across higher education, helping leaders step outside their roles to see their institutions as a whole. Having worked both inside institutions and alongside them as an advisor, Peter brings a perspective shaped by both operational responsibility and strategic objectivity.
Known for bringing institutional-grade financial thinking to advancement, Peter helps leaders look beyond budgets and dashboards to understand what the numbers mean and how they should shape decisions. He translates financial strategy into practical choices, helping executives invest in the people, structure, and organizational capacity that drive long-term philanthropic success.
Director of Special Initiatives & Leadership CoachKaren Z. Smith
Karen Z. Smith has seen throughout her career that leadership is built on meaningful relationships. She helps leaders better understand themselves so they can bring out the best in those they lead.
As Director of Special Initiatives and a Leadership Coach with Hocking Leadership, Karen partners with colleges, universities, and academic medical centers through executive coaching, leadership development, and organizational consulting. She helps executives and teams strengthen relationships, navigate complexity with confidence, and lead with authenticity and purpose.
Karen spent more than two decades in advancement and nonprofit leadership at educational, healthcare, and faith-based organizations, including the University of Alabama School of Law and Children's Hospital of Alabama.
Known for her thoughtful questions, her ability to connect to people, and her encouraging presence, Karen creates space for honest conversations that lead to growth. Whether coaching executives, facilitating leadership retreats, or guiding teams through change, she brings curiosity, warmth, and practical insight to every engagement.
Karen is a Certified Executive Coach with a specialized certification in Coaching for Higher Education and is a Hogan Assessment certified practitioner. She is a graduate of Mississippi University for Women and the University of Alabama School of Law. She lives in Alabama with her husband and their two children.
