Tara Morris
Chief Advancement Officer

Tara Morris is the Chief Advancement Officer at the High Line, where she has raised over $350 million in private and public funds for the park’s construction, endowment, and annual maintenance and operations.

In this role, she oversees the planning, management, and success of the High Line’s marketing, communications, and comprehensive fundraising efforts, including individual giving, membership, corporate membership and sponsorship, special events, foundation and government giving, venue rentals, donor stewardship, and Board relations.

Morris also leads capital fundraising through the High Line’s Essential Bridge Fund, which helps sustain the High Line experience while advancing new initiatives. As a member of the Executive Team, she works closely with the executive director, staff, and trustees, to help direct strategic, financial, operational, and programmatic decisions for the High Line.

Morris originally joined the High Line in 2007 as the Director of Special Events and rose to Senior Vice President of Development, where she helped raise more than $175 million for the Campaign for the High Line. During these early years at the High Line, Morris helped open the park and oversaw annual fundraising revenues that grew from less than $2M in 2007 to nearly $10M in 2015.

During a brief time away from the High Line from 2016 – 2019, Morris was the first Chief Development Officer at The Shed and also held the role of Vice President of External Relations at World Monuments Fund, where she oversaw development and communication efforts for the international not-for-profit focused on heritage conservation. Morris returned to the High Line to assume the position of Chief Advancement Officer in 2019.

Prior to 2006, Morris was Assistant Director of Special Events at The New School, where she worked closely with the President and Board of Trustees, and was responsible for an annual calendar of events for the institution’s eight schools as well as fundraising events.

She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY Oswego and earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School.