As a fundraiser, Nancy Saustad’s biggest projects ranged from a new home for public broadcasting in North Texas to a new habitat for elephants and giraffes at the Dallas Zoo.
The former chief philanthropy officer for KERA and lifelong North Texan died Sunday from ovarian cancer. She was 61.
“I think more than anything else, I think we just all remember her with a great deal of gratitude,” said KERA President and CEO Nico Leone.
“We're fortunate to have known her, fortunate to work with her, and incredibly grateful for everything she did, not just for KERA, but for so many organizations in the community.”
Her development efforts helped make it possible for KERA to break ground on a new headquarters at a time when other public TV and radio stations were forced to make cuts amid a loss of federal funding.
Prior to joining KERA, she raised money to help bring the Dallas Zoo's “Giants of the Savanna” habitat to life. The 11-acre exhibit was first to make space for various species of African animals like elephants, zebras and impalas.
Without a doubt, those were her proudest professional accomplishments, her husband, David Carl Saustad, said. Outside of work, she loved animals, art and skiing in Colorado.
“But I would think her favorite title would have been mother, for sure. There was nothing that would stop her from doing anything for her kids.," Saustad said. "She would stop whatever she was doing to give them her ultimate attention because even though she loved her work, mother was her first priority, always.”
The pair were married for 34 years and have three children: David Carl Saustad, Jr., Zachary “Zach” Michael Saustad, and Ann “Annie” Wynne Saustad.
Adopted into a life of giving and fundraising
Nancy first entered the world as a Mildred. Her parents, Nancy Ann and Buck Wynne, changed her name after adopting her from the Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth.
Saustad said his wife was adopted into “an outstanding family,” and she was grateful for the life she was given.
“Her first introduction to life was with a charitable organization and she couldn't get it out of her system from day one,” Saustad said.
After graduating from the Hockaday School, Saustad attended college at Southern Methodist University where she studied communications and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
She ran a successful consulting business when Michael Meadows approached her to join the development team at the Dallas Zoo. He was the Dallas Zoological Society’s president and CEO at the time.
“Nancy was so outgoing and so that made her great for any organization in building new relationships," said Meadows, who is president and CEO of the Meadows Family Consulting Group LLC. “She always knew what was the right thing to say at the right time.
“She was very driven to meet the goals of the institution and help make sure that the institution she worked for had the resources to accomplish what it needed to get done. And I will just tell you, she was really funny.”
After years consulting with KERA, she joined the organization full time in late 2016. Jennifer Altabef, president of KERA’s board, recruited Saustad, whom she has known for about 25 years.
“When I think about her, I think of her laughing," Altabef said. "She had a very contagious laugh and her eyes would crinkle in a certain way when she was really amused about something.”
Saustad’s sense of humor stayed intact, even in stressful situations. Working major events with many attendees to look after, it was inevitable that something would go wrong, Altabef said, but it never phased Saustad.
“She was always just cool as a cucumber and we got through it. And most of the time, nobody was the wiser,” Altabef said. “She was very good at what she did, and she had the perfect temperament for it.”
Saustad was discerning when it came to asking for donations. She wanted to be sure that it was the right fit between the donor and the project.
“It was never just, I know that person, I will ask them for money,” Altabef said. “It was, I know that person. I know what's important to them. This is the right opportunity for them, or this isn't. I mean, she was very respectful of people who wanted to give support to the community and never tried to push something on them that wasn't one of their priorities. And that's rare, very rare.”
Table talk
David Saustad said that KERA’s capital campaign was a common topic at dinner, and even though the fundraising goal was big, at $100 million, Nancy always believed it was achievable.
“She was most proud of the surprise gifts that would come in unexpectedly. Usually … she would get more than she asked for,” he said. “She was just in awe of the donors and the supporters of KERA.”
She was passionate about the station’s commitment to education and programming for every stage of life, whether it was early childhood or retirement, Saustad said.
Outside of work, Nancy was a lover of the arts. In lieu of physical gifts for birthdays or anniversaries, David and Nancy gifted each other experiences. In recent years they splurged on tickets to see U2, Elton John, Billy Joel and the Eagles.
She also volunteered with organizations like the Crystal Charity Ball, which was started by her mother, Nancy Ann Wynne; Charter 100 and the Dallas Women’s Club. She loved those organizations. She also cherished her friendships.
There will be a celebration of life at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 23, at Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to to KERA (www.kera.org) or St. Philip’s School & Community Center (www.stphilips1600.org).
