Speakers


We will add speakers as the agenda is updated
 

David Robinson - NBA Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of Admiral Capital Group
David Robinson was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and was a ten-time NBA All-Star. He led the San Antonio Spurs to 1999 and 2003 NBA Championship Titles, and during his time in the league he was named NBA Most Valuable Player (1994-95), NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1991-92), and NBA Rookie of the Year (1989-90). He is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and is the all-time leader in U.S. Olympic basketball history in career points, rebounds, and blocked shots. Robinson was inducted into the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Hall of Fame in 2013.
 
In addition to his decorated career in the NBA, David and his wife Valerie created the David Robinson Foundation in November of 1992. David has raised close to $40 million for The Carver Academy (TCA), an independent school designed to serve pre-K through eighth-grade students in San Antonio, Texas. In 2012, TCA partnered with IDEA Public Schools as its first school in San Antonio, and the network has grown to 20 schools that reach 10,000 students in San Antonio.

In 2007, David Robinson and Daniel Bassichis, formerly of Goldman Sachs, founded Admiral Capital Group. Built around Robinson’s long-standing values and integrity, the framework for Admiral’s sustainable business model brought together an interest in private equity and a desire to make a positive impact. Robinson and Bassichis have been working together since 2002 on philanthropic and investment activities, with Admiral currently having over $1 billion of assets under management — focused on value-add real estate acquired through discretionary vehicles in partnership with USAA and other institutional investors. Additionally, Admiral has invested in strategic private equity opportunities in the sports and hospitality industries, including partnerships with KKR and Kohlberg & Company.

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David Anderson - Manager and Information Security Consultant, CliftonLarsonAllen
David has ten years of experience in the Information Technology field.  He conducts and provides project management for network penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and social engineering engagements within a wide range of industries.  David has firsthand knowledge and experience using leading edge hacking/testing methods including: external and internal network penetration designed to gain access to high value targets, social engineering techniques designed to assess all aspects of an organizations security, techniques for email phishing that result in remote access to company networks, bypassing improperly configured firewalls and proxy systems, and domain and network management.

 
 
Melanie Audette  - SVP, Member and Partner Engagement, Mission Investors Exchange
Melanie plays a strategic leadership role at Mission Investors Exchange, helping to set organizational direction. She works with our members to identify and drive additional resources towards innovative impact investing opportunities, facilitates partnerships across the sector, and represents our network in an increasingly expanding field.  Melanie began her career as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service and subsequently managed family offices and a private foundation. She has deep experience in the nonprofit sector, having been in leadership roles in four membership associations and nine nonprofit organizations. Melanie is a founding member of the Impact Investing Committee for the Council of Michigan Foundations and is a member of the Impact Investing Committee at Seattle Foundation. She is a graduate of Indiana University and is based in Seattle.

Sundeep Bablani – Director of IT Audit, Financial Institutions, CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
Over 19 years of experience in public accounting, Sundeep's primary experience includes financial audits of financial institutions. He also has experience in internal audit outsourcing, information technology audits, and ACH audits.  Sundeep has assisted with review of IT policies, risk assessments and other consulting projects for various industries. His certifications include CPA, CISA and CITP

Joseph Baker – VP of Finance and Administration, Berkshire Taconic Comunity Foundation

Joe joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in May 2019 as vice president of finance and administration. In this role, he oversees finances, investments, human resources and operations for the foundation.  Joe has worked in the community foundation field for 13 years, and brings a background in nonprofit finance, development and community initiatives. He previously worked for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Britain, both in Connecticut. Joe has also led United Ways, nonprofit service organizations and developed Danbury Children First, a parent-led community initiative. He earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management, and a B.A. in economics and Spanish from Colby College. He lives in Ashley Falls, Mass., with his family.

Jennifer Ballesteros
- Philanthropic Advisor, San Antonio Area Foundation

Jennifer  is responsible for the management and cultivation of business funds at the San Antonio Area Foundation. She is the author and content expert of the Area Foundation's employee hardship and disaster relief program.


E. Paul Bayon - Principle, DILAN Consulting Group
Dr. Bayon is a psychologist with expertise in organization development/organization effectiveness, executive coaching, stakeholder constituencies management, and human
relations.As a coach, facilitator, and consultant for more than 25 years, Dr. Bayon has worked with individuals and teams on leadership development, change management, strategic planning, and program development/evaluation within finance groups, non-profits, tech and biotech companies, health care systems, insurance companies, professional associations, and legislative advocacy organizations.  Attuned to the benefits and politics of diversity and inclusion, Dr. Bayon works with clients to evaluate the root causes of organizational distress and use that knowledge to generate interventions for achieving organizational excellence. Gaining insight and emotional awareness about the underlying nature of an organization’s dysfunctions and people’s responses to it is critical, but only when serving the purpose of taking informed and meaningful action that addresses the client’s needs. Having guided labor and management teams to set aside decades of adversarial history to become working partners, Dr. Bayon knows that change, while hard fought, is possible.

 
Jonathan Brelsford - SVP of Finance & Investments, The Pittsburgh Community Foundation
Jonathan is responsible for the financial stewardship of donated assets, as well as the Foundation’s accounting and investments. He works hand-in-hand with the Foundation’s president and CEO, its investment consultants and its Board of Directors. Before joining the Foundation, Jonathan worked with Mellon Global Securities Lending, specializing in European financial institutions and asset-backed commercial paper conduits.  He has nearly 20 years of experience in the finance industry. He served as a mortgage underwriter for NVR Mortgage and in commercial and retail banking for Century  National Bank.  Jonathan also worked in the technology sector, including a period as director of professional services for Personity, a Pittsburgh-based startup. Jonathan currently serves on the Finance Committee of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania. He previously served for the Technology Affinity Group of the Council on Foundations, and on the boards of Steeltown Entertainment Project and Nucleus.

Julie Caldwell - VP and Director, Development for E4E Relief™
Julie helps corporations establish Employee Relief Fund programs to support and engage their employees during unforeseen situations, such as natural disasters or family emergencies that can impact the employee and, in turn, the corporation’s business. Julie brings  nearly 20 years of experience building strategic relationship programs to help advance brand positioning and market penetration. She has worked with executives and board members of Fortune 1000, large private and mid-market corporations in diverse industries across the United States.  Previously, Julie served as national sales enablement director and led the regional marketing and account management department during her 16 year tenure at KPMG LLP. Julie helped establish Women Corporate Directors Carolinas chapter and she served on the leadership team responsible for launching the Charlotte ATHENA awards, along with leading the marketing committee. Julie previously served as board chair for the Avondale Children’s Center, and was honored with a “Women Extraordinaire” award from Charlotte Business Leader magazine in 2009. She is a graduate of DePauw University with a B.A. in communications. She is married to Bill Caldwell and has two children. 

Dwight Canning
- VP and CFO, St. Louis Community Foundation
Dwight has been with the Foundation for more than 14 years and leads their human resources, information technology, risk management and facilities management. In addition, he has been key in managing the growth of the Foundation.  In the past five years, STLCF’s assets have grown by 200 percent to more than $500 million and its annual grant making has quadrupled.

 


Joe Carter
- Vice President of Development, Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Joe has over 29 years’ experience in higher education and nonprofit fundraising for organizations in the areas of major gifts and planned giving. For the past sixteen years he has been with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the last thirteen in the role of assisting donors and organizations with planned giving and charitable strategies.




David Center - Managing Director, Institutional Services, FEG
In addition to working with some of FEG’s marquee clients, David leads a team of consultants that work with a number of educational institutions, community foundations and other nonprofits. He has more than 15 years of experience helping these types of institutions with allocation and policy work, governance and education, as well as manager search and selection. David was instrumental in advancing FEG’s efforts with regard to its annual Community Foundation Survey, which is in its fourth year. He also serves on FEG’s Investment Advisory and Responsible Investing Committees.  Prior to FEG, David served as a consultant with Cardinal Investment Advisors, New Leaf Capital Consulting, and Hammond Associates.


Diana Champ Davis - VP of Capacity and CFO, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Diana oversees all of the financial and operational components of the Foundation, with a focus on strategic management of the organization’s resources to maximize return on investment. Diana, who is a CPA, joined the Community Foundation in 2016, bringing a decade of executive financial leadership in nonprofit organizations, as well as 10 years of prior experience in management consulting and for-profit corporate accounting and finance. The Georgia State graduate enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with her husband, Michael, and their two springer spaniels, Cowboy and Scout.



Patti Chandler - VP Finance and Administration, Baltimore Community Foundation
Patti brings with her a wealth of experience in technology, finance and accounting, and a deep familiarity with the non-profit sector. She is a certified public accountant (CPA), Certified Information Technology Professional and Certified Computing Professional, and holds a master’s degree in business administration. She most recently served as chief financial officer for Beth Tfiloh where she led finance, technology, human resources/personnel and facilities, and managed a $20 million annual operating budget and a $100 million balance sheet. 


Wally Chin - CFO, Hawaii Community Foundation
Wally is the CFO of the Hawaii Community Foundation, a statewide community foundation based on the island of Oahu with four branch offices on the neighboring islands.  He has over 30 years of experience in nonprofit financial management including with the Kamehameha Schools, a $10 billion Hawaii private charitable educational trust that supports a statewide educational system for pre-K to 12.  He was an Audit Senior with Alexander & Grant CPA’s Hawaii Office and held financial management positions in property management and retail automotive. He holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Hawaii and an MBA from Chaminade University.  He is a CPA in Hawaii, a member of the Hawaii Society of CPA’s, and a member of Financial Executives International (FEI) – Hawaii Chapter.
Stuart Comstock-Gay
Stuart Comstock-Gay - President & CEO, Delaware Community Foundation
Stuart has spent his career addressing issues of community, democracy and civil rights, both in philanthropy and civil rights work. He is president of the Delaware Community Foundation, the same post he held in Vermont. He has served as executive director of the National Voting Rights Institute in Boston, director of Demos’ Democracy program, and director of the Maryland ACLU. He has lived in rural, suburban and urban communities in states from Nebraska to Ohio, and up and down the east coast. He attributes his passion for collaborative work to his background in so many diverse places and jobs.

Hali Croner
- President & CEO, The Croner Company
Hali has over 25 years of consulting and research experience in the fields of compensation design and implementation.  She works extensively with senior management and Boards of Directors of media, digital, entertainment, software games and casino games organizations to help them create and keep current their compensation programs.  Hali started her career as a Research Analyst with SRI International, an international think tank, and was a Staff Consultant at Sibson & Company, a compensation consulting firm, before joining The Croner Company in 1989.  Hali is a graduate of Dartmouth College where she earned membership into Phi Beta Kappa.
 
Chris de Lastic - Director, Finance & Accounting, Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
Chris is responsible for managing the Foundation’s financial and accounting processes and operations, including audit, budgeting, tax and financial reporting.  In 2014, he came to the Foundation after serving at FTI Consulting and Ernst & Young’s financial services office in New York City.  Chris graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University, where he received his B.B.A. in accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.


Elizabeth Dollar - Partner,  Moss Adams, LLP
Liz has practiced public accounting for over 16 years. Her focus is financial statement and compliance audits for not-for-profit organizations including foundations, multi-service not-for-profit entities, health care organizations, and universities. Liz leads the foundation initiative for the firm and is involved in foundation audits across the firm as a technical resource.




Jay Donato
- Investment Manager, The Pittsburgh Foundation

Jay is primarily responsible for the oversight and management of the Foundation’s internally managed portfolio, the Legacy Fund, working in collaboration with the Senior Vice President of Finance and Investments, the Foundation’s investment consultants and its Investment Committee. He began his tenure at the Foundation overseeing the Third Party Investment Manager Program, through which qualified local investment managers maintain advisory capacity over donor funds, and continues to provide guidance to this program.  Jay led the implementation of the Foundation’s investment management software, Black Diamond, where the team has built efficiencies around fund reconciliation and portfolio reporting.

 


Hunter Edmondson
- Accounting Manager, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Hunter is responsible for the accurate reporting and record keeping of the Foundation, as well as taking on projects to advance the organization’s operational efficiency. He manages the Foundation’s annual audit, monthly investment reporting, and day-to-day transactions. He also facilitated the transfer and oversees the Foundation’s interests in 49 partnerships and private investments.  Since joining the Greater Houston Community Foundation in 2006, Hunter has streamlined the Foundation’s payment system, investment reconciliation, and ability to handle large volumes of transactions in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  Hunter graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Missouri State University.




Alyssa Federico
- VP & Director, Foundation for the Carolinas
Alyssa serves as the Foundation’s financial point of contact for client relationships and other accounting-related issues.  She manages the daily activities of the finance team, and is responsible for overseeing the internal controls of the Foundation and insuring adequate controls exist.  Alyssa has more than 22 years of experience in auditing and nonprofit accounting.  She spent five years in the field of public accounting, with a concentration in nonprofit and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Masters of Professional Accountancy in Taxation from the University of Utah.



Abiy Fisseha
- Retirement Plan Consultant, ABD Retirement Services
Abiy has worked in the retirement plan industry for over 20 years with direct experience in plan operations, ERISA compliance, and investment consulting. Abiy’s clients have ranged from professional firms with complex plan designs to multinational firms that require extensive fiduciary and operational support. In addition, Abiy has experience working with multiple employer groups




Bert Feuss - Senior VP, Investment, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Bert oversees the investment and stewardship of charitable capital at SVCF. He and his staff work closely with the foundation’s investment committee and advisors to invest and protect the assets entrusted to the foundation. Portfolio oversight includes individually managed donor advised funds, charitable trusts, the foundation’s endowment, and five investment pool options for donors and nonprofits, including the Social Impact Pool that seeks positive social and environmental impact.  Bert speaks and writes regularly on impact investing strategies, asset manager diversity and investment best practices for nonprofit fiduciaries. He is a leader in inclusive investment practices having worked closely with the foundation’s investment consultant to expand the number of high-performing women and minority managers employed by the foundation. Read Bert’s blog on the importance of manager diversity at www.siliconvalleycf.org/manager-diversity, or listen to his podcast on the Philanthropy Now podcast series.

Karen Florez
- Manager of Investments, Minneapolis Foundation
Karen oversee all aspects of investment asset management for The Minneapolis Foundation, one of the oldest community foundations in the nation, working closely with the Foundation’s Investment Committee and investment consultant.  She has more than 30 years of portfolio and risk management expertise including investment management, research and analysis, asset allocation, strategy execution and client relations.  Throughout her career Karen has focused on servicing foundations, endowments, retirement plans and high net-worth individuals.  Prior to joining The Minneapolis Foundation, Karen was Vice President and Senior Investment Strategist at Wells Fargo Private Bank and also served as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at BMO Harris Wealth Management.  She is a volunteer with Best Prep, which provides financial literacy education to elementary, middle and high school students, as well as the Minnesota Literacy Council, which supports English language tutoring and reading programs, GED preparation and job-readiness classes.  A graduate of Michigan State University, Karen is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Minnesota.
 

Rhonda Godwin
- Vice President of Administration, Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Rhonda , a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA), directs trust administration, investments, human resources and administrative services for the Community Foundation. Before joining the organization in 2010, she worked in wealth management and trust services for more than 25 years including serving as president of InvesTrust. NA.



Elizabeth Gordon - Controller, Central Florida Foundation
At the Foundation she assists the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with the accounting and financial management of the Foundation, oversees the day to day fiscal and accounting operations of the Foundation and prepares financial reports.  Her areas of expertise include managing accounting operations, analytical problem resolution, regulatory compliance, internal controls, process improvement and GAAP accounting principles.
 Being raised in Puerto Rico and St. Croix, she earned a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and a minor in accounting from Catholic University of Puerto Rico.  In 2000, she later moved to Orlando where her experience includes working as an accounting manager at a local law firm.  Elizabeth is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Not for Profit Section.


Evan Greene - Donor Data and Portal Manager, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Evan is responsible for managing the Foundation’s fundraising database and donor portal and for collaboratively designing and rolling out the associated protocols, analytical reports and dashboards that support the Foundation’s mission and strategic plan. Prior to joining the Foundation, Evan was at The Rockefeller University in New York City. He has consulted for the Piedmont Healthcare Foundation in Atlanta and was the Managing Director of a nonprofit theatre company in New York City. A transplanted NYC foodie and a Boston native, Evan enjoys exploring the Atlanta restaurant scene and acting in and seeing theatre. He does his best to keep his sports allegiances to himself.

Cybil Guess - VP Donor Relations, Austin Community Foundation
Cybil leads the Donor Relations team in building relationships and systems that enable donors to deepen their learning, engagement and giving around issues that reflect their values. She collaborates with Foundation team members to best serve existing donors as well as attract new ones. Before joining the Foundation Cybil served at the Director of Experience at the Thinkery, formerly the Austin Children’s Museum. She provided leadership during the organization’s capital campaign and expansion project. She was also a key partner in developing internal and external facing experiences, systems and processes for the Museum.


Brett Hunkins - EVP of Finance & Administration, Community Foundation of Greater Flint
Prior to joining CFGF, Brett served in Controllership and CFO roles in the private sector. He also has worked in a non-profit setting as an undergraduate and MBA faculty member Northwood University in Midland, MI.  There, he also served as Chair of the undergraduate Accounting department for 3 years, and spent 6 years as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative. He began his career in public accounting, where he became a CPA. Brett has earned the Certified Fraud Examiner credential and has an MBA from Central Michigan University and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University.  Brett’s goal is to create an integrated Finance function that is rooted in effective communication and healthy organizational behavior.


Jeanette Kelleher -
VP of Operations, East Tennessee Foundation
Jeanette is responsible for technology planning, including software selection and deployment and database administration.  She provides primary support to the Foundation’s Investment Committee and oversees policy development, research and analysis, and special projects.  She is a member of the finance team and serves as a resource for the Foundation’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.  Prior to joining East Tennessee Foundation in 2004, Jeanette managed the City of Knoxville’s community development programs. Her responsibilities included developing and managing a $4 million annual operating budget and project budgets of up to $20 million.  As a grant writer, Jeanette worked with project teams to clarify and articulate the vision and goals of proposed projects and was successful in obtaining nearly $30 million in highly competitive federal grant funding, including Empowerment Zone and Family Justice Center grants. 

Rob Main III -Vanguard Investment Stewardship, Head of Portfolio Company Engagement, Analysis and Voting
Rob's responsibilities include company engagement, corporate governance research, proxy voting, and ESG integration efforts on behalf of the Vanguard funds. He plays a lead role in Vanguard policy development and engagement in significant and complex situations. In the last year, the team voted more than 18,000 company proxies in over 70 countries and held almost 1,000 engagements with management and directors of portfolio companies.  Prior to this role, Rob was a senior investment analyst and senior manager in Vanguard’s Portfolio Review Department focused on investment manager due diligence, with an emphasis on Vanguard’s active equity international, global, and domestic growth funds. Rob is a frequent speaker at conferences and events, and he actively contributes to thoughtful leadership discussions and publications in industry.


Jim McCallum – CFO, Sacramento Region Community Foundation
Jim has been with the Foundation since 2005.  He has extensive background in the areas of estate planning, tax, securities, planned giving and insurance.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Jim was the Director of Finance and Donar Relations for the El Dorado Community Foundation.  He past experience includes work in the securities arena as an investment advisor with Signator Investors, healthcare as CFO for the Eye Care Plan or America-California and CEO of SaveMed Healthcare Program, and insurance with John Hancock and Lloyd's of London.  Jim has served as board chair of the Fiscal and Administrative Officers Group (FAOG), a 501(c)(3) affiliation group of community foundation finance and administration officers.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and Charter Global Management Accountant.


Patricia Mejia - VP of Community Engagement and Impact
In her role, Patricia provides executive leadership and strategic direction to shape and implement programs and initiatives that guide grant making.  Her commitment to creating more equitable communities has served as firm ground for her 20 years of nonprofit leadership at organizations such Methodist Healthcare Ministries and NALCAB, the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders.  Patricia has completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard and is a dual graduate of St. Mary’s University.  She is a proud new mom to Karolina whom she enjoys making memories alongside.

 

Michael Miller – CFA, Founder and Managing Director, Colonial Consulting, LLC
Michael provides the firm's clients with advice on asset allocation, manager selection, and performance evaluation attribution. He has 28 years experience in the consulting business, all with Colonial Consulting. Michael holds a BS degree in Computer Science from Columbia University and an MA degree in Statistics from Columbia University. He was also awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst or CFA designation. Colonial Consulting is a New York-based firm which focuses on providing consulting services to nonprofit institutions. The firm was founded in 1980 and is owned by its employees. At present, Colonial has 130 client relationships representing just over $33 billion of total capital.

Jana Moreno
– Controller, Austin Community Foundation
Jana joined the foundation in 2018, and currently serves as the Controller.  Previously, she spent eight years as Finance Director of the Community Foundation of Abilene.  Jana has approximately twenty years of experience, with seventeen of those years spent working in the nonprofit sector. Jana has been involved with the Junior League of Abilene, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lunch Buddy Program and Meals on Wheels of Abilene.  She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Hardin-Simmons University.  Jana is a Certified Public Accountant
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James Munch – VP of Finance & Administration Community Foundation of Northern Illinois
James has more than twenty-five years of finance experience primarily within the manufacturing environment.    His experience with Fortune 500 companies has provided him the opportunity to be recognized as one of the top financial professionals within Textron and was the lead cost analyst on a multi billion-dollar program with United Technologies.  He has embraced the knowledge he acquired in the manufacturing sector and applied it to his current role in the nonprofit sector to enhance the cost understanding of servicing endowments and to bring greater insight on creating lean efficiencies throughout the organization.  James credits his ability to lead working professionals through a variety of management philosophies is a direct result of being an academic instructor of accountancy, finance, and economics with local colleges and Universities.  He hold the college degrees; and MBA, Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Economics as well as an emphasis in Accountancy and Mathematics, respectively.

Dick Myers – President, Foundation Information Systems (FIS)

Dick has served in numerous non-profit capacities as Board President, technology consultant, software vendor, auditor and volunteer.  Since 1985, he has consulted with community foundations and the vendors of their foundation software products.  His work includes design and deployment of software, design of technology infrastructure, managing technology projects and execution of strategic plans.  The scope of his work includes planning and developing strategies to implementing organization-wide and industry-wide systems.  Dick co-founded and/or consulted to user groups for FIMS, Blackbaud, Fusion Labs and Community Suite.  FIS serves on the FOAG Technology Committee.  He has been a speaker on community foundation technology topics at COF, MicroEdge’s MESC, Blackbaud’s annual conferences and sessions for Council of Michigan Foundations, Philanthropy Southwest and Canadian community foundations.
 
Michelle Nelson- CFO, Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond
Michelle joined the foundation in 2009 and is responsible for ensuring that financial transactions for the Community Foundation, supporting organizations, affiliates and related entities are properly recorded. She serves as the lead staff for the investment committee and manages the administration of the charitable trusts. Michelle assists with the annual audit, preparation of the financial statement and IRS Form 990, and other financial reporting needs. She and her husband Jay can be found at any of their children’s various sporting events. Michelle loves playing tennis in her spare time and also serves on the boards of CARITAS and the Midlothian YMCA.

Constance Norton - Office Managing Shareholder, Littler
Constance is a litigator with over 25 years' experience. Her practice focuses on defending employers in lawsuits involving wage and hour violations, employment discrimination and harassment, and employee theft of trade secrets. She also counsels management on strategies and policies designed to minimize exposure to individual and employee class action or PAGA lawsuits. Constance has extensive experience defending employers in state and federal court and before administrative agencies, including the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She also has broad experience representing companies in mediation and other alternative dispute resolution processes.



Isaiah Oliver
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President and CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Flint
Isaiah has been widely recognized for his leadership. Born and raised in Flint, Isaiah’s background includes extensive community leadership and executive oversight experience. He served five years on the Flint Community Schools Board of Education, including two years as board president. His executive experience also includes serving four years on the Hurley Medical Center Board of Managers. He previously served as Associate Administrator for Workforce, Community and Grant Development at Mott Community College. Isaiah advocates for an inclusive approach to philanthropy that listens to and works with the people of the community in order to develop a true partnership. This approach allows both the people of a community and engaged philanthropists to be fully vested in and empowered to develop solutions.

Ed Padar
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Controller, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Ed became Controller of the Greater Houston Community Foundation in 2003 and used the FIMS system to help manage the growth of the foundation’s assets from $75 million to $757 million.  As Controller, Ed is responsible for managing the financial operations of the Greater Houston Community Foundation including systems for reporting program and financial activities and safeguarding the assets of the Foundation.  Since 2003, he has seen the number of funds increase from 170 to over 1,600.  He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Eastern New Mexico University with a Major in Finance and a BBA from the University of Michigan in Accounting and Business Administration.  Ed has been the Corporate Controller of retail chains, manufacturers, radio stations, and agricultural entities.  Over the course of his career, Ed has also been involved with three startup corporations.


Brandon Parrish - Portfolio Manager, Brown Advisory
Brandon is focused on managing portfolios on behalf of nonprofits, families and individuals. He works closely with the firm's investment research and strategic advisory teams to deliver results that support client’s financial goals.  He is also a member of the Private Income Partnership (PIP) Investment Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Brandon served as an investment consultant with NEPC where he focused on advising family offices, endowments and foundations on multi-asset class portfolios across the liquidity and complexity spectrum. He was also a member of the Asset Allocation Committee which established the forward looking return and volatility assumptions and he developed firm-wide investment recommendations for clients. Brandon also spent time at BNY Mellon managing various trusts, life income, endowment and foundation portfolios.

Tracy Paglia - Partner, Moss Adams
Tracy has practiced public accounting since 1997. She has extensive experience assisting tax-exempt organizations on compliance and consulting tax issues from formation to termination. Tracy is a tax and consulting team member on public charity, private foundation, university, association, and health care clients throughout the firm. Her experience includes the redesigned Form 990, unrelated business taxable income, intermediate sanctions and compensation issues, private inurement and excess benefit transactions, charitable contribution disclosures, public disclosure requirements, application for tax-exempt status and entity formation, tax-exempt bonds, change in exempt status and the public support test, controlled organization and joint venture issues, and charitable planning options for donors.


Dan Parker - Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Texas Tech University

Dan is based in Austin, Texas, and in his role, he shares broad responsibility for policy, strategy, asset allocation, structure and processes across the organization and the portfolio, in addition to driving the endowment’s public and private equity investments as well as diversifying and absolute return strategies. Before relocating to Austin to join Texas Tech, Dan worked in New York as an Investment Officer with Helmsley Charitable Trust, as a Vice President in private equity with BlackRock and as an Associate in investment banking at Citigroup. He began his career serving as a US Marine, where he commanded infantry and reconnaissance units. He holds degrees from Tulane University and The College of William and Mary.
 

Mike Pawson - CFO, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Mike is responsible for providing critical financial insight and strategic support to ensure excellent service to donors and clients. He came to GHCF in 2016 after thirteen years of experience as a nonprofit CFO and prior to that was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company. Mike is a frequent speaker on the financial management of nonprofit organizations and is an instructor in Rice University’s Nonprofit Finance Certificate Program. Mike received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, and earned the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) designation in 2010.

Brigid Peterson -Investment Committee Member, Baltimore Community Foundation

Brigid is a partner and helps lead the Endowments & Foundations effort at Brown Advisory. She has extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations, institutions and private foundations on strategic, operational and development issues, as well as advising families on structuring their philanthropic legacy. As a member of the Sustainable Investing Leadership Team, she works with clients to develop a mission-aligned investment portfolio. Prior to joining Brown Advisory, Brigid practiced law, working with tax-exempt organizations and high-net-worth families.


Coralie Pledger - CFO, Austin Community Foundation
Coralie has over 30 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant, Chief Financial Officer and consultant providing accounting, financial, investigative accounting, and regulatory services. Her expertise is primarily in nonprofits, banking, financial services, and investments. Most recently, she has consulted with various nonprofits and venture capital portfolio companies in budgeting, forecasting, organizational development, internal controls reviews and financial analytics. Coralie also served as the CFO of a local community bank and the bank’s holding company. Coralie has been a volunteer for the Eanes ISD school district and served on the boards of Ballet Austin and the Eanes Education Foundation. She currently serves as Secretary of the EISD Bond Oversight Committee, a group of citizen appointed to oversee the school district’s $55 million bond issuance.

Rosanne Potter
- SVP & CFO, Cleveland Foundation
Rosanne is a senior finance professional specializing in investment management and capital markets. Rosanne has held the position of Treasurer of five major manufacturing companies including the Lubrizol Corporation, RTI International Metals, Inc., and Dexter Corporation with industry expertise in specialty chemicals, consumer products, metals and power management. In her current role as SVP & CFO, Rosanne manages the finance function for the Cleveland Foundation. Prior to joining the Cleveland Foundation in April 2016, she was responsible for managing $10 billion of global retirement assets for Eaton Corporation in Cleveland.


Jenny Praytor
- Operations & Administration Officer, St. Louis Community Foundation
Jenny helps individuals, families, and corporations to define and reach their charitable goals + serves as the administrator of STLCF's corporate employee care funds, which provide assistance to over 30,000 employees of St. Louis-based businesses.



Kyla Quintero- CFO, Arizona Community Foundation
Kyla joined the Arizona Community Foundation as Controller in 2017.  She was promoted to Senior Vice President, Finance & Accounting in March 2018 before taking on the role of Chief Financial Officer in 2019.  Previously, she worked at the CPA firm of Anderson Zurmuehlen in Montana for 16 years where she held the position of Office Vice President/Shareholder. Kyla was part of the management team running a statewide CPA firm with seven offices and 250 employees. She was a President of the Montana Society of CPAs in 2001, during which she helped establish the society's annual Business, Industry, Nonprofit, & Government Conference.  She is also Past President of the Board and Past Chair of the Executive Search Committee for the Greater Gallatin United Way. Kyla is a licensed CPA and a Certified Fraud Examiner. She is a graduate of Montana State with a master’s degree in accounting.


David Rosado- Director, CF Insights
David has been with CF Insights since 2015, first as Member Services Manager. Prior to the CF Insights team, David spent seven years as their Community Foundations Liaison, where he proudly established his data geek bona fides through the acquisition, cleaning, coding, and publication of community foundation grants data. His experience working personally with community foundations makes him a natural fit to work with CF Insights members. He's more than happy to introduce you to everything that CF Insights has to offer, help you access our rich data set and create peer groups, generate custom data reports, and work with you to compare your community foundation's performance to your peers. If you want to know anything about specific CF Insights services, including how to join as a member, are interested in partnering with us, or simply want to have a lively debate on the New York Mets' chances this year, feel free to reach out to him at any time.

Grace Sacerdote - Executive Vice President & CFO, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
Grace joined the Foundation in 2004 with 11 years public accounting experience primarily in tax, small business and nonprofit accounting, and 10 years with a family office. Since 2004, she has seen assets grow to more than $400 million. She has responsibility for oversight of invested assets, and for all matters related to operations, finance and enterprise risk
management of the Foundation.

 

Jeff Sauter
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Chief Operatinons & Administrative Officer, Arizona Community Foundation
Jeff oversees the finance and accounting teams, information management, data and administration teams, and human resources.  Jeff joined the Foundation as Chief Financial Officer in 2014, having held the position of CFO and Chief Operating Officer for the San Antonio Area Foundation for five years. Since joining the ACF staff, Jeff has significantly enhanced and improved a variety of internal finance, accounting and IT management practices and processes.

 
Leigh Schaefers- Community Foundations of Texas
Leigh oversees the accounting department at CFT, including the processing of gifts, grants payments and expenses, as well as reporting and compliance.  She joined CFT in 2014 after a 15-year career as a public accountant with an audit focus, working at international firms including Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton and Arthur Andersen.  Leah holds a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting and business honors as well as a master’s in professional accounting, all from the University of Texas at Austin
.
 
Venu Shamapant - Board Member, Austin Community Foundation & Chair of the Investment Committee
Venu is also a Founding Board Member of Austin Speech Labs.  He is co-founder of LiveOak Venture Partners and has been investing in early stage Texas based companies and entrepreneurs since 1999.  Prior to founding LiveOak, Venu was a General Partner at Austin Ventures where he invested in companies producing more than $1.5B in enterprise values to date. He was an early investor in and sat on the Board of Directors of LifeSize Communications (acquired by Logitech), Spatial Wireless (acquired by Alcatel-Lucent), Navini Networks (acquired by Cisco Systems), Mavenir Systems (NYSE:MVNR) and Sipera Systems (acquired by Avaya Communications). Prior to joining Austin Ventures, he was with McKinsey & Co. serving clients in the enterprise systems and software markets. He started his professional career as a software developer and engineering lead at Mentor Graphics.  Venu received his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business, MS in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Osmania University, India.

Lani Starkey - Founder, Fifty Rock Consulting, LLC
Lani is a nationally-recognized philanthropic planning expert, he is an accomplished fundraiser, tax attorney, professor, former CPA*, presenter, and consultant.  As a popular and sought-after keynote and breakout session speaker, he frequently presents at conferences and meetings across the country on innovative fundraising strategies as well as traditional development best practices. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he teaches a course in tax and estate planning to graduate and undergraduate business students. Previously, Lani was Associate Vice President at University of Hawaii Foundation where he led the Principal Gifts and Estate and Gift Planning departments. In his Foundation role, he was a lead gift strategist and partnered with academic leadership, a large team of development staff, and professional advisors to achieve innovative, high-impact, donor-centric solutions.


Helen Stone - Director of Strategic Operations, Oklahoma City Community Foundation

Helen is a CPA with a career in nonprofit finance, including 9 years as CFO with the Arkansas Community Foundation and nearly 5 years in Accounting and Finance with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.




Glenn Stotts- Investment Committee Member, Austin Community Foundation
Glenn currently serves on the Investment Committee of the Austin Community Foundation and is active with other non-profit organizations in a similar capacity.  Based in Austin, Glenn is a portfolio manager with Brown Advisory.  He joined Brown Advisory in 2018 as a result of the combination between Brown Advisory and Meritage Capital. At Meritage for over a decade, he was the deputy chief investment officer and managing director with primary responsibilities for investment research, manager due diligence and portfolio construction of alternative strategies for family offices and institutions. Prior to joining Meritage, Glenn served as an associate at The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), where he focused on the endowment’s marketable alternatives portfolio. He started his career as an analyst at Merrill Lynch, based in New York and London.  Glenn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.  Glenn holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation
 
Bryan Tait, Senior Controller, Pittsburgh Foundation
Bryan is responsible for managing the accounting and financial services for the Foundation and its five supporting organizations. Before joining the Foundation in 2009, Bryan worked as a public accountant for a national accounting firm based in Bethesda, Maryland. He has more than 10 years of experience in the accounting and finance industry, working as a CPA in both the public and private sector. An active member of the foundation community, Bryan serves on the Accounting Practice Committee of the Financial Administrators and Officers Group and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Blackbaud/ Fusion Labs User Group. He also serves as the secretary and treasurer for the African American Cultural Center. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from West Virginia University and is a certified public accountant.

William Thorpe - Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Mason Investment and Advisory Services
William joined Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. in October 2003.  He leads the development of Mason’s institutional investment practice and has helped to raise more than $4.5 billion of Mason’s $7.5 billion in assets under management.  Mason was listed at #19 on Barron's 2018 "Top Institutional Consultants" list.  He has spoken at multiple investment industry conferences and works with board, committee and staff members of nonprofit organizations nationwide.  Mr. Thorpe is a member of Mason’s Management Committee.  He received both his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 1993 and his MBA, with a concentration in Finance in 2002 from The University of Maryland.  Mr. Thorpe lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife, two children and their two rabbits, Charger and Smokey.

Cyndi Vara - CFO, Permian Basin Area Foundation
Cyndi joined the foundation in April 2005; she is currently serving as Chief Financial Officer.  She was previously the Director of Finance for a large non-profit organization in Amarillo, Texas.  Cyndi has been an active volunteer for several nonprofits, and  currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Fiscal and Administrative Officers Group (FAOG) as Chair of the Communications Committee. Cyndi has approximately 24 years of combined experience in public and private accounting.  She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from West Texas A & M University.  Cyndi is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Permian Basin Chapter of CPAs and the Texas Society of CPAs.
 
 
Robert L Waldman - Partner, Venable, LLP
Bob serves as counsel to foundations, hospitals, educational institutions, trade associations, community foundations, and other charitable entities, and counsels companies on corporate social responsibility matters. He represents some of the country's largest nonprofit organizations and has significant experience in international philanthropy. Bob also practices extensively in philanthropic and estate planning, employee benefits, and taxation. He has advised numerous nonprofit clients on corporate governance issues, as well as on tax, compensation, and grant making concerns. Bob has been involved in restructuring nonprofit corporations to minimize liability and achieve program goals by utilizing multiple corporations, boards, and advisory committees. He has also represented nonprofit organizations before the Internal Revenue Service and the Office of the State Attorney General concerning a variety of issues.

Megan Warrick - EVP & CFO, Central Florida Foundation

Megan has been with the Foundation since 2004 and is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant with more than 15 years of experience in accounting, auditing and financial administration in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining the Foundation, Meghan was an audit manager in KPMG LLP’s public services practice and served numerous governmental and not-for-profit clients. She is a member of the American and Florida Institutes of Certified Public Accountants.  Meghan holds both a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Stetson University. She is a former Trustee of the First Congregational Church of Winter Park, is a graduate of Leadership Orlando’s Class 79 and is involved with the School Advisory Committee at her son’s school.
 

Will Woodward- CFO, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Will in his role as CFO oversees investment management for the foundations $694M in net assets, technology, finance and accounting as well as partnering with key donors and financial partners in the community.  Prior to joining GCF, Will served in various leadership roles at Unirush, Mercy Health, and Deloitte.   He is a Certified Public Account (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Account (CGMA). He a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the finance committee for Philanthropy Ohio. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Accountancy and Master of Business Administration from Miami University. Will is married to his wife Sasha and has three young children.  In addition to his rental properties and flipping houses, Will enjoys traveling, racquetball, golf, and poker.