Our Team of Experts

Our greatest membership benefit is access to expert consultants to solve nonprofit challenges as they occur, at no extra cost beyond your already low membership price. Meet the experts available to our members - and Ask The Experts!!!

 


Alex Bennet

⁠Grant Writing

Alex Bennett has been a contract grant writer since 2004. Contracts have ranged from special projects to functioning as an in-house grants program manager. His track record features success in identifying new potential funders and winning grants from them on first attempt. His knowledge and understanding of the grant field is enhanced by his previous 15-year background in marketing and communications, including breaking through the noise and getting attention by branding/messaging and competitive differentiation. Alex has a BA in Literature from the University of California San Diego. He has resided almost lifelong in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Katie Jamieson, CAE⁠

Community Building & Volunteer Recruiting

Katie is passionate about nonprofits, the communities they serve, and their impact on people’s lives. Her experience crosses sectors of nonprofit and association leadership and focuses on community building and engagement. She loves bringing together the people and details involved in events of all kinds, both live and virtual. Having a personal connection to the organization’s mission, she currently manages special projects for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, where she is involved in building a community advisory board comprised of patients, caregivers and bereaved community members. Katie has also spent years working with Minnesota’s engineering community through Engineering Alliance Minnesota, its Foundation and Minnesota MATHCOUNTS. MATHCOUNTS is a locally managed nation-wide program that provides engaging math programs to middle school students of all ability levels. Its goal is to build confidence and improve student attitudes about math and problem solving. In her role as Minnesota State MATHCOUNTS Director, Katie has overseen the entire MATHCOUNTS program across Minnesota. She connects the groups that make up the community – students and families, teachers, volunteers, and donors. In her roles with Engineering Alliance Minnesota, she has also led collaborative fundraising, managed continuing education programs for licensed professional engineers, administered volunteer recruitment and engagement, and built STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) outreach efforts. Katie has a BA in Business & Communications and a minor in French from the University of Minnesota and is a Certified Association Executive through the American Society of Association Executives.


 

Consuelo Meux, Ph.D.⁠

Board Development/Leadership Coaching

What does a winning board look like? How are you attracting loyal and new donors during the pandemic? How to develop a give and get Board of Directors? Come with these questions and more for a 30-year certified coach, consultant, professor and trainer, Consuelo Meux, PhD. Ph.D. Dr, Meux education includes a Ph.D. in Human and Organization Systems from Fielding Graduate University, MS/MA in Organizational Behavior/Organization Development and a Bachelor’s in Marketing. Dr. Meux has traveled broadly assisting businesses with issues of compliance, structures, strategic planning, marketing, budgeting, and program development with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Meux has given two commencement speeches and presented research and program materials at national and international conferences. She has coached and consulted with private clients throughout the US and in Japan, London, and Australia. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, worked in Cameroon, Africa, assisting the development of food cooperatives. She trained with an international peace-keeping group in Post-Apartheid Conflict Resolution techniques and traveled with a leadership team to Capetown, South Africa to discuss student exchange programs. As an expert in women’s leadership styles, she promotes the concept of women mentoring women for success and was sought out for publication in the first Leadership Activities Workbook with Posner & Kouzes, published in 2010 by John Wiley, New York.


Paul Komarek, JD

⁠Human Service Providers

Paul is a consultant, author, and educator focused on the social aspects of “biopsychosocial” problems like addiction, mental illness, violence, and suicide. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Paul’s mission is to take on tough problems and help people make progress in their lives. His current work involves stopping the heroin epidemic; addressing trauma; confronting social determinants of health in Native American and African American communities; ending cycles of violence; and addressing the effects of globalization. Paul has four decades of experience working with public systems, treatment systems, businesses, educational institutions, faith-based programs, and community groups, and has developed and led training programs for adult learners throughout his career. His clients have included the Cincinnati Urban League, NAMI Ohio, the Cincinnati YMCA Child Development Network, and Catholic Social Services of Southwestern Ohio. He serves as program consultant and national event director for Longest Walk 5, a series of three Walks Across America organized by Dennis Banks, the co-founder of the American Indian Movement. He assisted with the initial licensing and accreditation efforts of four behavioral health provider organizations in Ohio. He is a certified provider of case manager training in Kentucky. Paul developed NAMI Ohio’s statewide curriculum for court and jail personnel. He has worked on the Heroin Impact Response Team in Northern Kentucky for the past five years. He has written two books, Defying Mental Illness and SHARP Stop Heroin and Rescue People.


Jhena Kowaleski⁠

Fundraising Generalist

Development Professional, Jhena Kowaleski brings a wealth of fundraising knowledge to the NPA Live Expert Platform and including steps on Annual Giving Campaigns, Direct Mail and Online Giving Programs, Grant Writing and More. She currently serves as the Grants Administrator for a Battered Women’s Shelter and on the board for a women’s empowerment organization. Jhena is an experienced nonprofit co-founder with a demonstrated history of working in the Human Resources industry. Skilled in Microsoft Word, Fundraising, Teamwork, Leadership, and Marketing. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biology and Marketing and focused on International Studies from Wittenberg University.


Angela Glover⁠

Planned Giving

Angela has over 20 years of philanthropic experience working with hospitals, colleges, universities and advocacy organizations as well consulting. Currently, she serves as a planned giving professional with a large international nonprofit. Angela has worked with small and large organizations at all levels in fundraising, garnering institutional support from grants, individual solicitations, planned giving and events. Also, Angela has philanthropic consultant with with non profits as well as individuals. Throughout her career she has built fundraising programs from the ground up and has lectured on strategy and fundraising techniques as well as mentoring young professionals along the way. She has held positions with Wake Forest University, Southern Education Foundation, Morehouse College and her alma mater Spelman College as well as a host of regional advocacy organizations. She holds a BA in Political Science from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and a JD from the University of Miami, School of Law. Angela enjoys traveling, cooking exotic food, art and basketball.


Alexandra Cohen

Program Development & Evaluation – Global Impact

Alexandra works with nonprofits, social enterprises and startups to design and implement programs that expand their global impact. With more than 15 years of experience as a litigation attorney and now using those transferrable skills as a nonprofit consultant, she designs strategy and communicates complex ideas to a varied audience. She has evaluated a financial literacy and skills training program for a Guatemala-based NGO working with young women to quantify the social impact of their activities; conducted a project evaluation and proposed program design for an NGO in rural Ghana implementing a microloan program for women in agricultural businesses; and drafted grant applications for a variety of nonprofits across the U.S. Alexandra is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University (B.A., International Studies); Hofstra University School of Law (J.D.) and Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MBA, Global Impact Management and M.A., International Policy & Development).

 



Kerry Riley

Prospect Research

Kerry Lee Riley is a 30-year veteran in nonprofit management and capacity building. He holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at New York University, and a Master of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. After completing Doctoral studies at U.C. Berkeley, he relocated to Los Angeles, and served as a Program Director for The Multi-Cultural Collaborative, Director of the grass roots coalition Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, and Director of The Herrick Chapel and Interfaith Center at Occidental College. As a funding board member of The Liberty Hill Foundation and The Entertainment Industry Foundation, he assisted in the disbursement of more than $3 million in community block grants. Kerry's nonprofit management expertise includes Prospect Research, Capacity Building, Strategic Planning, Fundraising Development, Grant Writing, Evaluation and Assessment, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. His consulting clientele includes: The Howard Thurman Educational Trust, the Glendale Unified School District. The Omega Boys Club, Celebrating Culture and Community, the Saint Elizabeth's Day Home, and Project Change. He is an active member of The Association of Fundraising Professionals.


Sok Tng⁠

Prospect Research

Sok Tng has been a dedicated prospect researcher for nearly 8 years. She is currently at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) where she builds a pipeline of prospects for current and upcoming campaigns exceeding $100M. Other job responsibilities include locating, researching and profiling individuals for the board of trustees, and creating infrastructure for the fundraising database. Sok was an integral part of the development team at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) engaged in a $2B campaign prior to NHMLAC. At both NHMLAC and Caltech, she was involved in database selection and conversion to a new fundraising database. Before that, she managed two nonprofit information libraries and conducted grant-seeking and hands-on classes on grant-seeking database usage. During her tenure, attendance at both libraries more than doubled. In addition, Sok volunteers with nonprofit support organization, Jericho Road Project Pasadena, and is on the IDEA Committee of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP-GLAC). Sok believes prospect research and management is critical to all fundraising teams and is eager to share her knowledge and experiences with other nonprofits to strengthen their fundraising capabilities and goals.


Franca Brilliant⁠

Strategic Planning/Social Change Innovator

Franca Brilliant is a nonprofit and social change innovator dedicated to building a just society and an environmentally sustainable economy. A dynamic nonprofit professional and community leader, she brings decades of experience and a proven ability to deliver in crisis situations. Franca’s capabilities extend to immigration issues, community/economic development, environmental sustainability, philanthropy, and early childhood care and education, as well as international humanitarian assistance and civil society development. She has raised millions of dollars for organizations including CASA de Maryland, the National Environmental Education Foundation, the Center for a New American Dream, National Academy of Social Insurance, the Public Justice Center, the Takoma Foundation and Tifereth Israel synagogue. Franca has helped local, national, and international organizations build strong partnerships, assess, and communicate impact, design and implement effective programming, increase funding, develop strong boards, strengthen operations, and deliver results. Over more than two decades she has worked with dozens of nonprofit organizations as a board member, volunteer, senior staffer, trainer, and consultant to help them solve problems and take advantage of opportunities. Since April 2020, she has advised nonprofits in Montgomery County, MD on fundraising and planning for sustainability during the COVID-19 crisis.


Emmanuelle Jarmon⁠

Community Needs Assessments

Emmanuelle Jarmon is a committed, resourceful, and results-oriented professional with 20 years of experience working with Head Start programs and community-based organizations. She conducts community needs assessments to help inform program planning and assists agencies with grant development to help sustain and expand capacity.

Core competencies include primary and secondary data research, survey design, data collection and analysis, grant writing and editing, and logic modeling. Ms. Jarmon has worked with range of nonprofits and organizations in the areas of early childhood education, youth services, refugee resettlement, and affordable housing.

Emmanuelle holds a B.A. from Boston University, an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work, an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and a Master’s in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.



Lori Collins-Hall, Ph.D.⁠

Higher Education Development

With 30 years of experience in higher education, as a faculty member, community-based scholar, and administrator, Dr. Lori Collins-Hall understands the challenges facing higher education today. The roles of faculty are changing, students’ demographics and sense of ownership for their education encourage innovative strategies for student engagement, there is a critical need to educate for both employment and civic engagement, and corporate and community partnerships are becoming increasingly influential in the future of education. As many institutions struggle to survive, others are reimagining the future of higher education and their place in it. At this critical juncture, she is passionate about supporting your needs to quickly analyze the academic environment, navigate the needs for programmatic innovation, develop strategies that will drive your institution forward, align resources and decision-making, create and execute revenue generation strategy, design and implement programmatic, faculty and staff assessment and development.


Gregory Day⁠

Employee Retirement Planning

Some say wealth advisors are all the same. Gregory Day’s clients would tell you that’s simply not the case. In today’s service-deprived world, Gregory is a Retirement Plan Specialist with Edward Jones holding an MBA from Northwestern - Kellogg School of Management (an emphasis on Finance, Entrepreneurship & Innovation) and a prior successful business owner, who understands at a deep level why effective retirement planning is crucial for long-term organizational success. He works with corporations, mid-market firms, small business owners & nonprofit organizations, to help them navigate the complex financial landscape of retirement plans. As a qualified, unbiased, and previously successful, business owner, he provides guidance on how to effectively structure employee retirement plans, deep vetting & selection of the investment products, and I act as a true client advocate. I always put my clients' best interests first. With many years of retirement planning expertise, providing financial advice and retirement plan services to organizations of all sizes and industries, NPA members can get help in: Retirement Plan Strategy, Plan Selection, Fiduciary Services, Fee Transparency & ongoing benchmarking of fees, Investment Selection, Plan Monitoring & Review, Enrollment Meetings and ongoing educational services.


Aneta Thomas Lee⁠

Digital Inclusion

Aneta Thomas Lee is a champion for the cause of digital inclusion and equity. She is a member of the first cohort of Digital Inclusion Fellows. The Fellowship was sponsored by Google Fiber and managed by the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN). Aneta also served as a Fellow with the City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department. She established relationships with community partners at churches, county libraries, senior centers and community-based nonprofits including the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. After completing her terms with the Fellowship, she began serving as the Program Manager for the Connected Churches Initiative, a collaborative partnership between Google, LLC and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In 2018-19, Aneta coordinated and implemented digital literacy programming with 22 churches, in six cities across the U.S. including Atlanta, New York, Ann Arbor, Chicago and D.C. Aneta cultivated and trained dozens of tech and community volunteers from the Black Googler Network and church staff members. Currently, Aneta continues to serve as a Digital Inclusion Specialist and independent contractor for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition – Silicon Valley for the Connected Churches initiative. Aneta conducts virtual monthly training for churches via Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Zoom, YouTube and Facebook Live streaming services.


Matthew Topper⁠

Disaster Relief Support

Matthew Topper has worked in Disaster Response since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Since then, Matthew has worked 15 other large-scale domestic disasters which have included hurricanes, floods and tornados. Topper has also pivoted to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic by working on logistics for the Great Boston Food Bank. His disaster response consultancy, Stormwise, has recently partnered with organizations in Louisiana seeking to apply best practices to Hurricane Laura and Delta operations. Topper also holds multiple trade licenses and certifications for ground level tactical work which inform both operational and strategic level decision making. By the grace of God, he brings calm into chaos.


Kenjie Davis⁠

Association Management Systems

Kenjie began his nonprofit career working in membership development and has transcended into an Association Management System (AMS) guru. He is the founder of The AMS Guy, LLC where he applies his 13 years of dynamic experience selecting, building, managing, enhancing and increasing the impact this critical software has on an organization. He holds dual degrees in Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Morehouse College and Georgia Tech and is a native of and currently resides in Atlanta, Ga. Kenjie has mastered multiple AMS platforms and surveyed countless others over his career. His technical background coupled with his years of experience working for associations makes him the perfect storm to tackle issues within any AMS. He also has the uncanny ability to learns new AMS systems quickly and intimately, to envision new ways to use the software, and to identify where systems lag, which leads him to develop unique solutions for an organization and enhance the software for all users.


Joanne Lakomski⁠

Human Resources

Joanne has 25+ years in human resources in for-and non-profit organizations, a master’s in organization development from American University, and holds the SPHR (Senior HR Professional) credential. Joanne has supported non-profits as an employee, board trustee, and volunteer. Examples of Joanne’s HR work with non-profits includes total compensation design, handbook creation, team development and coaching, HR business planning and budgeting, non-harassment training and similar, employee life-cycle systems, succession, and performance and development. The breadth of Joanne’s HR work is grounded in organizational acumen and the HR continuum; the black and white of compliance and regulation on the left, into the gray of the employee-employer relationship in the middle, all leading to the silver of the development potential of both the individual and the organization on the right. Joanne is currently working through her consulting business; Human Resources – potentiating individuals and organizations to release their magic!



Vanessa Cubano⁠

Database Systems – Raiser’s Edge & More

Vanessa helps nonprofits design and manage their donor database to maximize fundraising and achieve your goals. She is a graduate of Blackbaud University with mastery of over 10 years of experience in Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge, for both human services and higher education. Vanessa also has extensive skills in database management, ranging from basic data entry and gift recording, to integrated and complicated data and reports processing as well as bridging the gap between Advancement and Finance standards. As a system- oriented person, she is passionate about working with organizations to meet their individualized organizational goals and achieve the best outcomes that support for their administrative functions. She is here to help members explore their data integrity and database processes and identify strategies to maximize their fundraising potential.



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