Debbie Bills
Associate Vice President of Planned Giving, City of Hope

Debbie is the Senior Executive Director of Planned Giving Administration at City of Hope. She provides oversight for the operational aspects of a sophisticated Planned Giving program, including estate and trust administration, life income gifts, marketing, data management & reporting. With over 20 years of planned giving experience, Debbie has worked in various facets of Advancement. She served as the AVP for Advancement Services at Harvey Mudd College, overseeing Research & Prospect Management, Gift Processing, Reporting & Database Management. At the California Institute of Technology, she became the Functional Lead for the database conversion after serving five years as the Assistant Director of Gift Planning & Manager of Trusts and Bequests. She also directed the Gift Planning programs at The Webb Schools and Claremont Graduate University. Debbie earned her Bachelor’s degree at Pomona College and is a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving. She is a current board member, past president and former conference chair for the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners.

Diane Burbie
Managing Principal, The ASPIRE Group

Diane Burbie is owner of The ASPIRE Group consulting firm. She is an experienced facilitator/trainer that has worked with a myriad of audiences across the country on the subjects of race relations, diversity, conflict resolution, leadership styles and organizational communication systems. She has worked on projects with the Cornerstone, Looking Glass and Shakespeare Festival LA theater companies addressing themes of race, faith and immigration. She is also a consultant to the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) and Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance. She served as Vice-Chair of the Pasadena Human Relations Commission. Diane holds a BA from Stanford University in Psychology and African-American Studies, an MBA from the University of Southern California and certificates in Negotiation – Harvard University Law School and Managing Multicultural Work Environments (California State University Fullerton).

Birgit Smith Burton
Executive Director of Foundation Relations at Georgia Institute of Technology and Founder of the African American Development Officers Network

Birgit Smith Burton is a respected leader in the fundraising profession who has raised more than $500 million during her 33-year career. As the executive director of foundation relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she led her team in raising $309 million toward the Institute's most recent successful $1.8 billion capital campaign.

Birgit is a well-regarded speaker on the topics of fundraising and diversity. She has authored articles on diversity in the fundraising profession, co-authored the book, The Philanthropic Covenant with Black America, and contributed to the book Five Minutes for Fundraising, A Collection of Expert Advice. Birgit is honored to tell her personal story in the book Collecting Courage, which shares the lived experiences of Black women and men working in the nonprofit and charitable space (published fall 2020). She was proud to be selected by Georgia Tech leadership to participate in the first cohort of Leading Women @ Tech, which identified the next community of leaders who will guide the institution in the 21st century. Birgit also was chosen as one of the 2020 Faces of Inclusive Excellence, recognizing faculty, staff, and students who are committed to gender diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Birgit serves on the global board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and recently was voted as the chair-elect for 2021. She has the distinction of being the first African American woman in AFP’s 60-year history to serve in this role. Birgit is the immediate past chair of the IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access). She also chairs the A.E. Lowe Grice Scholarship Fund, serves on the Hosea Helps board of directors, and advises the Aspen Leadership Group. Birgit is the founder of AADO, the African American Development Officers Network, which for 22 years has provided professional development, education, employment support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for fundraisers of color. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Birgit earned a bachelor's degree in media communications from Medaille College in Buffalo, New York.

Chris Chan
Founder & CEO, 3C Strategies, LLC

Chris has over 13 years of experience at the intersection of public policy, politics, and business with a specialization in strategic planning, fundraising, communications, and event management. Chris founded 3C Strategies, LLC in the fall of 2016.

His prior experience includes supporting the execution of three Democratic National Conventions, a 60,000-person gathering of political and governmental VIPs, political activists, and representatives of the country’s—and the world’s—biggest corporations & NGOs. Chris also spent three years as President of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers, leading a non-profit organization at the intersection of diversity and finance with a heavy focus on strategic planning, project management and developing engagement opportunities. Chris’ prior experience also includes three years at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) during President Obama’s administration, planning and executing SBA’s outreach and engagement strategy as well as managing the public speaking schedule of most of the agency’s top leadership.

Chris is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Massachusetts.

David Disend
Senior Director of Development, Planned Giving, CARE

David Disend is the Senior Director of Development of Planned Giving at CARE. He has planned and led fundraising campaigns that have achieved over $1.5 billion dollars in fundraising success. He and his teams have amassed 27 CASE and IABC awards, including twice winning, as CAO, the CASE award for most improved fundraising effort. David chairs the inaugural legacy campaign of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. David finished his term on the NACGP board in 2020, and he previously served on the AFP International board. Concerned that philanthropy will not achieve its full opportunity if its workforce of development professionals does not look more like the communities they serve, David championed the adoption of NACGP’s DEI Policy, and he led the effort to establish AFP’s Diverse Communities Scholarship program. David endowed diversity scholarships both at AFP and CGP.

Sid Espinosa
Director of Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at Microsoft

Sid Espinosa’s career has spanned the government, business and non-profit sectors. He is currently the senior director of philanthropy at Microsoft, focused on the most innovative uses of technology to address community challenges. Previously, Mr. Espinosa served as the mayor of Palo Alto, CA, and as the director of global philanthropy at Hewlett-Packard Company. He has worked for a U.S. ambassador overseas, served as an aide to former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno at the U.S. Department of Justice, and worked in the speechwriting and public liaison offices in the White House. Mr. Espinosa has served on numerous non-profit, university and business boards of directors, and he holds degrees from Wesleyan University and Harvard University.

Amy Florian
CEO of Corgenius

Amy Florian is the CEO of Corgenius, and she combines the best of neuroscience and psychology with a good dose of humor in training professionals to build strong relationships with clients through all the losses and transitions of life.

An acclaimed speaker and expert, she is author of over 150 articles and the books “No Longer Awkward: Communicating with Clients through the Toughest Times of Life” winner of a C-Suite Book Award, and “A Friend Indeed: Help Someone You Love When They Grieve,” which won a 2017 International Book Award. She was recently honored with several other awards for her ground-breaking work including:

The 20 Most Creative People in Insurance and Financial Services from LifeHealthPro
2016 Influential Woman in Business from the National Association of Women Business Owners
2017 Women of Influence from the Chicago Business Journal
2017 List of 25 FrontRunners and Influencers from Investment Advisor Magazine
Amy is a regular contributor in the trade press and appeared in the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, MSN Money, Barron’s, On Wall Street, the Journal of Financial Planning, Investment News, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, and many others.

Amy holds a Master’s Degree and is a Fellow in Thanatology (the highest level of certification in the field of grief studies).

She taught a graduate class at Loyola University of Chicago for almost 10 years, she has worked with over 2,000 grieving people, and she consults with firms, corporations, and individuals across the country and the globe.

Professor Tyrone McKinley Freeman
Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies; Director of Undergraduate Programs, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Tyrone McKinley Freeman is an award-winning scholar and teacher who serves as assistant professor of philanthropic studies and director of undergraduate programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Previously, he was a professional fundraiser for social services, community development, and higher education organizations. He was also associate director of The Fund Raising School where he trained nonprofit leaders in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

His research focuses on the history of African American philanthropy, philanthropy in communities of color, the history of American philanthropy, and philanthropy and fundraising in higher education. His book, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow (University of Illinois Press, 2020) examines African American women’s history of charitable giving, activism, education, and social service provision through the life and example of Madam C.J. Walker, the early twentieth century black philanthropist and entrepreneur.

His work has appeared or been cited in O: The Oprah Magazine, TIME, BBC News, Newsweek, NewsOne, Blavity, The Conversation, Black Perspectives, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

He is co-author of Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (2011 Palgrave MacMillan). A proud HBCU grad, Tyrone earned a B.A. in English/Liberal Arts from Lincoln University (PA), a M.S. in Adult Education from Indiana University, a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.

Elizabeth Glasgow
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Elizabeth R. Glasgow focuses her practice on multigenerational wealth preservation and tax minimization, including the creation and implementation of dynasty trusts, business succession plans, asset protection strategies and charitable giving structures for business owners, real estate investors, entrepreneurs, and families managing inherited wealth. She provides comprehensive advice on a wide range of issues facing mobile high net worth individuals and geographically dispersed families, including coordinated income tax planning across multiple jurisdictions. She is also an experienced counselor to the non-profit community and works with a variety of tax-exempt entities in fulfilling their charitable missions by ensuring proper formation and management of their organizations. To learn more about Elizabeth, click here.

Dana Goland
Consultant, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, The Aspire Group and Managing Director

Dana synthesizes over twenty years of facilitating capital investment in social and environmental solutions, by way of capital market securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, derivatives), complex trust vehicles and transformative donations by individuals, grant-making foundations, and corporations to 501c3 nonprofits and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) - to facilitate efficacious funding partnerships that solve environmental and social problems. Dana's career spans from supporting clients as a Financial Consultant at Smith Barney with their investment portfolios, through fundraising and leading teams for 501c3 organizations including CARE USA, End Oil/Communities for Clean Ports, the American Red Cross, UNCF-The College Fund (formerly the United Negro College Fund) and the Trust for Public Land. She has operated within the full scope of development for 501c3 organizations (from gift planning and legacy bequests, corporate and foundation giving, individual private investors, major and principle giving and workplace and capital campaigns), specializing in managing relationships that support at the six-, seven- and eight-figure level. In 2019, Dana founded the Symbia Global Group, to leverage venture philanthropy as catalytic capital to scale ecological and social impact ventures that have disruptive solutions to the most intractable problems faced by humanity and the planet. The Symbia Global Group has advised and worked on clients/projects that were either US-based or internationally-based (including Italy, Canada, Kenya, Norway and Japan). Currently, Dana is researching biomimetic models for catalyzing private sector investment by leveraging philanthropic venture capital to accelerate and scale impact, globally – as a PhD Student at Claremont Graduate University. Her first book - Philanthropy: The Keystone Species - is due out fall 2022. She identifies as Black, cis-gender, and lesbian and her current base is on unceded and occupied Kizc (Keech) and Tongva lands, also known as Long Beach, California USA.

Andy Goodman
Director, The Goodman Center

Andy Goodman is co-founder and director of The Goodman Center, which teaches communications and marketing professionals how to reach more people with more impact. Along with Storytelling as Best Practice, heis author of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes. He also publishes a monthly journal, free-range thinking, to share best practices in the field of public interest communications. 

Andy is internationally known for his speeches and workshops on storytelling and has led over 500 trainings for clients including CARE, The Nature Conservancy, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, NOAA, the San Diego Zoo, MIT, Princeton, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, GE, Bank of America, and many others. 

He has designed communications curriculum for the College for Social Innovation in Boston as well as for the African Leadership University in Mauritius. When not teaching, traveling, or recovering from teaching and traveling, Andy serves on the advisory board of the Institute for Human Caring. For more information about his work, please visit www.thegoodmancenter.com.

Kellie Todd Griffin
Blue Shield Promise Health Plan Sr. Director, Community and Provider Engagement

Todd Hanson
Vice President, Center for Engaged Philanthropy at the Orange County Community Foundation

Todd Hanson is vice president of the Center for Engaged Philanthropy at the Orange County Community Foundation. For more than 19 years, Todd has provided support to some of Orange County’s most generous families, helping them achieve their philanthropic goals and inspiring effective and impactful giving. He works with donors to develop personalized giving plans, arrange agency site visits, organize presentations on community issues and provide research reports on nonprofits. He visits more than 100 nonprofit organizations each year to stay informed on their latest programs, services and results.

Connie Chung Joe, JD
Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Connie Chung Joe, JD, is the Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA), the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Prior to joining Advancing Justice-LA in August 2020, Connie served as the Executive Director of the Korean American Family Services (KFAM) for 11 years. Under Connie’s leadership, KFAM nearly quadrupled its budget and staff, with culturally and linguistically responsive services to immigrant families, particularly those struggling with mental health, domestic/family violence, and acculturation stresses. Prior to joining KFAM, Connie was a public interest lawyer for seven years. She worked at the Housing Rights Center in LA representing clients in fair housing cases and the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago working on immigrant’s rights, reproductive rights, post-9/11 racial profiling, police accountability and First Amendment cases. Connie received her BA in Spanish and International Relations from USC and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

To learn more about Connie, click here.

Yolanda F. Johnson
Founder at Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)® and President at YFJ Consulting, LLC

With more than two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, Yolanda F. Johnson has successfully led fundraising operations for a wide range of non-profit organizations, launching creative event, sponsorship and marketing initiatives that produced new streams of both contributed and earned income. Her fundraising expertise includes securing foundation, corporate, and government funding and cultivating a diverse major gifts portfolio.

In addition to leading YFJ Consulting, LLC, Yolanda is the Founder of WOC, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy™ and President of Women In Development (WID), NY, the NYC area's premier professional organization for women in fundraising and philanthropy. Yolanda has also had an outstanding career as a performing artist, as a composer, as a producer, as an educator, and she has used her background as a performer to become a sought-after fundraising expert.

Her leadership roles include: serving as an International Advisory Board member and the former Representative for the Foundation for Post Conflict Development to the United Nations; a member of the board of directors of the Lehman College Art Gallery; a member of the board of trustees of the Hudson River Museum and a member of the PowHerNY board of directors. A trailblazing figure on the national fundraising landscape, Yolanda is the first African American President in the 40-year history of WID. She co-established the WID Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and is often a featured expert on incorporating DEI initiatives into organizational culture. She has appeared as a panelist at Fundraising Day in New York, the Women’s Alliance National Conference and CASE events among others. Yolanda is also a member of the Chronicle of Philanthropy Advisory Committee of national leaders in the non-profit sector.

Tying together her life as a successful performing artist and a non-profit leader, she developed All the World's A Stage, a special workshop using performance practice for getting what one wants out of fundraising, philanthropy and life. She presents All the World's A Stage to audiences across the United States. Yolanda is the Worship Leader/Music Director at the church she attends, a member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Women’s Music Fraternity and is on the artist roster for Random Access Music/Queens New Music Festival and the newly formed Westchester Chamber Soloists Orchestra. She holds a B.A. in Voice (Music Performance) and an M.A. in Arts Administration with a focus on Fundraising and Events and is the author of various publications and articles on event fundraising, including A Useful Guide for Special Events.

Vu Le
Blog Writer, NonprofitAF, Founder and Former Executive Director of RVC (Rooted in Vibrant Communities)

Vu Le (“voo lay”) is a writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the former Executive Director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by developing leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities.

Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work, where he learned that we should take the work seriously, but not ourselves. There’s tons of humor in the nonprofit world, and someone needs to document it. He is going to do that, with the hope that one day, a TV producer will see how cool and interesting our field is and make a show about nonprofit work, featuring attractive actors attending strategic planning meetings and filing 990 tax forms.

Known for his no-BS approach, irreverent sense of humor, and love of unicorns, Vu has been featured in dozens, if not hundreds, of his own blog posts at NonprofitAF.com, formerly nonprofitwithballs.com.

Cris Lutz
Assistant Vice President of Gift Planning, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Cris Lutz is the Assistant Vice President of Gift Planning at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, where she helps individuals make enduring charitable gifts for the benefit of students, scholars, visitors, and the broader community. Since 2019, Cris also serves as Chair of the inaugural staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Before joining The Huntington in 2005 as Associate Director of Major Gifts, she held several positions at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, ultimately serving as Director of Individual Giving. While at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cris was an adjunct faculty member at Pasadena City College, where she taught a Psychology course focused on the Latinx community. 

She is a member of the San Gabriel Valley Estate Planning Council and recently completed five years of Board service, including as Board Secretary, for both the American Council on Gift Annuities (where she is a volunteer member of the Governance Committee) and the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners. She also served on the Association of Fundraising Professionals - Greater Los Angeles Chapter's inaugural Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee. 

Cris earned a master's degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and dual bachelor's degrees in art history and social science from the University of California, Irvine. Cris has been a certified specialist in planned giving (CSPG) since 2013.

Alex Maizuss
Mindfulness Intervention Expert

Alex Maizuss is a globally recognized Mindfulness Intervention Expert who works with individuals and groups in English and Spanish. She is certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge (mPEAK) through the University of San Diego (UCSD).

She is characterized by her sharp attention, deep curiosity, humble presence, kind sense of humor and natural friendliness.

In 1996, Alex began practicing meditation and yoga which helped her cope with the daily stress of life and the high demands of working as a software engineer in the aerospace industry. In 2008, she discovered InsightLA, a place that became her sanctuary for balancing work and social life.

Her work as a mindfulness performance coach for the entertainment industry has allowed her to witness the impact of performance anxiety and stress. Alex was the program manager for USC Center for Mindfulness Science, currently she is a member of the Center's steering committee, her meditations are currently featured in MindfulUSC and Mindful Magazine.

Ken Miller, CFRE
President, Denali Fundraising Consultants 

A dynamic popular trainer and speaker Ken Miller, CFRE is the president of Denali Fundraising Consultants, a nonprofit fundraising consultancy he founded in 2014 after a long career in development. Ken was awarded his Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2016 and received his AFP Master Trainer Certificate in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Outstanding Professional in Philanthropy by the AFP AK Chapter.

Ken is presently a member of the of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Global board of directors and is also past president of AFP Alaska Chapter, past president and founder of the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Alaska, and past president of the Anchorage Gateway Rotary club. In his free time Ken enjoys mentoring, weightlifting, walking, and reading non-fiction books.

Lizbeth Nevarez
Managing Director of Nonprofit Tax Services, Green Hasson Janks

Lizbeth Nevarez, CPA, has more than 10 years of public accounting experience providing tax and consulting services and is GHJ’s Nonprofit Tax Practice Leader. She is also Secretary for GHJ Foundation, GHJ’s vehicle for purposeful and proactive giving to the community. Additionally, Lizbeth co-leads GHJ’s Women’s Empowerment Cohort, which is part of GHJ’s DEI initiative.

Lizbeth is a frequent guest speaker on nonprofit tax issues. She has completed the Riordan Leadership Institute’s Board service program through the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. The program's mission is to develop and cultivate business professionals for lifelong service in the nonprofit community. She has also taught courses on Form 900 basics and private foundations through CalCPA.

Lizbeth currently serves on the Board of Executive Service Corps (ESC), a leading nonprofit provider of high-impact, affordable management development services to other nonprofits in Southern California.

In 2019 and 2020, Lizbeth was recognized as “Most Influential Minority CPA” by the Los Angeles Business Journal for her contributions to the community and accounting industry.

Lizbeth joined GHJ in 2008, after graduating from California State University, Northridge where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Lizbeth is a mother to two young boys and enjoys spending time with family and going on family trips in her free time.

Cathleen Otero
Vice President Donor Relations & Programs, Donor Relations & Programs

Cathleen Otero is Vice President of Donor Relations & Programs at the Orange County Community Foundation. Cathleen brings more than 15 years of experience in supporting health and human service organizations through collaboration, coalition building, and strategic planning to improve performance and better serve vulnerable populations. She spent the last 10 years at Children and Family Futures, serving as the Deputy Director of the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. Cathleen received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University and both her Master of Public Administration and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Southern California.

Angela Johnson Peters
Social Justice Learning Institute, Associate Director of Programs and Development

Angela Johnson Peters has dedicated her professional and personal career to the support of community organizations, cultural institutions, artists, and activists. Angela entered the world of public service, when, as a volunteer, she walked onto a theater backstage for a jazz concert. That was more than 30 years ago. Johnson Peters has been an organizer, cultural worker, facilitator, trainer, producer, writer, caterer, fundraiser, planner, and travel writer. Angela sees her working with communities and for social justice as a calling and believes passionately in the importance of equity and providing access to resources to all.

After consulting with the Social Justice Learning Institute as their Community Impact and Engagement Strategist for six years, Johnson Peters was asked to join the organization as its Associate Director of Programs and Development in 2017. She is responsible for managing the efforts of the Development and Communications, Educational Equity, Health Equity management teams, and special projects.

In 1999, Mrs. Johnson Peters founded ALJ Consulting an independent management consulting firm that specialized in developing resources, effectively planning and successfully implementing programs with the non-profit, philanthropic, government, and community sectors. Over the years, she estimates working with over 440 organizations and individuals.

Angela is a native Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles and a proud product of LA’s public schools. She earned two bachelor degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and spent several decades in the San Francisco Bay area as a public servant and activist. She returned to Los Angeles in 2004 where she now lives with her husband Santosh and their cat Meela and looks after her vibrant and lovely 97 year-old mother.

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, Ph.D.
University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts is an innovative global scholar, speaker and consultant on the science of maximizing human potential in diverse organizations and communities. Her thought leadership in diversity, authenticity and leadership development has been recognized by LinkedIn (Top 10 Voice in Equity; 2020); Thinkers50 (On the Radar, 2021); ThinkList #Amplify (2020), and the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Award for Societal Impact (2020).  Laura currently serves as Professor of Practice at her alma mater, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and she is the founder of The Alignment Quest Enterprise, LLC.

Michael J. Rosen
President, ML Innovations

Michael J. Rosen, President of the fundraising and marketing consulting firm ML Innovations, has been named one of America's "Top 25 Fundraising Experts" and a “Top 100 Charity Industry Influencer.” Rosen has received the prestigious Association of Fundraising Professionals-Skystone Partners Prize for Research in Fundraising and Philanthropy for his best-selling book "Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing," which has been included on the official CFRE International Resource Reading List. An AFP Certified Master Trainer, Rosen has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Drexel University Master of Arts Management program where he taught Advanced Fund Development. He has also served as a continuing education faculty member at Villanova University where he taught fundraising ethics. Rosen has served as President of the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia, Board Chair of the national AFP Political Action Committee, Board Member of the AFP Foundation, and Vice President of the AFP Greater Philadelphia Chapter. Active in the community, Rosen has served on the Board of Directors of the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center, the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance. His blog, Michael Rosen Says… (michaelrosensays.wordpress.com), has been recognized as a "Top Fundraising Blog." Rosen is also a frequent contributing writer for Advancing Philanthropy, the official magazine of AFP.

Celina Santiago
Chief Development and Partnerships Officer, CASA of Los Angeles

Born to immigrant parents, Celina Santiago is a native Angeleno. She began her career in the nonprofit sector at a young age, from volunteering with afterschool programs to jumping into community organizing and building coalitions across diverse communities in Los Angeles.

Celina currently serves as the Chief Development and Partnerships Officer for CASA of Los Angeles (Court Appointed Special Advocates). As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Celina leads the Development Department in strategic relationship building and raising the much needed resources to ensure that every child in foster care in need of a CASA volunteer in LA County has one. Supporting youth in the largest dependency system in the nation, CASA/LA volunteers help youth in foster care navigate the complex child welfare system, find a permanent home, achieve their educational goals and ensure that their safety and well-being are cared for.

Prior to joining CASA/LA, Celina was part of the California Community Foundation, LA County's community foundation dedicated to improving the lives of the most vulnerable. Serving as a Senior Donor Relations Officer for over 5 years, she helped individual donors, corporations and families establish and realize their philanthropic goals while making meaningful impact in community.

Celina holds her bachelor's degree from Whittier College, where she majored in Political Science. She is a graduate of the Southern California Leadership Network is currently completing coursework in the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® program of the American College of Financial Services.

Santiago currently serves as Treasurer on Executive Board of Directors of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, is a member of the Los Angeles Latino Giving Circle Network, and passionate about diversifying philanthropy while supporting communities that need it most.

Kristina Segesvary
Vice President, Goldman Sachs

Kristina Segesvary is a Vice President in the Goldman Sachs Family Office Wealth Advisory Services group. She provides strategic tax and financial planning services to clients, with a focus on pre-transaction planning, income tax planning, philanthropy and multi-generational gift and estate tax planning. Kristina joined Goldman Sachs in May 2016. Prior to joining, Kristina was a Director in the Personal Financial Services group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. During her 17 years in the Big 4 public accounting industry, she worked with high-net worth families and family offices, both in U.S. and cross-border tax consulting and compliance matters. Kristina has a B.A. in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from University of California at Santa Barbara.

Robert F. Sharpe, Jr.
CEO, Encore

Robert F. Sharpe, Jr. is CEO of Encore, a leading philanthropic management consulting firm. He is a nationally recognized leader and authority in the field of philanthropy. During more than three decades of service to thousands of America’s nonprofits, he has consulted with educational, health, social service, arts and religious organizations and institutions in the planning and implementation of their major, planned gift and endowment development efforts. An honors graduate of Vanderbilt University and Cornell Law School, he served as a development officer for a liberal arts college prior to practicing law with a major law firm specializing in taxation and estate planning. Robert has been a pioneer in the area of “blended gifts” beginning in 1995 when he coined the term as part of a presentation at the national conference of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGA). Robert is chair of the philanthropy editorial board of Trusts & Estates magazine and co-author of the CGP Model Standards of Gift Valuation. He has served on the board of Giving USA and on a number of strategic task forces for the CGP. He currently serves as an Advisory Council member for the Alliance for Charitable Reform in its efforts to preserve and expand favorable tax treatment for charitable gifts. Among other publications, his remarks have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, Smart Money, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Trusts & Estates and Kiplinger’s. He is a sought-after speaker at local and national gatherings of fundraising executives, financial officers and others. He is a recipient of the CASE Crystal Apple award for excellence in teaching and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York, the David M. Donaldson Distinguished Service award from the Planned Giving Group of New England and has been inducted to the CGA Gift Planning Hall of Fame.

Kelli Smith, CFRE
Chief Development Officer, John Ball Zoo

Kelli Smith's career in philanthropy spans more than two decades in health care and academia, serving in organizations whose missions closely align with her own passions to serve and invest in the needs of the community. Kelli recently joined John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, MI as the Chief Development Officer, leading the strategic vision for development, marketing, communications, and community engagement. In her prior role, she led major and planned giving as Director of Philanthropy at Saint Mary's Foundation at Mercy Health.

She is active in her community and serves on several local boards and is the Chair-Elect for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Board of Directors. Kelli holds a master’s degree in Health Services Administration and is pursuing her Chartered Advisor of Philanthropy (CAP) certification.

Nathan Stelter
The Stelter Company

Nathan Stelter is the president of The Stelter Company, a leading source for gift planning marketing solutions for the nonprofit community. The Stelter Company, which was founded in 1962, currently partners with more than 1,400 organizations nationally with a staff of over 80 individuals. The home office is located in Des Moines, Iowa, with regional representation in Chicago, Ill.; Asheville, NC; Washington, DC and Denver, Colo. Nathan’s personal goal and charge to his staff, his clients and this industry is to continue to lead by example as Stelter build’s marketing solutions based on scientific-data, informed by industry-changing research and focused on connecting people, passion and purpose by way of personal philanthropy! Over Nathan’s 20-year career in planned giving, he’s been fortunate to speak at over 100 national and regional industry meetings on gift planning marketing trends and cutting-edge donor and fundraising research. He’s been quoted in Planned Giving Today, Advancing Philanthropy, Nonprofit Pro, and other trade publications and currently authors the highly successful Stelter Insights blog. Nathan is a past board member of the National Capital Gift Planning Council (Washington, DC), current member of the Mid-Iowa Planned Giving Council and serves on the board for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners as well as the National Standards for Gift Planning Success (NSGPS) task force. Nathan is a two-time graduate of the University of Iowa where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an Executive MBA. He lives by the mantras: “It is what it is”, “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission” and “Everything happens for a reason” …and it seems to work out. He is a lover of music, soccer, spicy food and his beloved Iowa Hawkeyes. He rarely sleeps. And is extremely competitive in everything he does. When not at his Stelter desk, Nathan enjoys spending time with his family, wife Nora and children Benjamin Hawkeye (14), Brody (10) and Brynn (8) along with three Brussels Griffon pups, Lola, Bubbles and Fergus.

Jean Tatge
Chief Development Officer, Women's Sports Foundation

Jean Tatge is Chief Development Officer of the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF), an advocacy organization founded in 1974 by sports icon and human rights activist Billie Jean King to fight for gender equity in sports. Today, WSF works to protect the gains of Title IX and to close the gender gap around pay, access, leadership and media coverage. We also works to ensure that all girls - especially those in underserved communities - can reap the benefits of sports. 

Jean has had a 35-year nonprofit career devoted to driving strategic and philanthropic growth - and raising over $200 million - at organizations focused on urban planning and preservation, community development, higher education and the arts. Prior to joining WSF in April 2020, she ran her own consulting firm for five years, providing strategic planning, board development and fundraising expertise to, among others, the Art Bridges Foundation, the Waterfront Alliance and the Historic House Trust of New York City. She held senior positions in several of New York City's top civic and educational institutions, including Parsons School of Design, the Municipal Art Society of New York and the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. 

Jean is a board member of the Bronx Council on the Arts. She holds a BA in Art History from Lawrence University and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Columbia University.

Iliana Tavera
Executive Director, Haven Hills

Iliana Tavera was named Executive Director of Haven Hills, Inc in 2015.  Ms. Tavera has over 20 years of experience in non-profit management, fundraising, operations, and a strong track record of developing successful collaborations among private sector, nonprofit and community partners. At Haven Hills Ms. Tavera is responsible for managing one of the largest domestic violence providers in Los Angeles County.

Prior to joining Haven Hills, Ms. Tavera served as Southern California Director for NatureBridge an organization that fosters environmental literacy through hands-on environmental science programs for children and teens. There she managed NatureBridge’s Southern California initiatives and education programs which provided more than 3,000 students with environmental education in the Santa Monica Mountains and Channel Islands. Ms. Tavera was also Director of Operations for the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, a facility dedicated to providing housing for families whose children are faced with critical illness. In this capacity, Iliana was responsible for the daily operations of family services and facility management as well as strategic planning and operational budgeting initiatives. Ms. Tavera was also Director of Development for Ronald McDonald House and in this capacity, she met or surpassed the agency’s fundraising goals for seven years. Ms. Tavera began her career at the California Science Center Foundation where, as Grant Writer, she was responsible for writing proposals for the Center’s educational programming. Ms. Tavera is a graduate of the Harvard University where she was honored as a Stride Rite Community Service Scholar.

Crystal Tompkins
National Director, Gift Planning Services, BNY Mellon

Crystal Thompkins is Head of Philanthropic Solutions for BNY Mellon Wealth Management. In this role, she leads and coordinates strategy for all of Wealth Management’s philanthropic services, including individual and family philanthropy, institutional endowments and foundations, planned giving and donor-advised fund services.

Crystal joined the firm more than 15 years ago in 2006 as a manager for the Planned Giving group in Greensboro, NC. She has more than 20 years of experience working with non-profits, having started in tax preparation and later moving to client relationship management. She has a depth of knowledge in all aspects of gift planning and donor stewardship from her work with large, complex programs across all sectors and provides insights on trends and best practices in support of non-profit clients across the firm.

Crystal has been a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences and events and has published several articles and whitepapers. She is active in the nonprofit community and serves on several boards, including the Foundation Board of her alma mater, Winston-Salem State University.

Kimberley Valentine
Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Kimberley serves as Vice President, Chief Advancement Officer of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. She currently holds the role of Conference Co-Chair for the 2021 Western Regional Planned Giving Conference, having also served as a Conference Co-Chair in 2020 and previously in 2014 and 2015. She is a past president of the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners and Board Member and Treasurer of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. Her previous work includes leadership positions with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, and Scripps College. She also serves on the boards of Mt. San Antonio Gardens Retirement Community and Camerata Pacifica.

Cesar Valentino
(He, Him, His)

Cesar Valentino has been dancing for 45 years and began vogue dancing in 1983. In 1988, he quickly became a fixture in the underground ballroom and club scene where he won several coveted trophies. Cesar was also featured in one of the first ever articles about voguing in the Village Voice and in the documentary The House Of Tres (Directed by Diane Martel). He landed a spot on the Deep In Vogue tour with Malcolm McLaren throughout Europe in 1989, appeared in music videos with artists such as Toni Braxton, Carmen Electra, and K7s in Hi De Ho to name a few. Cesar appeared in Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning documentary, Voguing, The Message, and Vogue Classique. Cesar choreographed for recording artists Tony Terry and Sweet Sensation. Working as a runway coach for upcoming and established models for more than 30 years.

Cesar has performed all over the world in countries such as Japan, Italy and Germany. He has served as a judge and taught vogue workshops at Funkin’ Styles Berlin Germany, Meeting Hip Hop in Sao Paolo Brazil, Berlin Voguing out, vibrant flow escape Dominican Republic and the Festival Del fuego in Santiago de Cuba. and House Dance International. Cesar has been presented many awards such as the Marcel Christian Legend award, the paved the way award and the ballroom icon award. Cesar appears alongside Laverne Cox for the Smirnoff welcome home pride commercial, the NYC mayors office pride campaign, is the host and judge of Best Walk on Topic and recently appears in the feature film “I’m an Electric lampshade”as supporting actor Sin Andre. Currently celebrating 38 years of vogue dancing experience.

Raymond W. Watts, CSPG
Associate Vice President for Development, Claremont McKenna College

Ray Watts manages the Development/Philanthropy team at the College, and oversees all philanthropic outreach efforts, working closely with Trustees, the President and the Vice President for Advancement to achieve organizational goals.  Before assuming the role of AVP at CMC in 2019, Ray served for 17 years in philanthropic leadership at the University of Redlands overseeing two major gift fundraising campaigns and partnering with staff and volunteers to help raise more than $400M over that period.

Prior to coming to Redlands, Ray spent 7 years at his alma mater, Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles, spending the last 4 years as Director of Annual and Special Campaigns.  Prior to this role, Ray served as Director of University Relations Administration, overseeing special events, donor stewardship and worked closely with the Vice President of University Relations.

Ray received a Bachelor’s degree in English literature from LMU and a Masters in Business Administration from LMU with an emphasis in management.  Ray received CSPG (Certified Specialist in Planned Giving) certification in 2014 and has presented at multiple conferences on varying topics relating to development and management.  He is also an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business at the University of Redlands, teaching undergraduate and graduate-level classes on management, leadership, change and working with students on their capstone projects.  He is currently a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.

Ray lives in Redlands, California with his wife, Judi, and their three children. His interests include volunteer activities, coaching, golfing, reading, community theater and spending time with friends and family.

Nichol Whiteman
Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF)

With a relentless dedication to improving the lives of others, Nichol Whiteman is the Chief Executive Officer of the award-winning Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). Under Nichol’s leadership, LADF tackles the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. During Nichol’s tenure, LADF launched incredibly impactful programming including Dodgers RBI, a youth development initiative serving more than 10,000 youth today.

As part of LADF’s commitment to Southern California communities, the Foundation completed its 50th Dodgers Dreamfield, created a benefit gala, and increased fundraising by 1,000% with Nichol at the helm. Direct programming is only the beginning. Whiteman also advocates for LADF to be a strong charitable partner for nonprofits within the Los Angeles community through strategic grant making that builds capacity and reach. Collectively, Whiteman has cultivated partnerships that have resulted in more than $32 million in community investment in the form of direct programs and grant making, impacting over 2.3 million children.

To learn more about Nichol, click here. 

Brian Williams
COO, Urban League of Los Angeles

Mr. Williams had a 30-year career as an entrepreneur and corporate executive prior to joining the League as its Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in August 2017. He managed a family-owned firm in Kansas City, MO, in the years between graduation from college and attending business school. After receiving his MBA, he was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, then joined McKinsey & Company as a senior management consultant in New York. Mr. Williams received a BA from Yale College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Miki Woodard
Head of Social Impact, Diversity & Culture at BAD ROBOT PRODUCTIONS, INC

Michelynn Woodard brings expertise in corporate citizenship, advocacy, impact investing, entertainment philanthropy, public/private partnerships and employee engagement. She is a leader who has an extensive network of relationships in entertainment, government, and philanthropy.

Currently, Michelynn is the Head of Good Robot at Bad Robot Productions, and Senior Advisor of the Katie McGrath & J. J. Abrams Family Foundation. At Bad Robot, Michelynn leads corporate social impact, employee engagement, diversity and culture initiatives. As Senior Advisor of the Katie McGrath & J. J. Abrams Family Foundation, Michelynn, helps manage the family’s philanthropic portfolio.

Previously, Michelynn was a founding partner of The Artemis Agency, which developed and executed sustainable social impact strategies for influencers, corporations, and nonprofits. Before founding Artemis, Michelynn ran philanthropy for talk show host Dr. Phil, and his wife Robin McGraw successfully integrating their causes into the popular broadcast. Michelynn also led Corporate Social Responsibility for JCPenney and launched The Kanye West Foundation with Dr. Donda West. Miki started her work in this field as an executive with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) foundation.

A graduate of Hampton University, Michelynn spent much of her childhood abroad and as a result is an avid traveler who is passionate about diverse communities and civic engagement. Today, Michelynn serves on the board of several charitable organizations including the California advisory board of the Trust for Public Land and she is also the current Board Chair of the nonprofit, Community Coalition.

Marion Yongue
Associate Vice President of Development, University of South Florida Foundation

Marion Yongue is a senior member of the University of South Florida Foundation leadership team. Over the past 8 years, he has been honored to work with donors who have included the University of South Florida in their philanthropic plans. He manages a fundraising team in the areas of gift planning, corporations, foundations, alumni affairs, and public media. Marion has nearly 20 years of professional experience in the areas of major gifts, estate planning, non-profit management, and donor focused fundraising. His career began at Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation working with grateful patients, faculty and staff. Marion received a B.A. in accounting from the University of South Florida. In 2016, he earned the designation of Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of the American College. In addition to serving as the past President of the Charitable Gift Planners of Tampa Bay and past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida Suncoast Chapter, he is a member of the Suncoast Estate Planning Council, the Tampa Bay Estate Planning Council, the Pinellas County Estate Planning Council, and the Rotary Club of Tampa Westshore. He is also a current board member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.

Dien Yuen
Assistant Professor of Philanthropy, The American College of Financial Services

Dien Yuen, JD/LLM, CAP®, AEP® holds the Blunt-Nickel Professorship in Philanthropy at The American College of Financial Services, where she teaches in the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP)® program. Prior to joining the College, Dien served as Managing Director and Fiduciary Advisor for a wealth management firm assisting high net-worth individuals, families, and charitable institutions. Her former positions include Chief Philanthropy Officer at Give2Asia, Vice President and Senior Trust Officer at U.S. Trust, Executive Director of the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund, Vice President of the Asian Pacific Fund, and Planned Giving Director of the American Cancer Society. She is also the founder of a boutique social impact research and advisory firm serving clients in the U.S. and Asia. Dien serves on the boards of the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA), The 1990 Institute, and Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. She is on the advisory boards of GlobalSF, Asia Society of Northern California, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, and Arowana Impact Capital Group. She holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation from The American College of Financial Services and the AEP ® designation from NAEPC. She received her LL.M. in International Law at Golden Gate University, her Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Toledo College of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science from Adrian College.