Placements

With nearly 20 years of progressive leadership experience in driving sustainable growth in the nonprofit sector, Jackson has dedicated his career to inspiring and building communities through the transformative power of music in the cultural sphere. He joins Chicago Sinfonietta from the East Coast, where he has recently served as Vice President for Development of the distinguished 102-year-old New Jersey Symphony. During his tenure, Jackson spearheaded a multi-million-dollar fundraising initiative that surpassed its target and expanded donor engagement and long-term support, as well as created and launched the orchestra’s milestone Centennial celebration campaign. Prior to his post in New Jersey, Mr. Jackson worked in New York City for several non-profit organizations, including Helpusadopt.org, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Harlem School for the Arts.

With over 25 years of fundraising experience in nonprofit and educational institutions, Lydia has raised more than $350M for scholarships, capital initiatives, and diverse programs. She most recently held the role of VP of Development and Global Communications for Razom for Ukraine where she was responsible for building and managing the development and communications programs while successfully raising $35 million during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lydia previously held leadership roles at Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay, Cristo Rey San José High School and Santa Clara University.

Cathy joins Dumb Friends League with more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and fundraising, coupled with a deep passion for animal welfare and community engagement. Most recently she served as Chief Development Officer of the Jewish Community Center of Denver. In her previous role as Vice President of Philanthropy at Heifer International she grew major gifts from $4 million to more than $10 million annually while also developing foundation, and corporate relations programs with a team of 21 development staff working across the United States.

A distinguished leader in music and cultural advocacy, Johnson brings a remarkable breadth of experience as a civic leader, professional musician, and arts innovator to New Orleans’ most cherished cultural institution. With roots connecting him to New Orleans, Johnson is set to build on the Foundation’s legacy preserving and celebrating Louisiana’s vibrant cultural heritage while expanding access to the arts and empowering the local community.

Mira is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of experience providing healthcare and behavioral health management oversight
in medical and public health environments. In this newly created position, she will facilitate the work of behavioral health service providers and actively pursue new program opportunities to ensure increased equity and access to services in the community.

Alyssa comes to Abode Services from CORA – Community Against Relationship Abuse, where she served as Development Director managing all fundraising and communications staff and was responsible for raising over $8M annually. She has a broad array of experience in fundraising, politics, and communications.

After 19 years of dedicated service, Gregory Kepferle, the current CEO, will retire at the beginning of January 2025. Bishop Oscar Cantú has officially appointed Don Taylor as the new Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities, effective December 2, 2024.

Currently serving as Executive Director of the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Charlotte is an accomplished administrator and visual artist, whose medium is glass. During her tenure as Glass Studio Manager and Programming Director at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, she pioneered the field of performance glass. An avid educator, Potter Kasic founded the Assistantship Program at the Chrysler and taught glass and new media courses at universities and summer programs such as Penland School of Crafts and Oxbow School of Art.

Jen Wylegala is a seasoned development and communications leader and strategist. Most recently, Wylegala was the Chief Philanthropy and Communications Officer at the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity and the Gender Equity Action Fund, where she built and directed both national funds’ advancement and communications programs, helping raise significant funds to advance gender, reproductive, and racial equity across the United States.

Tim Peterson is an established curator and advocate for artists, equity, access and transparency. Peterson previously served as Executive Director and Chief Curator for the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (Rockland, Maine), Chief Curator for the SCAD Museum of Art (Savannah), and  Founding Director of Franklin Art Works (Minneapolis), with prior positions at Lannan Foundation (Los Angeles), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and the Provincetown International Film Festival.

Jennifer is a seasoned philanthropy professional, committed to systems change and catalyzing lasting social impact. She brings her entrepreneurial spirit and experience leading cross-sector partnerships to translate vision into creative strategy, impactful programs and alignment of partners for action. Jennifer has two decades of experience leading and consulting on a wide range of philanthropic and social impact projects in the non-profit sector. She has led successful multi-sector, systems change initiatives focused on addressing social determinants at the community, policy and systems level, including a public/private start-up initiative, Shine On SF. 

Cambria comes to Saint Vincent’s Day Home from Girl Scouts of Northern America, where she worked in various roles for over a decade, most recently as Vice President of Workplace Operations and Customer Success. As leader of her team, she tackled challenges including optimizing resources, fostering inclusivity, collaborating with families, and driving strategic growth.

Erin has over twenty years of experience as a nonprofit leader providing a broad range of housing and supportive services to people in need, with a strong background in fundraising, program management, and fiscal strategy. Prior to her most recent work as a consultant and leadership development coach, Erin spent nearly twelve years at the Unity Council, where she held many roles including Director of Property Management, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and ultimately President.

Jolly was for more than 14 years the Executive Director of the historic Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. She has also served as a Vice President at the Trustees of Reservations where she oversaw cultural properties throughout Massachusetts at the nation’s oldest land conservation organization, dedicated to preserving and sharing sites of natural and historical significance.

With over twenty five years of experience in nonprofit leadership, Michelle Heritage has been committed to serving vulnerable communities throughout her career. A skilled fundraiser with a proven ability to lead organizations through transformative change, Michelle has an unwavering dedication to creating a healthier world through strategic leadership and collaboration. As Executive Director, she will be responsible for managing ABF’s staff, finances, brand, partner relationships and other resources, in order to fund innovative brain research.