Support Center for Non-Profit Management
Workshop Facilitators

All Support Center workshops and on-site trainings are facilitated by experts in their fields. Each of the facilitators listed below has a minimum of 15 years of experience working and/or training in the nonprofit sector.

Bryan Adams is President of FAB Communications. For over a decade he has been responsible for putting his nonprofit and for-profit clients in media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and various network and public television news programs. Bryan belongs to Business Network International, the PBS Network Club and Business Briefing Network.

Charles Bernard has over 15 years of experience in direct sales, sales management, recruiting, and training. Charles has implemented numerous successful sales programs in his career and regularly applies corporate sales strategies to the nonprofit community. His practice is based in Manhattan, specializing in sales reinforcement training and coaching of Proven Sales Methods which is critical to developing and maintaining successful client relationships.

Merrill Black has over 25 years of experience in adult education, writing, research, publication design, and fundraising. She has consulted with organizations working in economic development, the arts, affordable housing, and health care. active_voice@att.net

David Blackburn
is President of Blackburn Associates, Inc., which provides management and fundraising counsel to nonprofit organizations. David brings to his consulting practice extensive management experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, having worked for a number of years in senior management positions for IBM and Amherst College. Blackburn Associates, Inc. is a member of the American Association of Fundraising Counsel (AAFRC). David is a board member of AAFRC and Treasurer of the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, which publishes Giving USA each year.

Marian Breeze
has been a professional fundraiser and communications consultant for fifteen years. She has worked extensively with regional and national nonprofit organizations. Her clients include performing arts, education, human services and natural resource conservation groups. As a trainer, Marian has taught board development, strategic planning, environmental education, grantwriting and fundraising in the San Francisco Bay Area and Japan.

Matthew Bregman
is Director of Development for El Museo del Barrio. Matt’s experience includes five years at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as Director of Development and Institutional Giving and two years as Deputy Director for Institutional Development at the American Museum of the Moving Image. Matt has also served as Development Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and Senior Development Officer at The Lighthouse Inc. As Development Committee Chairperson on the SITI Company board of directors, he is currently leading a first-time strategic planning process.

Amy Briskin
is a freelance public relations consultant who has worked with for-profit and nonprofit clients, including Ben & Jerrys, 3M, National Public Radio, the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center, Symphony Space and the Tribeca New Music Festival. She has worked on cause-related marketing campaigns such as American Express’ “Charge Against Hunger” and Lever Brothers’ “Clean Waterworks Campaign”. abriskin@aol.com

Anthony Cappa is a senior-level business and information technology professional with over 15 years’ experience working with nonprofit, for-profit, and start-up organizations. Using his knowledge of strategic planning, business development, marketing, customer service, and information management, Anthony provides clients with the expertise to plan, design, and implement the solutions required to meet their specific objectives. His extensive cross-industry experience allows him to help organizations improve their information management systems and streamline their operating procedures, thus helping them improve productivity and achieve their goals. Anthony is a Managing Partner at Five Points Consulting, LLC.

Connie Cohrt, CLU, ChFc has been a financial services professional with Penn Mutual/Hornor Townsend & Kent, Inc. (Planning Center for Professionals, Inc.) since 1981. She works in the areas of insurance and investments with both individuals and organizations in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Connie is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and the New York Bankers Group. She has written a column for Gay Parent Magazine and is an instructor for American Women's Economics Development and Hunter College's continuing education program.

Don Crocker is the Executive Director/CEO of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to his work and is nationally recognized as a trainer and consultant in the areas of grants and funding development, developing effective boards, strategic planning and leadership development. He has held numerous positions in organizations in the tri-state area including roles as Board Member, Development Director and Executive Director. Don has been an affiliated consultant to BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) and is a trained facilitator of the BoardSource self-assessment process. Don holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Leadership and Strategic Management and is an adjunct instructor of graduate studies at Manhattanville College. dc@supportcenteronline.org

Steve Damiano is Director of Training for the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. He has more than 15 years of experience training and consulting in the areas of fundraising, volunteer management and special events. Prior to joining the Support Center he worked for MZA Events, Inc., an event production, campaign management and grassroots fundraising firm. While at MZA, Steve developed fundraising and recruitment strategies and helped to create newsletters, direct mail and other printed pieces for AIDS Walks across the county. In addition, he served as Director of Employee Programs for Warner Bros., where he oversaw volunteer recruitment and retention and served as a liaison to nonprofit organizations. sd@supportcenteronline.org

Michael Davidson
is a consultant specializing in management support, board development, strategic planning, and project management. With over 20 years experience in nonprofit board and managerial leadership, he has chaired several nonprofit organizations. He provides legal counsel to nonprofit organizations and has held management positions with Common Cents and The Lark Theatre Company. He holds a JD from Columbia Law School. midavidson@aol.com

Tami DiCostanzo
is a Project Director with the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of the Community Service Society of New York. She has over seven years of experience with volunteer management and extensive experience in the areas of intergenerational, diversity and anti-bias programming.

Hayley K. Downs is a documentary filmmaker, producer and nonprofit consultant. She is producing Hidden Battles, a documentary about the psychological effects of killing on soldiers around the world with VSM Productions, LLC. She has worked with documentary companies including Big Mouth Productions, Parnassus Works, Bloomin' Pictures and Albert Maysles Films. As a fundraising and communications strategist, Hayley designed and steered successful campaigns for charitable organizations including Miami Light Project, Picture Projects, HeartShare Human Services, Toy Industry Foundation, Cardozo School of Law and DebRA of America, among others.

Sarah Durham founded Big Duck in 1994, after working in the marketing departments of branding empires such as Disney Consumer Products, Prescriptive Cosmetics and Hearst Publications. For the past 11 years, she and her team have successfully adapted traditional marketing techniques to help nonprofits communicate more effectively. Sarah is a member of Women in Development, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the AIGA, Governance Matters and the University Club. She trains on a variety of nonprofit communications issues, such as relationship cultivation and stewardship, producing cost-effective print and web materials, branding and the board’s role in communications.

Gary Eisenkraft, CPA is the principal of Eisenkraft CPA and Associates, an accounting and consulting firm in New York City specializing in not-for-profit organizations. He is a former member of the Community Affairs Committee of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Eisenkraft has over twenty years experience in accounting for not for profits and has worked as an outside auditor as well as an internal accounting executive. He has lectured at various forums, including the New York County Lawyer’s Association, Workshop in Business Opportunity and for the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has also served as an officer and director for various organizations. Mr. Eisenkraft works closely with his clients on accounting, auditing and tax projects and assists in resolving issues with government agencies and other entities.

Donald Fann is a management consultant specializing in organizational transitions in the areas of crisis intervention, restructuring, leadership turnover, expansion and growth. Don is the principal partner of Open Ki Solutions and the innovator of the Open Ki Management model. He is also managing partner of CenterPoint Consulting Group, a nonprofit management consulting firm and an affiliate consultant with the Support Center.

Nancy Fritsche Eagan is Founder and President of People Potential and has provided consultation and training services to public and nonprofit organizations since 1983. She applies her direct service experience in government and private agencies to her work, and is a specialist in team building strategies, leadership development, and work load management. She holds an MSW from Hunter College. nancy@peoplepotential.org


Eric Graig
is Managing Director of Usable Knowledge, LLC, a firm that provides program evaluation and capacity building to nonprofit organizations seeking to improve their effectiveness and achieve their strategic goals. He has been a volunteer facilitator at the Support Center for over five years and prior to that taught program evaluation in the Graduate Program in Applied Social Research at Queens College.

Liani Greaves is the principal of L. Greaves Media (LGM), a boutique special events and communications company. At LGM, Liani works closely with clients to develop and implement innovative marketing and communication initiatives, including celebrity recruitment. Liani has solicited and booked appearances by Susan Sarandon, Rosie Perez, Stephanie Mills, Luther Vandross, Lou Reed, Matthew Broderick and other high profile artists. Among LGM's past and present clients are Gay Men's Health Crisis, MZA Events, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, African Services Committee and UN AIDS. Before starting her own firm, Liani managed celebrity recruitment and entertainment production for the AIDS Walks and AIDS Dance-a-thons in major markets around the country.

Andrew Grumet
is an attorney for Herrick, Feinstein LLP, a full service law firm servicing individuals, Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. Andrew brings to firm a wealth of knowledge and experience in structurings, organizational audits, development, planning and daily operational matters of tax-exempt organizations. Andrew is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Juliet Gumbs
is a consultant specializing in fundraising training and campaign development. Over the past 25 years she has worked with education, arts and human service organizations in both staff and consulting capacities and frequently conducts roundtables, seminars and workshops in fundraising. Juliet created development departments, managed capital campaigns and designed and implemented major donor strategies to successfully generate monies from individuals, foundations and corporations. She has a MA from Teachers College, Columbia University, attended the Fund Raising Management Program at The New School for Social Research and received her training as a Fund Raising Trainer at the National Training Laboratories Institute.

Kate Hartnick Elliott
is president of marketing firm, Hartnick Consulting, Inc., which provides strategy, communications, online marketing, and training solutions to clients including Carnegie Corporation of New York, The New School, and the New York City Department of Small Business Services. A well-known marketing expert, she has recently spoken on the topic at The New School, to Carnegie Corporation of New York and Seedco grantees, and at Columbia and Vanderbilt Business Schools. She received her BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Amherst College and her MBA from Columbia University.

Jacqueline Herships is the publicist for Greater Newark and Jersey City LISC and has conducted projects for HANDS Inc., The US Green Building Council, Wildlight Productions, the Health and Wellness Professional Network, the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society, the South Orange-Maplewood Business Incubator, the International Furnishings and Design Association and the South Orange-Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. She is the co-founder of Professionals in Media, a regional association of media professionals dedicated to creating connections across professional lines.

Sarah Holland is a fundraising consultant and strategic coach. As President of Visibility Project, she works with organizations and individuals on developing leadership competencies and leveraging workplace identity for maximum effectiveness. Her specialty is integration of effective leadership behavior with personal goals and organizational mission.

Jim Jasper
founded Jasper Design in 1996 to serve nonprofits building advocacy, education, and development websites. Jim leads Jasper Design's Content Strategy team and, as Creative Director, has worked closely with the company's many nonprofit clients, including National Audubon Society, American Jewish World Service, Coalition for the Homeless, World Wildlife Fund and others. Jim has a B.A. from Yale.

Susan Koblin Schear
, president of ArtIsIn, brings more than 20 years of for-profit and nonprofit management experience to the organization, which offers business development and management services to artists and arts organizations. A graduate of Rutgers University and formerly of the management team of Waterford Crystal, she has taught at NYU and FIT. She also serves on the boards of several nonprofits.

Heather Krasna
is the Internship Coordinator at Baruch College, CUNY, and has worked as a career services professional and in the nonprofit sector for more than ten years. She has a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from the New School for Social Research, a Certificate in Adult Career Planning and Development from NYU, and is pursuing an MSEd in Counseling at Hunter College. Heather has also served the nonprofit sector as an intern, employee, and board member.

Laurie Krauz possesses a remarkably diverse educational and professional background spanning the corporate, healthcare, image and entertainment industries. She brings a myriad of skills and techniques developed over the past 20 years to individuals seeking to offer dynamic, compelling presentations. Working with men and women from all over the world and all walks of life, Laurie's seminars and lectures have been presented at law firms, corporations, financial institutions and universities and she has been featured internationally on BBC television and in numerous publications throughout the U.S.

Andrée Lockwood
has more that 20 years of experience as a consultant, trainer and facilitator. She founded Andree Lockwood Associates in 1991 and trains an consults on communications, customer service, fund development, time management and stress and anger management to a broad range of organizations and agencies in the greater New York area. Andree has held positions as a Senior Consultant at the Whelan Group and as Executive Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She holds a Divinity degree from the University of London. alockwood@ala-nyc.com

Cassandra Mack
, MSW is president and CEO of Strategies for Empowered Living, a New York based personal development and motivational speaking company that offers workshops, keynotes and products in four key areas: the empowerment of girls and women, transformational leadership, youth development and personal growth. She is the author of four books, Smart Moves That Successful Managers Make, Her Rite of Passage, Young Gifted and Doing It and Smart Moves That Successful Youth Workers Make. She holds an MSW from Hunter College. empoweredliving4u@yahoo.com

Barbara S. Miller
is a Partner in Management Solutions for Nonprofit Organizations, which provides consulting, training and management services in the areas of strategic planning, executive transitions, financial management, board development, fundraising and overall organizational development. For more than 20 years Barbara has brought lively facilitation, critical thinking and practical advice to her guidance of nonprofit organizations as they develop strategy, clarify board roles, select future leadership and manage financial responsibilities. Her work has benefited health and human service agencies, arts organizations, library systems, literacy groups, public health departments, early childhood learning organizations and religious communities, among others. Barbara was previously Senior Staff Consultant at Support Center for Nonprofit Management and a founding board member of Governance Matters. She holds an MBA from UCLA.

Laurel Molloy is CEO of Innovations Quantified (IQ), a consulting firm that has been helping organizations increase their impact since 1999. IQ provides program planning, implementation, and outcome measurement services to a national client list, which includes Actors Fund of America, Boys & Girls Clubs, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, FDNY Counseling Unit, and Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Ms. Molloy holds an MPA from NYU, and has published an instructional guidebook on outcome measurement. www.innovationsquantified.com

Bonnie Osinski is Director of Development at CAMBA, a multi-faceted human service agency in Brooklyn with an annual budget of $50 million. She has more than 25 years of development experience, encompassing virtually all methods of fundraising. She has managed development departments at the American Lung Association, The Door, the YWCA of the USA, Graham-Windham Services, Goodwill Industries, The Glaucoma Foundation and the National Eating Disorders Association.

Tonia Papke
is President and Founder of MDI Consulting. Tonia provides outsourced CFO services, assistance, designs and installs accounting systems and procedures, and provides telecommunications consulting services to nonprofit organizations. She has worked with more than 100 nonprofits and small businesses both in the United States and Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. She taught Financial Management for Non-Profit Organizations at the New School for Social Research and was adjunct faculty at Columbia University. She received her MBA from Columbia University and her BA from Macalster College. tonia@mdiconsult.com

Regina Podhorin
is the president of The Leadership Group and has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Ms. Podhorin has worked as an executive director, interim executive director, with state and local governments and as nonprofit board member. She has a MPA from Rider University.

Yvonne Carroll Presha
, of Carroll Presha Enterprises, has over 26 years of experience as an executive, educator and consultant in the field of development. Ms. Presha is an independent fundraising and development consultant to foundations and nonprofit organizations specializing in annual, capital, major donor and membership campaigns and stabilization and capacity-building initiatives. She has been an adjunct professor on fundraising and development at the New School University’s Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy since 1993. She is co-author of the New York Foundation for the Art’s report, Cultural Diversity at the Board Level of U.S. Cultural Institutions.

Ginny Pulos
, president of Ginny Pulos Communications, Inc., helps clients communicate facts and ideas with power, passion and persuasion, and develop leadership abilities that allow them to achieve excellence. Some of her clients include God’s Love We Deliver, The New York Times, Johnson & Johnson, The Tiger Woods Foundation, and UNICEF. info@ginnypulos.com

Stacey Radin, President of Corporate Equilibrium, an organizational consulting firm, is a licensed psychologist with an expertise in organizational consulting, leadership development, implementing corporate initiatives and executive coaching. Stacey is a member of International Coaching Federation, American Psychological Association, Society Human Resource Management and the International Mentoring Association. She is certified in DISC, Wharton's Total Leadership Program, Emotional Intelligence and most leadership assessment tools.

Pat Richter
has worked for both large and small nonprofit organizations and foundations for over twenty years. Fields of expertise include health (public, mental, and maternal/infant), developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. As a consultant working with a national firm as well as free-lancing for the last four years, Pat has helped her clients in the areas of proposal writing, strategic planning, research, and other types of technical assistance. Clients have included the Connecticut Health Foundation, The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, The Westchester Community Foundation, America’s Second Harvest, Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester, Girl's Inc., March of Dimes, and the University of South Florida. She has a Master's in Public Administration from Pace University and has completed advanced coursework in alcoholism studies from Rutgers University.

Robin H. Rosenbluth
, CFRE, is Assistant Vice President for Development at Columbia University Medical Center. She is responsible for academic basic research priorities for the Medical School's $1 billion campaign and oversight of corporate and foundation relations. She previously served as Corporate Director for Continuum Health Partners, Inc., where she managed corporate and foundation giving for four major New York City hospitals. She is the former Director of Development for the Ms. Foundation for Women and served as its chief development officer for annual and endowment fundraising. She has over 25 years of experience raising funds from individuals, foundations, corporations, government agencies, direct mail, memberships, planned giving, and special events for health care, art museums, women’s organizations, and agricultural/rural development organizations. Robin also has served as a development consultant for a broad range of national and international non-profit organizations.

Ruthellen Rubin
, CFRE, has over fifteen years of experience in all aspects of fundraising as a member of several nonprofit and institutional boards and also professionally as a fundraiser and marketing specialist. She is currently the Director of Development at HomeFront, a nonprofit that provides housing and services for Mercer County, NJ’s homeless population. Ms. Rubin deals with an extremely broad constituency of donors ranging from school children to national foundations. She has a Masters Degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Nancy E. Schwartz
, president of Nancy Schwartz & Company, designs and implements marketing and communications programs to help nonprofit and foundation clients nationwide to maximize their reach and impact. Combining strategic perspective, practical vision, and a broad range of technical skills, Ms. Schwartz provides her clients with innovative approaches to meeting their goals. Recent clients include Clearwater, Community Service Society of New York, Elsevier Science Publishing, Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, The New York Botanical Garden and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. nancy@nancyschwartz.com

Maria Semple is Principal of The Prospect Finder. The firm provides extensive research on individuals, foundations and corporations that are considered major donor prospects. Maria is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, serves as a consultant for New Jersey's Partnership in Philanthropy program and is a founding member of the Nonprofit Consultants Collaborative in New Jersey. maria@theprospectfinder.com

Alan Siege has been successfully advising businesses for nearly 20 years. He has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Pace University, and a Masters in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, is an active member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, where he has led workshops on marketing and business development, and is an instructor of Business Basics for the NYC Dept. of Small Business Services. Mr. Siege has his own consulting company, Small Business Management Consulting, which specializes in helping start-ups find and develop their market niche.

Gajtana Simonovski
is Project Director with the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of the Community Service Society of New York. She has seven years experience in fundraising and five years experience in volunteer management. Gajtana holds a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. gsimonovski@cssny.org

Arlene Swartz
is a fundraising and management consultant specializing in working with social service and advocacy organizations. Arlene has a general practice with emphasis on training, coaching, program and proposal development, major donor campaigns, and staff recruitment. Prior to consulting, Arlene served as Director of Development for City Harvest, the AIDS Resource Center, and NYS-NARAL. In these positions, she created comprehensive fundraising programs from the ground up, recruited and trained professional staff, and worked collaboratively to achieve effective boards.

Calvin B. Thomas, Jr.
is the Support Center's New Jersey Training Coordinator and President of LodeStar Associates, a training and consulting firm. The Association is a team of highly experienced and skilled professionals who specialize in helping large and small nonprofit and for-profit organizations cultivate an environment to improve individual and organizational performance and healthy growth. Mr. Thomas has over 15 years of experience in consultation services to nonprofit organizations in strategic planning, organizational assessment and development and board development. He has conducted hundreds of staff development workshops and seminars focusing on customer relations and service, effective communication skills, cultural diversity, leadership development, team building, team mentoring and facilitation. cthomas@supportcenteronline.org

Carol Thomas
has been helping small-to-mid sized not-for-profits with financial management for over 15 years. She was the founding director of the NonProfit Connection Financial Services Bureau and of the Fiscal Infrastructure Technical Assistance (FITA) program. Ms. Thomas now works as a freelance accountant serving not-for-profit organizations.

Doug Trentacoste
is Executive Vice President of AE&T Worldwide Insurance Services, LLC. AE&T provides products and services to a premiere group of insurance, legal, and financial professionals. Doug has been in the insurance industry for 13 years specializing in most forms of Employee Benefits including medical, dental, disability, and group life.

David Vinjamuri
is President of ThirdWay, Inc., a marketing training company, and the author of “What’s in a Name? Branding Comes to the Nonprofit World,” published in the 2004 edition of the Journal for Nonprofit Management. He has over 15 years of marketing and management experience and has worked for Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and Citigroup. David is Adjunct Professor of Marketing at New York University. He has studied at Swarthmore College, Harvard Business School, and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

John Vogelsang
is the Associate Director of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. John has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 27 years. He has extensive experience consulting in the areas of organization development, planning, board development, evaluation, conflict management and executive director coaching. John has published numerous articles and monographs on organization and leadership issues. jv@supportcenteronline.org

Cathy Wasserman has 15 years of experience in assisting individuals and organizations in realizing their personal and professional passions and goals. As Ask Cathy, she serves as career coaching expert through her column on Idealist.org. Working Mother magazine recently featured her as expert of the month on moving from corporate to nonprofit work. She began her career as an advocate for women and youth and she is published in the book Front-line Feminism. More recently, whe has worked as a training director at the Support Center and as a recruiter. She can be reached at askcathyw@yahoo.com

Janet Waterston
is a human resources and organizational consultant with over 20 years of experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Her consulting expertise includes supervisory, leadership, and management development; employee relations; employment law; executive and management coaching; meeting and retreat facilitation; executive transition management; and organizational assessments. Prior to becoming a consultant, Ms. Waterston was the Managing Director of Employee and Volunteer Resources at GMHC, the oldest and largest non-government agency addressing HIV and AIDS, and held senior and corporate HR positions in the publishing and financial printing industries. Ms. Waterston has an MSW from NYU. JAWatersto@aol.com

Marie Zieger
trains and consults internationally in the areas of fundraising, board and staff development, strategic planning, Executive Director coaching, effective meetings, supervisory skills, and team building. She was formerly a senior staff consultant with the Support Center.

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Support Center for Non-Profit Management