Avery Belyeu has been leading cause-related work for more than a decade. A seasoned non-profit leader with a focus on LGBTQ+ health and wellness, her career spans suicide prevention and crisis intervention, public health, civil rights, and higher education. Avery’s career includes leadership at civil rights organizations like: Lambda Legal Defense and education fund where she served as a Regional Director; the federally funded Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention where she led strategic suicide prevention initiatives that had a nationwide impact; and The Trevor Project, the leading non-profit providing suicide prevention and crisis intervention to LGBTQ+ youth under the age of 24, where she created the organization’s education department and designed upstream prevention programs. Early in her career, Avery worked in public health education and promotion at the university level, with a focus on LGBTQ+ student health and wellness. Avery earned a Master of Divinity degree from Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School and a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University.

Patricia Bueso is a Manager at Your Part-Time Controller, LLC's Houston office. Bilingual in Spanish and English, she has over 15 years of experience in finance, specializing in strategy, corporate accounting, financial planning, and systems design.

Michelle Carnahan serves as the Division Director of Research and Development for Harris County Public Library. The R&D division acts as the legislative liaison for the department and is responsible for coordinating fundraising efforts in collaboration with the Harris County Friends of the Library (HCFOL). The division conducts and manages research and development to support project management, performance metrics, and data analytics. Prior to joining HCPL, she held leadership roles for Harris County for 15 years, managing multi-million dollar grants and projects working with all levels of government. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration and Political Science, teaching various courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. As an educator, she focused on critical thinking and bringing real-world experience into classrooms. She is an avid reader and active in the community, having served on various boards and committees including the National Homeland Security Conference, Leadership Houston, Houston League of Women Voters, UTHealth Friends of the Medical School, and St. Thomas High School.

Chelsea Cheung is Senior Manager of Data Analytics at Greater Houston Community Foundation where she supports the Foundation’s data indicators initiative Understanding Houston.

Edwin Harvey, Ph.D., leads the AI Solutions and Training department at Your Part-Time Controller, LLC, where he champions effective, responsible adoption of emerging AI technologies. Edwin has consulted across the fields of analytics, automation, and business strategy, especially in the nonprofit and financial management sectors, leading teams that leverage technology to tell stories, inform decisions, and enhance efficiency. The advent of generative AI has renewed the relevance of Edwin’s training in the humanities – including a doctoral degree from U.C., Berkeley – as he helps clients and colleagues navigate the overlap between digital tools and natural language. A passionate trainer, Edwin speaks frequently at conferences, events, and webinars.

Ruth N. López Turley is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, which brings together data, research, engagement, and action to improve lives. In 2011, she founded the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a research-practice partnership between Rice University and eleven Houston area school districts, representing over 700,000 students. A program of the Kinder Institute, HERC works to improve educational equity by connecting research to policy and practice, working directly with district leaders. She directed HERC from 2011 to 2022, during which she raised over $30M so that school districts would not have to pay for research. She also founded the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships, which connects and supports over 60 partnerships between research institutions and education agencies throughout the country. In 2022, President Biden appointed her to the National Board for Education Sciences, which advises and approves priorities for the research arm of the US Department of Education. She is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard and is originally from Laredo, Texas.

Edward Melton is the Harris County Public Library’s Executive Director with oversight of 26 branch libraries in unincorporated Harris County. Prior to coming to HCPL in 2014, he was Chief of Branches for San Francisco Public Library, and an Administrative Manager and Children’s Librarian with Houston Public Library. He has attended the Brookings Institute for Public Leadership and the TLA Tall Texans Leadership Institute. He was recognized by the Urban Library Council (ULC) as an Operations Service Innovator and was awarded the ULC Joey Rogers Leadership Award in recognition of contributions as a public library leader. He currently serves as the Literacy Representative of the Executive Board for the Gulf Coast Workforce Solutions Board, as a member of the TexShare Advisory Board for the Texas State Library and Archive Commission, and on the advisory board for The University of North Texas - Information School. He formerly served as a member of the Executive Board for the Houston Center for Literacy and the Early Matters Houston Coalition. He is currently Treasurer for the Texas Library Association.

Patrina Pelton-Smith is the founder and Principal Consultant of The Business of Charity LLC, a professional services firm that partners with nonprofit organizations to build business acumen through leadership development and strategic alignment. Patrina has helped both large and small organizations build sustainable governance models, develop board recruitment, training, and succession plans, and support long-term organizational growth. She is also a Senior Leadership Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, supporting diverse leaders in the nonprofit sector. She holds an MBA and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dustin Peterson leads the effort as CEO at Proof Leadership Group and manages a team of six executive coaches. He left public relations in 2005 to find a more fulfilling job and instead found a calling. He is passionate about training and developing leaders to maximize strengths, engage their teams, and get results through people. He has trained, coached, and consulted for more than 250 organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors including the ChevronPhillips Chemical Corporation, Trilliant Surgical Devices, the Houston Marathon Committee, and McGovern Medical School, to name a few.
After many years of teaching and training leaders at Rice University, Dustin joined Broad Prize recipient YES Prep Public Charter Schools to create its first-ever leadership and management training program. Dustin completed his M.S. in Educational Leadership from Indiana University and his B.S. in Communications at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is the author of three books — RESET, Talented, and Find Your Fit — and lives in Houston with his wife and four kids.

Carol Shattuck has over thirty-five years' experience working and leading in the nonprofit sector as an executive, a consultant, and as a volunteer board member. Carol is a tested leader who possesses a wealth of knowledge about strategic planning and board development and engagement. Her experience both as "internal coach" for organizations she worked for who were going through the strategic planning process and as an external consultant with clients wanting to build a new or update an existing strategic plan, makes her the perfect choice to lead this workshop. Carol loves to partner with nonprofit organizations to assess where they are, visualize where they want to be, and help them design the path that is necessary to get there. Prior to founding Shattuck Consulting, Carol held the role of President and CEO of Collaborative for Children, a nonprofit organization that partners with parents, early education programs and the community to help young children reach their full potential. Earlier in her career, Carol worked at United Way of Greater Houston to create what is now called Nonprofit Connection.

Alexis Thompson is a gifted listener and keen observer, with a unique awareness of people and patterns that make her an effective and empathetic consultant and coach. A straightforward communicator and big-picture thinker, Alexis uses a strengths-based approach to build capacity in leaders, teams, and organizations. With extensive experience in portfolio management, major gift strategy, and donor stewardship, Alexis helps organizations build programs and strategies that positively impact the community. Before joining Dini Spheris, Alexis worked for over a decade serving Houston and Texas-based organizations focused on housing people experiencing homelessness, reducing economic stress for families, and improving outcomes for students marginalized by race and poverty. During her tenure as Chief Development Officer at the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command, Alexis was a key member of the leadership team, directing efforts that secured over $10 million in philanthropic and grant funding from local, state, and federal sources to help families find and sustain housing and income during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, as Chief of Impact and Investment at Leadership ISD, Alexis worked with staff and the board to clarify the theory of change, leading to an improved pathway to impact and increased support from donors and community stakeholders. Alexis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Latin American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Houston. She is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Houston Chapter and volunteers with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, YMCA of Greater Houston, and Spring Branch Independent School District.

Vinicia "Vi" White became the President of Gracewood in October 2021. Prior to this role, Vi served as Gracewood’s Director of Programs, where she developed and implemented programming, managed all aspects of campus life, and planned for growth and sustainability. Before Gracewood, Vi spent several years managing programs and providing direct client care at a similar family service ministry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and is the proud mother of her 12-year-old son, Malachi. Vi is deeply involved in the Houston community and teaches Sunday School at her church.

Diana, a proud Houston native from an immigrant family, is dedicated to building a more equitable and opportunity-rich city. In her current role, she leads the organization's impactful work, from Understanding Houston – a regional awareness initiative developed with the Kinder Institute – to Greater Houston Disaster Alliance, which strengthens disaster response and resiliency. Her team oversees grants supporting economic mobility, intergenerational poverty reduction, and small business aid. Diana joined the Foundation in 2019, quickly advancing from Senior Director of Community Philanthropy to her current leadership role, where she collaborates closely with the CEO, board, and community partners. Prior to the Foundation, Diana led data and innovation strategies at BakerRipley and served as a policy advisor under the Obama Administration, focusing on economic mobility. Diana holds a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor's in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Diana completed the CFLeads Executive Leadership Institute in 2022, was named one of Houston's 40 under 40 in 2023, and is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.