With 20 years of experience in global corporate program and project management, Leah Adams Pruitt has developed and delivered successful project outcomes across all functional areas including finance, accounting, legal, human resources, and information technology. She has managed global project areas with a particular focus on the Eastern Hemisphere. Traveling around the world allowed for the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues from all cultures and to work across communication barriers and within cultural influences. Naturally, she is drawn to the unique nature of the Institute’s representation of all faith traditions, its decades-long history as a founding member of the Texas Medical Center, and its broad range of educational projects focused on spirituality and health. Founding a social impact organization in 2011, she produced the inaugural Sedona Yoga Festival & Healing Arts Conference. She has served in nonprofit organizations as a dedicated nonprofit board member, long-term volunteer, working committee member, and small group facilitator in the areas of trauma and bereavement support for more a decade. She has dedicated countless hours each week helping children and adults overcome trauma and realize the opportunity to thrive. Mrs. Adams Pruitt is a certified facilitator of mind-body skills from the celebrated Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C. She facilitates the Institute’s bereavement support group, as well as trauma support groups for children and adults. She is a life-long learner, a passionate servant leader, and a global citizen.

Jill Assir is a development director with the Houston Community College Foundation where she raises major gifts for HCC student scholarships and other college programs. Ms. Assir has been a professional fundraiser in Houston since 2004. She began her career with Amigos de las Américas, where she first volunteered in Latin America in high school, then worked in development roles for ten years, as managing director of fund development. She has also worked for the YMCA of Greater Houston as a development officer and has been a long-time member and supporter of the Y. A native Houstonian, Ms. Assir received an MBA from Rice University and BA in international studies and Spanish from Austin College. She has held the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification since 2016. She serves on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Houston Chapter, as a Girl Scout troop leader for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, and is a member of Houston Fit running club.

Kelly Binder is a business intelligence specialist in Your Part Time Controller’s (YPTC) Data Visualization Group (DVG), with 10 years of experience in the data analytics field. Before working with accounting data at YPTC, she focused on employee and client experience, healthcare, and higher education data. Ms. Binder earned her master’s degree in applied urban science and informatics from New York University and her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Temple University.

Cheronda Bryan is a strategy and management professional with nearly 20 years of experience in the government and nonprofit sectors, leading people, projects and broad-based operations functions. She is the founder of Intertwined, a nonprofit organization building life empowerment skills in youth and allyship in adults. She is also a professor of government in the Houston Community College System, where she empowers individuals to pursue their life goals. Previously, Ms. Bryan served as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State completing tours of duty in Washington DC, Vietnam, and Kenya. Ms. Bryan has lived in five different countries on four different continents, connecting with people of different languages, ethnicities, faith traditions and sociological backgrounds. These experiences led her to appreciate diverse perspectives and approaches to life, but most importantly, to recognize the similarities and connectedness of peoples across the globe. She is thus empowered to embrace the work of helping others build meaningful human connections amid differences.

Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, CFRE brings expertise, leading practices, and humor to her consulting projects and training and coaching offerings. As the founder and lead consultant of Philanthropic Partners, Ms. Cortell Vandersypen provides fundraising, strategic planning, training and coaching, executive searches, and other capacity building services for organizations serious about creating a culture of philanthropy. Prior to consulting, Cortell Vandersypen has worked in the arts, higher education, healthcare, and other independent organizations. She is known for building and growing fundraising programs, scaling capacity, and ushering organizational change. She holds a bachelor of arts in art history from Boston University and a master of arts in arts policy and administration from The Ohio State University. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and an AFP master trainer. Committed to her own professional growth, Sarah earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource in 2021. She is a former AFP global board member, a current committee member for AFP Global, and an active member with her local AFP Chapter.

Jessica Davison is the director of learning, analytics and compliance at United Way of Greater Houston (UWGH). She has extensive experience working with internal and external stakeholders to design, implement, and evaluate program effectiveness and continuous quality improvement. At UWGH, she leads a learning community, Coffee & Quality, for nonprofit staff that expands data capabilities through opportunities to network, support professional development, and build knowledge and practical application centered around data, evaluation, and continuous quality improvement. Her team at United Way analyzes data from funded partners, the community and ALICE data to document impact, inform strategy and investments, and partner with other data/research institutions to bring research into action. She is spearheading the data collaboration and development of a technology tool that will integrate the network of nonprofit partners serving financially struggling households across the greater Houston.Ms. Davison is passionate about the equitable use of data and democratizing data for all audiences. She is a member of the Data Visualization Society and serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Evaluation Network as president.

Lisa Dobey combines a 30-year experience as an executive, volunteer, and board member with a passionate belief that nonprofit organizations change the world. She was most recently served as the executive director for the Community and Philanthropy for St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon and was the founding CEO of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, where she served for 13 years. With a range of experience from small start-up organizations to large and mature ones, Ms. Dobey is deeply familiar with the psychology and organizational development stages of nonprofit organizations and risk/reward assessments. She is experienced in training and managing a board of directors and supporting their success through strategic planning and continuous improvement processes. Other areas of expertise include developing and sustaining collaborations, mentoring nonprofit leaders, and evaluating program.

Alicia Eastvold is a data visualization and client services associate at Your Part Time Controller (YPTC). She has over 15 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and has focused her career on helping gather and curate data to help boards and directors make informed decisions. She loves finding ways to bring complex pieces of financial information together to tell coherent and meaningful stories. Ms. Eastvold received her master’s in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Louisiana State University, Shreveport and is a CPA candidate.

Nicola Fuentes Toubia founded the law firm Fuentes Toubia, PLLC to help nonprofits with their legal and tax issues. She offers over 28 years of experience aiding nonprofits such as museums, schools, private foundations, social justice and advocacy groups, churches, affordable housing nonprofits, conservation groups, hospitals, and mental health clinics. Ms. Fuentes Toubia’s unique skills combine her extensive knowledge of tax laws that control nonprofits’ exempt status and state laws that regulate their governance structures. A frequent industry speaker, Ms. Fuentes Toubia is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the District of Columbia Bar Association. For over 13 years, Ms. Fuentes Toubia has served as an instructor at Rice University’s Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives and as a speaker and on the planning committee for the University of Texas School of Law’s Nonprofit Organizations Institute. Ms. Fuentes Toubia serves on the boards of the Hermann Park Conservancy and the ACLU of Texas. She is a member of the Houston Philosophical Society. Ms. Fuentes Toubia received a J.D. from University of Texas School of Law, an LL.M. in Taxation from University of Houston Law Center, and a B.S., magna cum laude, in Economics from Texas A&M University.

Nicole Gabler dynamically promotes an attitude of gratitude and radical empathy in her role as a nonprofit professional. She has helped nonprofit organizations including Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, Alzheimer’s Association, and Texas Children’s Hospital connect the dots between community needs, stewardship activities, and measurable outcomes that create impact. Nicole currently serves as the director of individual and foundation engagement with Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. She was a foundational member of Texas Children’s first dedicated donor relations program. She guided the Texas Children’s Office of Philanthropy in strategic stewardship and retention campaigns. Ms. Gabler earned her Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from Sam Houston State University and Master of public service and administration from The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University. She actively volunteers with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Junior League of Galveston County.

Teresita Hurtado Ramos, LMSW, (she, her, hers), served five years as the inaugural assistant director of diversity & inclusion at the University of North Texas (UNT). She also has over eight years’ experience in child welfare, working as the inaugural new volunteer training manager at Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and worked as a conservatorship worker and investigator for Child Protective Services in Dallas County. She was the co-chair of the Disproportionality and Disparities Committee in Dallas County and certified trainer for “Knowing Who You Are,” a two-day workshop exploring race/ethnic identities and racial reconciliation. She served as an adjunct professor at TWU/UNT’s social work graduate program, teaching “Human Diversity & Multiculturalism.” She also taught an upper division course on “Gender/Race & Dialogue” at Arizona State University, where she served as a Coordinator for the Intergroup Relations Center. Ms. Ramos is a purpose and mission-driven DEI professional with over 15 years’ experience in higher education and nonprofit sectors implementing smart solutions for DEI in organizations’ policies, programs, practices and people. Ms. Ramos excels at implementing solution-focused strategic planning through dialogue-based interactions and assessments aimed at effectively impacting organizational culture by creating and facilitating interactive DEI learning and development workshops, programs and team building opportunities. Ms. Ramos received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology and double minor in Justice and Family Studies from Arizona State University. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in the state of Texas, a certified mediator and a Qualified Administrator, Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). She believes there are two things no one could ever take away from her: her education and experiences.

Marjorie A. Joseph currently serves as the executive director for Houston Coalition Against Hate (HCAH). This is a network of community-based organizations, institutions, and leaders who come together to reduce hate and encourage belonging. The Coalition is committed to addressing all incidents of hate, bias, violence, and discrimination, on the basis of a person or group’s religion, race/ethnicity, gender, gender identity/expression, abilities, age, sexual orientation, national origin, creed, immigration status, or genetic information. HCAH does this through education, research, relationship building, and prevention initiatives, as well as partnering with organizations to host events that celebrate Houston’s diversity. A leader, visionary, and advocate, she is the originator of the #JusticeOverEquity framework in order to facilitate societal/cultural shifts and transformation. Known to many as MJ, Ms. Joseph is currently an American Leadership Forum fellow (class LVI) and a member of The Jung Center’s Arts & Exhibitions Committee. She is the recipient of the 2021 United Nations Association-Houston’s Global Citizenship Award for her work with the Coalition, also recognized by The Center for the Healing of Racism’s 2021 Juneteenth Ally Award.

Holly Lang is a principal at Dini Spheris. Her relationship skills stand out when she meets, helps and is able to work with and impact organizations. For Ms. Lang, to excel at consulting is to have a trusted, collaborative relationship with client staff and volunteers - one that helps them grow. Where others see problems or difficult and challenging circumstances, Ms. Lang sees the opportunity for change or innovation and works to discover the best solution. No matter the situation, she motivates her clients every step of the way, encouraging them to celebrate every success during the journey. Born and raised in Atlanta, Ms. Lang moved to Houston to attend Rice University. After graduation, she worked in the Rice development office, focusing on young alumni and annual giving. She brings significant experience to the areas of membership, retention programs, campaigns and development assessments. Ms. Lang's heart for philanthropy is evident in her volunteerism with the University of Houston Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, where she teaches an eight-week fundraising course. She also continues to support Rice University, acting as the leadership chair for her class reunion and an instructor at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership.

Mark Marshall is the president of philanthropic counsel at BWF. During Mr. Marshall’s 30+ years in fundraising, he has worked with many of the great children’s hospitals and academic medical centers, public and private colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations. For him, philanthropy is ennobling and powerful in its ability “to help donors see what they can do in the world and help organizations to inspire donors to act—both are incredible ways to help make the world a better, kinder, more just place.” Through his broad client portfolio, Mark has witnessed firsthand the amazing creativity of nonprofits and “how the very nature of philanthropy appeals to our better selves”—encouraging people to consider what could be, challenging them to act, and empowering them to unite to change something for the greater good. At the firm, Mr. Marshall's focus is on comprehensive/capital campaigns, strategic planning, leadership and team coaching, and institutional/organizational growth through philanthropy. Many of his projects have culminated in helping organizations achieve transformational growth by figuring out how to achieve their full potential, push limits in a sustainable manner, and create a bold vision that inspires others.

Ryan McCauley is a managing director of Texas for the Foundation & Institutional Advisors practice. In this role, Mr. McCauley strategically delivers the Northern Trust Wealth Management value proposition for tax exempt organizations to magnify the collective impact in the communities we serve. Mr. McCauley joined Northern Trust in 2017 as a wealth strategist and led the effort which significantly grew the number of clients and assets under management in the Southwest. Prior to Northern Trust, he held positions in nonprofit business development at the J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Commercial Bank in Chicago, Austin, and Houston. He also executed over 30 corporate-sponsored volunteer events per year for over 6,000 employees as chair of the J.P. Morgan Chase Houston Volunteer Leadership Group. Mr. McCauley is a graduate of Saint Louis University and the Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives (LINE) at Rice University. He has earned FINRA securities license series 6, 7, 63 and 79. Mr. McCauley serves as chairman for the Board of Directors at the Houston Community College Foundation, where he and his wife Jessica chaired the 50th Anniversary Gala in 2022. He is also finance committee chair for the board of directors of the Fort Bend Education Foundation.

Erin McClarty’s professional expertise includes that of a business coach, attorney, designer and community activator. As a social impact architect, she helps clients take action and translate big ideas into next steps. Her license to practice law is a unique aspect of her interdisciplinary approach with clients. She has worked for small and large nonprofits, run a business and managed legal in Fortune 500 companies. Erin is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and South Texas College of Law.

Marguerite (Margo) McClinton Stoglin, Ph.D., is a senior vice president, philanthropic strategist with the National Consulting and Advisory Practice group at Bank of America Private Bank. Based in Dallas, Dr. McClinton Stoglin works with the Philanthropic Solutions team providing custom consulting services to both grantmaking and operating nonprofits. Her areas of expertise include education, social services and the faith-based communities. Dr. McClinton Stoglin has served in a number of key roles with nonprofits including Washington University in St. Louis, Washington and Lee University, Paul Quinn College and IGNITE National. She has received numerous recognitions such as the Dallas Business Journal Minority Leader Award and the Dallas Business Journal Women in Business Award. For a decade, Dr. McClinton Stoglin managed her own consulting firm providing strategic guidance to both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She also has significant board experience, currently serving with a gubernatorial appointment on a statewide commission. She enjoys partnering with key stakeholders to provide the resources needed to serve all communities. She received her undergraduate degree from Emory University. She has two master’s degrees. The first is in education from Harvard University, and the second is in business from the University of Texas at Dallas. She also received her doctorate from Florida State University.

Don McDermott has over 40 years of leadership experience in the health and social services sectors. He is the former CEO of a number of health care organizations with responsibility for acute and long term care services, addictions and mental health, community rehab and social work programs. Mr. McDermott has supported or served on more than twenty not-for-profit and charity boards. As a consultant, using many examples from his experience, he works with organizations’ boards and leaders to clarify their missions, identify their values and vision, and achieve their goals through board education, facilitated strategic planning retreats and various board and CEO mentoring processes. Mr. McDermott is an executive-in-residence with Capacity Canada where he provides board and director education, as well as the ‘MatchBoard’ project where he helps executives become directors on organizational boards in the not-for-profit sector. Mr. McDermott is a certified life and executive coach. Don and his wife, Joan, are principal consultants with BoardSupport.ca.

Natasha Paradeshi, a Certified StoryBrand Guide, is a co-founder of Solace Media, a marketing agency passionate about helping mission-driven organizations make a bigger impact through strategic marketing and storytelling through websites, branding, and videography. Her experience as a co-founder, former executive director, and board chair of The Landing, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit which has grown to over a $1.4 million budget in just six years, gives her a unique perspective in helping startup nonprofits grow. She is currently producing a documentary about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which shares the stories of two individuals who live with lesser-known types of OCD. Ms. Paradeshi graduated from the University of Southern California with a Masters in Public Policy degree and from the University of Texas with a double major in marketing and Spanish.

Mariela Poleo is an international energy executive with experience in major capital projects, financial planning and performance and joint ventures, currently leading Citgo Petroleum Corporation’s nonprofit foundation, Simon Bolivar Foundation. Mariela is a global citizen, born in Venezuela and have lived in Venezuela, England, and Norway before moving to Houston in 2011. Her travels are the result of an extensive career with Equinor ASA and its predecessor, Statoil, where she has supported major strategic decisions relating to projects and assets, in multiple countries and with financial oversight of multibillion dollar projects. Ms. Poleo holds a master of science degree in engineering management and a bachelor of science degree in architecture, as well as an Advanced Management Program at IESA and has done many courses in the oil industry and leadership. She recently completed the 23rd cohort of Rice LINE Program (Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives).

Armando X. Orduña, Ed.D., executive director of Latinos For Education—Texas, leads leadership development and advocacy for Latino families. He served as director of outreach programs for Children’s Museum Houston where he led a department of educators in the export of multilingual family and Out-of-School Learning throughout Greater Houston. He taught as a secondary science teacher in urban, Title I public schools. He is board president of Connect Community—Purpose Built Communities, a nonprofit focused on serving the needs of immigrant and refugee families; board president of the Emmy Saenz Foundation, a nonprofit providing material support to Spinal Cord Injury survivors; board secretary of Houston PFLAG, a nonprofit offering education and advocacy support for the LGBTQ community; member of Holocaust Museum Houston’s Latinx Initiatives Advisory Committee; inaugural member of the Teacher Advisory Council for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2012, Dr. Orduña received the White House Commitment to Excellence Award, President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Victor Rivera Labiosa is a bilingual counsel for the Bolder Advocacy team and the Alliance for Justice’s Texas (AFJ) office, where he works with Spanish-and English-speaking nonprofit organizations to ensure they are maximizing their lobbying and advocacy efforts. He is passionate about amplifying the voices of the Latino community here in Texas and across the United States. Prior to working for AFJ, Mr. Labiosa served as a corporate and real estate associate for a full-service law firm in Puerto Rico. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Labiosa obtained his law degree from Tulane University School of Law. He also earned an undergraduate B.A. from Duke University, where he majored in history and minored in chemistry. In his free time, mr. Labiosa likes to promote the wonderful things Puerto Rico has to offer, watch sports, and spend time with his dogs, Duke and Leo.

Olivia Rivers is the CEO at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters. After serving as a White House Intern in Legislative Affairs, Olivia received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Forensic Anthropology and an M.S. in Criminology and Victimology. She has also studied Organizational & Executive Leadership to further her knowledge in the nonprofit sector. In addition to her current professional role, Olivia serves as the Board President for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and is a collaborative member of the Harris County Adult Violent Death Review Team. She volunteers with several Young Professionals groups including the Houston Area Urban League, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, and Women of Wardrobe/Dress for Success Houston. Olivia is committed to curating an ecosystem that challenges societal thoughts to transform lives, give space to healing, and build global resiliency. Her strategic vision is to advance mentorship in the nonprofit sector and raise up the next generation of diverse leaders to ensure the sustainability and longevity of social impact. She desires to be an advocate for advocates by redefining the nonprofit sector and creating holistic company cultures that promote wellness, equity, and brave spaces for all people.

Bert Ruiz serves as managing director for Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR, where he leads a team of 30 talented experts who deliver executive and professional retained search and recruitment outsourcing services. With a 23-year career in the nonprofit industry, Mr. Ruiz serves as a trusted advisor on search and recruitment outsourcing engagements with client partners. Mr. Ruiz’s most recent role includes serving as senior consultant for DBD Group overseeing executive search services. Prior to that, he spent several years with YMCA of the USA, the national resource center supporting over 800 local YMCA affiliates, where he served as region director, CEO Search. He also served as senior manager of programs, which included the development of a national strategy to promote adoption and implementation of approaches to address health disparities and healthy aging, with specific focus on primary chronic disease prevention and screening. Prior to serving at the national level, he spent almost a decade in operations, including the role of executive director with a local affiliate in Houston. Mr. Ruiz is experienced in diversity, equity and inclusion professional development initiatives. He served as a participant, as well as coach and mentor, for national multicultural development programs, and was certified as facilitator to deliver trainings to local affiliate staff. Mr. Ruiz also served on national employee resources group leadership committees. Mr. Ruiz has a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in communication from the University of Houston, a master of science (MS) degree in organizational management and leadership from Springfield College and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Susan Staricka, is a nonprofit consultant and attorney, and owner of Staricka Law, PLLC. Ms. Staricka formed her firm in 2018, after serving as Chief of the Charitable Trusts Section for most of her 24 years with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, executing the duty of the attorney general to protect and regulate charitable, nonprofit entities and trusts, on behalf of the public interest. Prior to joining the AG’s Office, Ms. Starick was a real estate and litigation attorney for Brown Maroney and Oaks Hartline, now known as Husch Blackwell. Ms. Starick received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and her juris doctorate with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. Ms. Starick has served as adjunct faculty at The University of Texas School of Law where she taught Nonprofit Law and is a frequent speaker on nonprofit law for various charitable, nonprofit entities. She presents annually at the Texas State Bar’s Governance of Nonprofit Organizations Conference and the University of Texas’s Nonprofit Organizations Institute. Ms. Starick currently advises nonprofit organizations, and assists their legal counsel, in a variety of matters ranging from attorney general communications and investigations, guidance in complaint-filing with the attorney general’s office, nonprofit healthcare transactions, stewardship over and governance of charitable, nonprofit organizations and trusts, and modification of endowments and other restricted charitable funds. Susan also consults in litigation proceedings involving nonprofit entities and trusts.

Kristyna "PRKristyna" Torres-Cruz is a consultant who does more than just assist in reaching your social media audience, she helps engage them. Driven by the desire to connect our community to the brands that want to support them, Ms. Torres-Cruz has worked alongside both solo-preneurs and large teams in social media strategy, engagement and unique aspects most business owners don't consider when they think "marketing." A graduate from the University of Wisconsin system, Ms. Torres-Cruz has started her career at the bottom of the ladder and built her company into what it is today serving both nonprofits and for-profits with a community-driven view on client marketing. She's proud to be serving both worldwide brands and local companies in all aspects of the ever-changing social media world, now not only managing social media branding for her clients but also regularly adding "instructor and consultant" as a title beside her name.

Sara Wise is currently an executive consultant with Mission Advancement. A seasoned nonprofit fundraiser and consultant, Ms. Wise has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector, with over two decades serving organizations in education, social services, and cultural areas. Ms. Wise's professional experience includes fundraising at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Virginia, the Episcopal School of Dallas, American Red Cross Greater Houston Chapter, and the Houston Zoo. Since becoming a consultant in 2016, Ms. Wise has worked with dozens of nonprofits to execute development strategy, events, board strategic retreats, capital campaigns, and more. In addition, she has enjoyed sharing her passion for the nonprofit sector by teaching at Rice University’s Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, as well as with other organizations and groups.