Metasoft Client Advisory Board: Biographies

Helen E Brown
President, Helen Brown Group (HBG)

Helen Brown has been a development professional since 1987 and is president of The Helen Brown Group (HBG), a prospect research consulting firm working with clients in the US, UK and Europe. She is also president of ShareTraining, a web-based training program specializing in prospect research and fundraising. Prior to founding HBG in 2002, Helen was director of research at a number of organizations, most recently Northeastern University and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Helen is past president of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA) and is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the board of the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester, England. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a director of Factary Ltd. Helen is the 2006 recipient of the NEDRA Ann Castle Award, for service to the prospect research community.

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Melissa S. Brown
Researcher and Writer for Annual report
Giving USA

Her research focuses on determinants of giving and the distribution of contributions by subsector. Ms. Brown joined the staff of the Center on Philanthropy in 1991 as a development associate and has held positions at the Center in fundraising, program management, and instruction. She teaches one course as an associate faculty member of Philanthropic Studies at the Center's home campus, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She holds a bachelor's degree from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and a Master of Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

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Denise Davis
Program Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Denise Davis is a program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation working in the Health Care Group on quality, disparities and nursing programming. During her tenure at the Foundation, she served as deputy director of the Foundation’s Information for State Health Policy Program. Before joining RJWF, she was former deputy director of the Information Access Program. Prior to this, she was a policy analyst at the Center for State Health Policy, a research associate with the Carolina Institute for Public Health, and a program associate for the Center for Community-Based Public Health.

She has extensive managerial experience in health care planning, policy and administration. Her research interests include state and local health care policy, community-based approaches for improvement of health delivery systems and outcomes for underserved populations, racial and ethnic disparities in vulnerable groups, and the impact of the health care safety net on the uninsured.

A member of the American Public Health Association, she earned a Dr. P.H. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in health policy and administration, an M.P.A. in public policy and administration from New York University, and a B.A. from Ithaca College in allied health.

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Stephen M. Knight
Assistant Director of Research, Strategic Initiatives
University of Florida Foundation

Steve Knight has worked in development research for over six years. He is currently the Assistant Director of Research, Strategic Initiatives at the University of Florida Foundation. In this capacity, Steve directs research efforts for corporate and foundation development projects, as well as performance of extensive proactive research work. He was formerly Assistant Director of Research at the University of South Florida Foundation, and Information Analysis Manager at the American Cancer Society, Florida Division. Prior to his career in development research, Steve served in various capacities with local government and as a submarine communications specialist in the US Navy. A member of both APRA-FL and APRA International since 2000, Steve Knight is currently the president of APRA-FL, and previously served on the APRA-FL board of directors as Membership Chair from 2003 to 2005. Additionally, Steve served as a Volunteer Co-Chair for the 2006 19th annual APRA International Conference in Orlando, FL. He has also been a speaker at past chapter conferences, as well as other venues, discussing the role of research in development operations. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in history.

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Heather McDonnell
Associate Director of Research, Development Research Services
Purdue University

Prior to joining Purdue's Development Research team, Heather was the Director of Prospect Research for the University of Montana Foundation. Other Development positions held by Heather include working as a consultant for the Montana Water Trust and as a strategic analyst at Dartmouth College.

Prior to joining the world of Development, Heather worked for A&E Television and CBS.com in New York City, as well as Hoovers Online in Austin, TX. She's originally from Oklahoma, and earned her B.A. in Journalism & Broadcasting (with a specialty in Advertising) from Oklahoma State University.

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Stephen C. Nill
CEO and Founder, CharityChannel

Mr. Nill is the founder and CEO of CharityChannel, a community of more than 150,000 professionals serving nonprofit organizations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Australasia region, and many other countries.

He has been working in the US and international third sectors for more than 30 years.. He has served as the Chief Development Officer at a major Southern California university, the CEO of a large health care foundation, a vice-president of fund development of a U.S. west-coast nonprofit hospital chain, as a founder and acting director of development of a parochial school in his community, and as a founder of an organization dedicated to providing food and clothing for homeless persons in Southern California.

Mr. Nill holds a B.A degree (cum laude) in Communications as well as Political Science from California State University, Fullerton (1978), and a juris doctor degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles (1981). He is a lawyer practicing in the field of tax-exempt organizations.

Mr. Nill is also a composer of orchestral music.

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Joey Sample
Corporate & Foundation Relations Officer
Simmons College, Office of Advancement

Joey Sample is the Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer at Simmons College, where one of his primary responsibilities is corporate and foundation research. He recently created and now moderates the CFRESEARCH discussion list. Hosted by CharityChannel, this listserv provides a forum for nearly 400 nonprofit professionals to discuss corporate and foundation research. Joey is also active in the prospect research community through his affiliations with the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA) and the Freelance Prospect Research Network, which provides nonprofit organizations with a convenient, reliable, and affordable source for prospect research services.

Prior to his employment at Simmons, Joey worked for the Indiana University School of Medicine as the Gift Acknowledgment Coordinator. He also spent several years in the non-profit sector writing and developing proposals for Gay Men’s Health Crisis, The Damien Center and Planned Parenthood. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs-Nonprofit Management from Indiana University and a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Franklin College of Indiana.

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Carol Scroggins
Economic Development Corporation

Dr. Scroggins has a 20+ year career in the nonprofit arena. For the past four years, she has implemented a unique nonprofit capacity development project, funded by the City of Fresno. Through direct transfer of skills, she aids nonprofit organizations to become more competitive in grant seeking, as well as guiding boards and executive staff in strategic planning and internal development. In the 4 years of the City’s funding, she has helped nonprofits with about $20 million in new funding.

She has served as a grants writer or other administrative officer for a variety of nonprofits throughout the Fresno area. Her experience in grant writing include successfully funded proposals for arts, academics, athletics as well as social services , employment and training. Her proposals are often innovative and dynamic, telling the right story in a creative manner.

Dr. Scroggins holds a doctoral degree in Multicultural Studies from the University of San Francisco as well as a Masters in Counseling with a Bachelor’s in Social Work, both earned at the University of Arkansas.

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Barbara Shreffler
Baylor College of Medicine

After 14 years at Rice University’s Fondren Library, Barbara Shreffler was recruited by the Development Office to help with fundraising efforts by researching and writing profiles on major donors. Since 2003, she has been Director of Constituent Strategies for Baylor College of Medicine, a nationwide model for development offices. She is President of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement Greater Houston Chapter and is a member of the American Society for Information Science and Technology as well as the Council of Advancement and Support of Education. Additionally, she serves as a board member of American Voices.

Ms. Sheffler is also an accomplished musician. A violinist for the Houston Ballet Orchestra and a professional mandolinist, she has performed with the Houston Grand Opera, Da Camera, Ebony Opera, and the Houston Symphony. So far she’s the only member of the Advisory Board who has played with Smokey Robinson.

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Tony Silbert
President, Silbert Consulting Services, Inc.

Tony Silbert is President of Silbert Consulting Services, Inc. (www.silbertconsulting.com) which provides grant development, research, strategy and evaluation services to nonprofit and public sector organizations. Tony began his nonprofit career in 1986 leading urban youths on wilderness adventures. Since then, he has worked with organizations of all sizes, covering virtually every aspect of the nonprofit world, including health & human services, education & youth development, literacy, the arts, civic engagement, and public policy.

Tony graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a Bachelors degree in Philosophy. He received his Masters in Public Policy from the University of Southern California. He was previously the Director of Foundations, Grants & Research at the University of Judaism, where he continues to serve as a Lecturer in the MBA Program in Nonprofit Management. Prior to the UJ, he was a Grant & Contract Officer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

Tony is a founding Board Member and Chief Financial Officer of The Harmony Project (www.harmony-project.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality music education to disadvantaged children. He is a contributing writer for Foundation & Corporate Grants Alert and CharityChannel's Grants & Foundations Review, an online publication reaching 11,000 professionals worldwide.

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Kathleen Warren, Ph.D.
Associate Director Development and External Relations
Washington State University Foundation
Washington


Kathleen Warren has worked for Washington State University since 1983, transitioning from public relations and development writing to full-time corporate and foundation relations in 1995. In 2004, she left her position as associate director of development and external relations in the university’s College of Engineering and Architecture to join the Corporate and Foundation Relations team in the central WSU Foundation. She is WSU's first ever director of private foundation relations. In her short time in that role, she has led collaborations with faculty and development colleagues resulting in substantial grants for the university from the W. M. Keck Foundation, Murdock Charitable Trust, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. She was instrumental in getting the development teams university wide to adopt and appreciate the power of Metasoft's Foundation Search and Big Online tools.

A unique undertaking in 2006 was co-coordinating WSU's first "Mission to New York," an expedition, sponsored by the university's Office of Research, designed to bridge the geographical and communication gap between a WSU group of six talented arts and humanities faculty at our research-intensive university in rural Pullman, Washington, and significant private New York foundations with mutual interests. Memorable highlights of that trip for Kathleen included meeting in person with program directors in the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, and Social Sciences Research Council (as well as visiting the MOMA, experiencing two musicals on Broadway, and taking a bicycle tour from Midtown to the Bronx!).

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Barbara Anderson
Manager, Prospect Research
Nature Conservancy of Canada

Barb currently oversees development research and prospect management at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), supporting not only the national office but seven regions as well. She joined NCC's Ontario regional office in 2001 as their Development Coordinator, but was thrilled to return to the research profession in 2003 when she was asked to become NCC's first National Research Coordinator. She is a member of APRA and a past member of SLA.

Barb came to NCC and the non-profit world from Egon Zehnder International, a leading global executive search firm where she spent six years as a senior researcher. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature she also taught for thirteen years.

She is pleased to bring the unique perspective of a regionalized, environmental organization to Metasoft's Client Advisory Board.

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David Clark Boucher
Director of Research
McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHCF)

McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHCF) is in the "quiet phase" of a $300 million capital campaign. Prior to joining MUHCF in 1999, David spent seven years as a Research Officer with the Concordia University Advancement and Capital Campaign offices. Concordia's successful capital campaign went $22 million beyond its $55 million target. David has also worked as an historical researcher, and participated in the production of Quick to the Frontier: Canada's Royal Bank, winner of the 1993 Coopers & Lybrand / Financial Times of Canada National Business Book Award. David has a Master's degree in History.

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David L. Cuthbert, CFRE, FSAIF
Director of Development
Silent Voice

David was the first fundraiser for World Vision in South Africa.

David is one of five founders of the Southern African Institute of Fundraising (SAIF), a body representing the Southern Africa fundraising profession.. He is also a co-founder of the World Fundraising Council, launched in 1989 to provide resources out of advanced Fundraising nations into developing countries. He has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1991, and the first fundraiser in Africa to be awarded a CFRE.

He is co-founder and a current board member of SAIF Education & Training Inc.

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James D. Hilborn
President, The Hilborn Group Ltd

Jim Hilborn, one of the leading newsletter publishing experts in North America, has combined over 30 years in technical and business information services with a dedication to volunteering.

Pioneer of the personalized “private brand” client marketing newsletter, he was a founding member of the Newsletter Publishers Association and founding president of the Canadian chapter, of which he is the only Honourary Life Member. His company Corpus Information Services Ltd grew to become Canada’s largest publisher of industrial newsletters. Since leaving Corpus in 1982, he has continued to develop new markets and other initiatives, including Charity Village™, the website he launched with his partner. In 2001 he started Canadian FundRaiser eNEWS, an eLetter version of Canadian FundRaiser that is now the largest-circulation information service in the Canadian development and nonprofit management sector. In 2005, Canadian FundRaiser launched an international newsletter, Modern Donor.

Jim has held numerous volunteer positions including Chairman of the Board of Foster Parents Plan of Canada and Director of both Foster Parents Plan International and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. He has been named a “Friend” of the CAGP, the highest honour the association awards its members.

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Karen Maki
Manager of Research
University of British Columbia

Karen joined UBC in 2001 with a mandate to create the development research department. She has extensive experience in researching business organizations and providing financial analysis on both the organization and its related individuals. Prior to joining UBC, Karen practiced law for six years, specializing in commercial and family litigation, and then became an executive search consultant for two years. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. Karen is also the Treasurer for APRA Canada and has presented at APRA Canada and AFP events.

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Amy Rotteau, MISt
Development Officer of Research
Royal Ontario Museum Foundation

Amy Rotteau joined the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) Foundation in 2002 as the foundation's first permanent full-time Development Officer of Research. While at the ROM she has been actively involved in setting up the first research department, overseeing an overhaul of the paper and electronic filing systems, developing and implementing a privacy policy and chairing the foundation's Raisers Edge task force committee. Amy is currently the lead researcher in Canada's largest cultural capital campaign, Renaissance ROM.

Prior to joining the ROM, Amy worked at the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, in Vancouver BC, as the Research & Information Specialist. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) - Canada, currently serving as Vice-President and Secretary.

Amy holds an Honours B.A. in English Literature from York University and a Masters of Information Studies from the University of Toronto.

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Ken Wyman CFRE
Program Coordinator
Fundraising and Volunteer Management
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

Ken is a professor and program coordinator at Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Toronto). He runs a rapidly growing post graduate Fundraising and Volunteer Management program and related continuous education courses. He has also created and taught academic credit courses on fund raising for Grant MacEwan College, Ryerson Polytechnic University, York University, and the University of West Virginia Graduate School. The first "Outstanding Fund Raiser" chosen by his peers at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter, Ken is the author of seven fundraising books. He also hosted the educational TV series .

"The Fund Raising Game." As a volunteer Ken serves on the Development Committee for Imagine Canada and the education committee for the AFP Toronto Congress. At Humber he is active with the United Way Campaign, the Advancement Council, and the Scholarship Campaign. Earlier, as a journalist and photographer, Ken filed news and human interest stories from across Canada, Europe, South America and the Middle East, including a stint as a story producer at CBC Radio's Morningside

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