Search for Nonprofit Executives Who Deliver!

Tracy brings extensive professional experience in education and disability services and enthusiasm for further growing SVILC’s reach and advocacy work in Santa Clara County. She began as a special education teacher supporting students with complex needs and their families, quickly recognizing that barriers were often systemic. That realization shaped her career and continues to drive her commitment to access, inclusion, and equity. Over 20 years, Tracy has led nonprofit, healthcare, and education organizations, strengthening systems for underserved communities. Her work at Ascent Children’s Health Services and The Help Group reflects her sustained commitment to individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent needs.

Aliza joins the organization from Oakland-based Destiny Arts Center where she spent the past nine years as Deputy Director, Institutional Advancement. Her previous fundraising experience has been with nonprofits including Alonzo King Lines Ballet, American Conservatory Theatre, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. In her new role, Aliza will lead the development team and work closely with donors, partners, board members, and the broader community to strengthen the support that enables Girls Inc. programs.

Michael brings extensive experience in major gifts fundraising, strategic planning, and donor and community engagement. Throughout his career, he has built meaningful relationships with donors, corporate leaders, clergy, and community partners while connecting people with opportunities to make a lasting impact. His background includes sales and business development leadership with Opportunity International, ADP, WorkflowOne, R.R. Donnelley, and Veritiv Corporation. Michael’s commitment to service extends deeply into his faith and community. He is an ordained Deacon for the Diocese of Oakland and serves at the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, where he has been a parishioner for more than 50 years.

Doug has held leadership roles for 20+ years within organizations prioritizing the lives of youth and families, promoting equity and well-being of participants and staff, allying with young people and their families towards healthy development, supporting social justice, and combating adverse impacts of discrimination and oppression on mental health. Since 2014 Doug served as Executive Director/CEO of Huckleberry Youth Programs in San Francisco where he transitioned the agency from a long-serving ED, doubled the agency’s budget, expanded programming, and modernized the organization’s infrastructure. Previously as Associate Director of StarVista in San Mateo County, Doug expanded clinical training, established BBS and APA approved training, and developed key youth-centered social-emotional learning and mental health programs in San Mateo County.

Norton brings nearly 20 years of experience in museum leadership, STEM education and community-driven innovation to her new role at The Discovery. She most recently served as Chief Science Officer at Discovery Place in Charlotte, N.C., where she oversaw operations generating $8.7 million in annual revenue and serving nearly 400,000 visitors. She led the strategic planning and execution of major capital projects, managed large-scale educational initiatives and helped secure more than $3.5 million in philanthropic support during her tenure.

Senecal brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, most recently serving as Regional Director at AbilityPath, where she oversaw programs supporting more than 400 adults with IDD. Throughout her career, including roles at Easter Seals Bay Area, Autism Hearts Foundation, and Lifehouse Agency, she has developed inclusive programs and systems from the ground up, forged strong community partnerships, and advocated for equity for individuals with disabilities.

With over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in driving philanthropic revenue growth in the nonprofit sector, Joshua Lachs has dedicated his career to empowering individuals and communities who find themselves furthest from opportunity. Before joining Special Olympics Northern California, Joshua was an Associate Partner at Edgility Consulting where he supported other organizations with their capacity-building efforts. Previously, Joshua served as the CEO of Moneythink, a national education technology nonprofit that provides college affordability solutions for traditionally underrepresented students. He was also the Dean of Extended University at JFK University, where he co-founded and led the Institute of Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Sue brings 21 years of experience from Trinity School, a leading Preschool–Grade Five program in Menlo Park. She began as a preschool Lead Teacher and later became Director of the Early Childhood Program, expanding curriculum and enrichment and launching a successful two’s program. Since 2023, she has served as Assistant Head of School, where she created a popular summer camp now in its second year, strengthened admissions and enrollment, led strategic planning, and partnered with the Board of Trustees on governance. Sue is deeply committed to professional development and supporting teachers. She also serves as Early Childhood Adjunct Faculty and Assistant Professor at San Mateo Community College District.

With over 30 years of progressive leadership experience in the field of public health equity and social services, Eagan has dedicated her career to providing client-centered and trauma-informed care and creating a co-creative leadership culture. Before joining VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Molly was a Chief Program Officer at The New York Foundling, where she oversaw and provided strategic direction for programs in Developmental Disabilities, Child Welfare, Community-Based Housing and Education, including Head Start and Early Head Start in Puerto Rico and Camp Felix, a summer camp for children. Prior to The Foundling, Molly served as the Interim Chief Clinical Operations Officer at the Trevor Project and as Vice President of Patient Experience & Employee Engagement at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, among others.

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

Elizabeth has a 25-year track record of driving and expanding contributed revenue from major and principal donors through patron engagement programs, institutional partnerships, endowment drives, capital campaigns, and local and globally significant events. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Advancement at the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 2017. She has previously held senior roles at the Sundance Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. In this new role, she will work closely with the Observatory and Foundation teams to shape fundraising initiatives, priorities and events that maximize contributed income.

With over fifteen years of experience as a leader in major financial industries including investment banking, corporate, regulatory, real estate and nonprofit, Bilah has dedicated his career on not only fiscal stability, but growth, allowing organizations to positively impact their shareholders, customers, stakeholders and the community they serve. He most recently served as the Director of Finance for SEIU 521 Local, and he previously held finance leadership roles at EBALDC, Homerise, and the Salvation Army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With over fifteen years of fundraising experience in the performing arts sector, Liu brings expertise in donor cultivation and development, programming, and community building. As Executive Director, Liu will expand the Edmonds Center for the Arts’ audience and donor base, lead the strategic planning process, and spearhead the transformation of the public facility’s physical footprint.

Juho has more than a dozen years of experience working as a financial leader at for profit companies, most recently at the software company C3 AI. As an enthusiastic attendee of Burning Man since 2015, he is excited to join both his personal and professional lives in his new role. As CFO, he will be managing a budget of $70M and partnering with the Philanthropic Engagement (fundraising) group to create the equivalent of donor advised instruments and endowment funds.

Rachel brings nearly thirty years of experience in public relations, advertising, marketing, and community engagement with a focus in events and tourism, economic development, and government relations. Most recently, she served as Director of External Relations at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, where she worked passionately to promote Baltimore as a creative hub and to attract tourists to the city while advocating for grassroots artists and the promotion of the cultural economy.

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with fifteen years of experience in community mental health. Nicole’s knowledge is vast, with many years of direct service and ten years of clinical supervision and senior leadership. Nicole’s most recent position was as Director of Behavioral Health at West Oakland Health Council. In that role, she oversaw the mental health and substance abuse disorder teams for children and adult services.

With over two decades of experience, Jason comes to Creative Alliance from the Apollo Theatre, the largest historically Black performing arts center in the nation, where he served in several senior roles spanning programming, educational leadership, and youth engagement. His efforts significantly contributed to cultivating emerging talents in the arts while strengthening community ties. A champion for inclusivity, Jason skillfully employs his creative insights to amplify the voices of those often marginalized, ensuring they are heard, valued, and empowered.