Speakers

Ian Adair has spent a career building successful nonprofits. He is a four-time nonprofit CEO, TEDx speaker, author, and recognized expert in leadership development, nonprofit management, and employee engagement. Over his 25+ year career Ian has raised tens of millions of dollars, managed regional and national programs, and presented at more than 200 conferences and events worldwide. He is a renowned keynote speaker and advocate concerning mental health awareness and addressing mental health in the workplace. Ian is a leading voice in a movement to encourage leaders to take bold action to support the health and wellbeing of our workforce.

Chad Allen is an Enneagram 7 and CliftonStrengths Wooer with over a decade of experience in the world of philanthropy. He is a Donor Services Advisor with the twelfth largest community foundation in the United States, the Omaha Community Foundation.

Jack Alotto is a graduate of Glassboro State College and the State University of New York at Oswego, both degrees are in Psychology. Throughout his successful career, Jack has served in a variety of fundraising positions in hospital, social service and the arts as executive director, development director, major gift and legacy giving manager, and foundation and corporate relations manager. Jack is a California CFRE Ambassador, an AFP Certified Facilitator, a CFRE Study Group leader, and a Trainer at the Fundraising Academy at National University.

Janel Alpert is the Director of Planned Giving and Development for LSA Advancement, where she secures major and principal gifts and builds donor relationships to support the College’s goals. With over 14 years of experience in development and alumni relations, she provides strategic leadership in planned giving. Her background includes roles at Michigan State University, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Davis, focusing on cultivating meaningful connections to advance institutional priorities.

Sarah has 20 years of nonprofit senior management and development experience in human services and higher education. In addition to her extensive fundraising experience, her work focuses on building profitable partnerships, organizational capacity building, annual and capital campaigns, engagement and stewardship programs, strategic growth planning, sponsorship and promotions, grant writing, and major giving programs. Sarah has successfully worked with many nonprofit organizations on growing and strengthening their board and committee structures. In 2017, Sarah opened Andrews Coaching & Consulting and has helped 100 clients successfully grow their nonprofit organizations.

Dwayne Ashley is renowned for his bold, strategic thinking and wise counsel in philanthropy.Over the course of his 30-year career, he has raised more than $1 Billion. A fearless and authentic solicitor, he is committed to DEI and helping organizations of color maximize theirfundraising success. He advises non-profits, philanthropists, and influencers globally on thesector. A powerhouse of energy, enthusiasm and a passion for fundraising, Dwayne hasmanaged capital and annual campaigns and spearheaded development for such notableorganizations as Jazz at Lincoln Center, National Juneteenth Museum, Thurgood MarshallCollege Fund, and the National Negro College Fund.

Catherine Ashton is the founder of Giant Squid Group, a social impact consultancy that works through an intersectional feminist and anti-racist lens to build the capacity of nonprofits and empower the next generation of fundraisers. She serves as Vice President of IDEA for AFP Greater Austin, co-leads the AFP consulting affinity group, and is vice-chair of the Austin Social Sector Consultants network, as well as being an active member of the Community-Centric Fundraising movement. In her “outside of work” she co-runs a queer community makerspace, rides her rescue horse, and spends time with her kids, spouse, and dogs.

Mindy Avitia has worked with nonprofits for over a decade. She currently serves as the Senior Events & Community Impact Manager at Mighty Citizen, where she leads strategic initiatives that strengthen Mighty Citizen’s mission-driven community. Mindy also founded Grow Wild Creative and has held previous roles with Impact Hub Austin, the Austin Community Foundation, and the National Center for Farmworker Health.

With a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and a passion for storytelling, Mindy brings a thoughtful and authentic approach to the nonprofit sector. She lives in Austin, TX, with her partner and two kids.

Michael J. Baker, CFRE, is founder and partner of m3 Development, a full-service consulting firm. Michael has over 30 years of experience, is an AFP Certified Facilitator (formerly AFP Master Trainer), serves on the Board of the Marlboro Educational Foundation, AFP US Government Relations Committee and as an Ambassador for CFRE International. Michael has raised over $1,000,000,000 as a staff member and with clients and received the AFP-NJ Chapter Consulting Award for Excellence. Michael served on the AFP Global Board, is Past-President of the AFP–NJ Chapter, has a BA from the University at Albany, SUNY, and is an Eagle Scout.

For overr 20 years, Don has invested his time to serve people in and around Delaware. Before becoming CEO of FAME, Inc., Don built a reputation for tackling the root causes of social issues icluding hunger, poverty, social/racial justice, and education. Don received his formal training at Morehouse College as a Political Science Pre-law major. Don was one of the Delaware Valley´s first Standards for Exellence Licensed Consultants and AFP Certified MAster TRainers.

Jim Ballou has been a Technical Specialist at Microsoft for four years, supporting the Microsoft Elevate
initiative. He helps nonprofit customers transform their operations through modern technology solutions.
His expertise includes the Dynamics 365 suite of applications, the Power Platform—which empowers
users to build low-code/no-code solutions—and Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant for
productivity and analytics.
Jim brings over 31 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including 27 years focused on fundraising
and donor management solutions during his tenure at Blackbaud. Based in Charleston, SC, he enjoys
family time, reading, traveling, and pampering his dog.

Shani Bar-Or is a Nonprofit Success Manager at monday.com, partnering with mission-driven
organizations to strengthen operations, optimize workflows, and increase impact through the
monday.com platform. She helps nonprofit leaders implement solutions supporting fundraising, grant
management, and program delivery.
Before nonprofit technology, Shani held roles across government, the private sector, and as a selfemployed
professional, bringing a diverse and strategic perspective. She holds a Master’s degree from
Johns Hopkins University and is passionate about helping nonprofits scale their impact.

Laureen brings over 13 years of fundraising experience across the arts, education, and health sectors. With a dual background in art history and nonprofit leadership, she has worked with major museums in Montréal and abroad. A Certified Fundraising Executive, she was twice named one of Montréal’s Top 50 Influential Women by Women We Admire. As Senior Director of Philanthropy at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation, she leads its largest-ever campaign. Passionate about art’s role in social impact, Laureen views philanthropy as a force for change. She mentors emerging fundraisers and holds leadership roles with AFP locally and internationally.

Chad Barger is the founder of Productive Fundraising and a sought-after trainer known for teaching simple, research-backed fundraising strategies. He specializes in helping small and mid-sized nonprofits work smarter and raise more. A master trainer, professor, and presenter, Chad earned his ACFRE in 2024 and has helped thousands of fundraisers overcome the overwhelm. He teaches fundraising at Messiah University and is a frequent keynote speaker across North America.

An AFP Master Fundraising Teacher, coach, and counselor in philanthropy, Bill Bartolini (PhD, ACFRE) has been a professional fundraiser for 40 years, retiring from Ohio State where he solicited gifts of $5M+. He’s worked for several universities, including George Washington, Northeastern, Kent State, Ball State, and a variety of nonprofits. Bill’s PhD dissertation at Kent State asked, “What do People Think and Feel when You Ask them for Money?” Bill was named a Distinguished Fellow by AFP. He is Chair of the ACFRE Credentialing Board.