Speakers

Deepali Desai is the Director of Development at Teach for America in Metro Atlanta. In her prior role as Assistant Director of Foundation Partnerships at United Way of Greater Atlanta, she managed a portfolio of 30+ foundations and secured over $1.6M in funding. She brings experience across individual giving and events. Deepali has been recognized through the 2025 YNPN Atlanta 30 Under 30 and the 2025 Gwinnett Young Professionals 35 Under 35 awards. and serves on the boards of Raksha, Inc. and YNPN Atlanta. She was selected by United Way Worldwide to represent the organization at the 2025 One Young

Dr. Rodger Devine is the Chief of Staff & Advancement Operations at Pomona College. Rodger directs the daily operations of the Advancement division to ensure that resources and operations support institutional goals. Within the Office of the VP for Advancement, Rodger serves as a trusted advisor who helps drive the division's priorities and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, excellence, innovation, and productivity. Rodger is also responsible the staffing, performance, and executive oversight of the shared services provided by the Office of Advancement Services, which includes Advancement Technology; CRM Administration and User Experience; Gift Services; Prospect Operations.

Brickson Diamond, a Class of 1993 Brown graduate, is a partner at Spencer Stuart, advising clients on executive search, leadership succession and professional development, with a strong focus on inclusion. Based in Los Angeles, he is active in the firm’s telecommunications, media and technology, and education and social impact practices. Previously, Diamond founded Big Answers, a consultancy focused on helping organizations define core values and strategies through an inclusive lens.

Cara Dickerson, VP of Client Success at Momentive Software, leads a talented team committed to
empowering thousands of nonprofits to achieve their fundraising and financial goals while advancing their
missions through Momentive’s connected fundraising platforms. With nearly 17 years of experience in the
nonprofit sector, Cara’s profound dedication to changemakers drives her forward. Beyond her professional
pursuits, she finds joy in exploring new destinations with her husband, although she proudly calls Chicago
home. She also shares life with her beloved dog, Ruby, who ensure there’s never a dull moment at home.

Jennifer Li Dotson is Strategic Advisor for AI in Fundraising, helping nonprofits ethically use technology to grow giving. As a software developer, she facilitates free access to AI powered digital tools to generate revenue for 3,000+ nonprofit organizations around the globe. Dotson serves with the US Commission for Civil Rights, Committee on the Status of Women and the Committee on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs. She led philanthropy teams at the National Kidney Foundation, American Red Cross, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She holds a BSc from Georgetown University and MSc from the London School of Economics.

Liza Douglas, CFRE, has a 25-year career in fundraising leadership roles for domestic and international health and human service nonprofits. For the last ten years she has served as a senior executive in Transformational Philanthropy at the American Heart Association, where she has personally secured nearly $100 million in revenue. Her superpower is channeling donor priorities into high-impact 8-figure grant funded programs. Liza holds a Master’s degree in nonprofit administration, CFRE certification since 2008, and master trainer / faculty certification with MANGO and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is an active member of AFP’s Washington DC chapter.

Luke Dringoli is Principal Technical Partnerships Manager at GoFundMe Pro, helping nonprofits scale through integrations and ecosystem strategy. With 15+ years in marketing, fundraising, and tech—including eight at Media Cause—he brings firsthand experience as a former user and partner. He also serves on the board of the Madelyn James Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Lauren Dula, PhD is an Associate Professor in public administration, specializing in nonprofit management at Binghamton University, SUNY. She earned her Ph.D. at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her current research investigates the relationship between gender identity and nonprofit board governance practices and outcomes. She also investigates issues of power in philanthropic giving. As an AFP member, she has attended ICON to share her co-authored work and has worked as a grant writer and nonprofit management consultant before pursuing her Ph.D.

Elad was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and has always been passionate about new cultures, places, and languages. His career has taken him from working with students in the Jewish non-profit sector to working in an international organization developing strategies and building stakeholder relations to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In 2017, Elad joined IKAR, a leading edge Jewish community that seeks to inspire people across the religious spectrum. He serves Chief Advancement officer, leading philanthropic outreach, including annual, event, and campaign fundraising, including the foundational $60M campaign to build the IKAR Center in Los Angeles.

Rachel D'Souza, MPPA, MLS is the founder of Gladiator Consulting, a boutique firm co-creating with nonprofits across the country. As a proud member of the Community-Centric Fundraising Global Council, Rachel works to guide a global initiative to reimagine the nonprofit sector through a lens of radical collaboration, racial equity, social justice, and decolonization.
In 2024, Rachel earned her second Master's Degree at the Washington University School of Law. With this additional training in negotiation, mediation and cross-cultural conflict resolution, Rachel is eager to shift organizational culture and interpersonal relationships in the direction of healing, collaboration and systems change.

Matthew Easterwood (he/they), CAP®, CFRE is the Founder & CEO of Queer For Hire, providing fundraising support to Queer nonprofits and LGBTQIA+ cultural competency trainings to straight-led organizations. He is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and Certified Fund Raising Executive with 12 years in nonprofit management and a decade as a professional fundraiser advancing Queer organizations. Matthew specializes in engaging the LGBTQIA+ community, development strategy, culture of philanthropy, board development, and donor communications. Matthew is the President Elect for the Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for the term January 2025-December 2027.

Ashley Eddie is the National Senior Director of Corporate Relations at Cleveland Clinic, where she is building the organization’s first enterprise-wide national corporate engagement framework—a strategic shift poised to redefine healthcare philanthropy beyond traditional grateful patient and sponsored research funding models. Previously, she led development and awareness efforts across the Midwest for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, managing a cross functional team, overseeing more than $125M in annual revenue, and supporting executive leadership in advancing equitable fundraising strategies. Ashley holds an accelerated MBA, graduating with Leader’s Scholar distinction.

Amy Eisenstein is the CEO and co-founder of Capital Campaign Pro. An ACFRE and AFP Distinguished Fellow, she has over 25 years of experience as a development leader, consultant, author, and speaker. Amy helps nonprofit boards and leaders raise major gifts with clarity and confidence. You can find her at amyeisenstein.com and capitalcampaignpro.com. Her weekly podcast, All About Capital Campaigns, can be found on your favorite podcasting app.

Lauren is a Senior Vice President with CCS Fundraising, where she supports client partnerships across
Southern California and provides strategic leadership on comprehensive fundraising initiatives. Since
joining the firm in 2017, Lauren brings over fifteen years of experience in strategic planning, research, and
data analysis, with a particular focus on campaign design and planning, development assessments, and
feasibility studies. Lauren is known for building trusted relationships with institutional leaders and
advancing high-impact fundraising efforts.

Christine Enetak is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) and a certified Nonprofit Succession Planning consultant. She is the Principal Consultant of Grounded in Equity, a consulting agency specializing in fundraising strategy, grant development, and leadership transition planning. Christine began her fundraising career in 2015 following a successful tenure in pharmacy, and later held senior leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. With over a decade of speaking experience, she has presented nationally on board engagement, strategic philanthropy, and fundraising practices that reflect community values, equity principles, and cross-cultural understanding.