Jon Schaffrath began his career in nonprofit fundraising at the Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2006 and has continued to fundraise for HBS in a number of different positions since then. In his current role as director of development strategic initiatives, he works fundraising strategy projects and manages a portfolio of over one hundred major gift prospects. He earned the Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University, and began teaching in the program in 2011. Jon graduated from Boston College, earned his MBA from Babson College, and achieved the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation in 2020. Jon also teaches fundraising at the Harvard Extension School and is a regular speaker at the annual CASE Conference.

Michael J. Bobbitt has dedicated his professional career to arts leadership. He is a theatre director, choreographer, and playwright. On February 1, 2021, he joined Mass Cultural Council as executive director, becoming the highest-ranking cultural official in Massachusetts. Upon joining Mass Cultural Council, Bobbitt was invited and agreed to serve on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Board of Directors.
Bobbitt gained extensive experience in nonprofit arts management by training at Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program, and Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program. He has served as an associate professor of Theatre at both the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Howard University and has also volunteered on numerous nonprofit boards, including Non-Profit Village, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Leadership Montgomery, Weissberg Foundation, the Watertown Public Art Commission, and ArtsBoston. In 2021 he was selected to join artEquity’s second cohort of the BIPOC Leadership Circle.

Emerald P. Bowman is a versatile professional with over a decade of experience in higher education, municipal government, and professional sports (NBA/NFL/NASCAR). She has excelled in strategic planning, leadership, and community engagement, most notably through roles at the City of Winston-Salem and Harvard Medical School’s Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership. Emerald’s consultancy, E.H. Bowman & Associates Consulting Firm, LLC, reflects her dedication to organizational development; team management; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A resilient COVID-19 survivor, Emerald actively engages with various professional and community organizations, including ForbesBLK and the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters. Emerald’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and economic prosperity positions her as a motivated change agent ready to drive positive change within organizations.

Over the last decade Amanda has been involved in ministry and education, serving as a pastor, a professor, and a dean of undergraduate studies. She holds a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Master of Divinity from Shiloh University. In the fall of 2020, she received a Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. She recently joined the development team at International Justice Mission, a non-profit working to end slavery in our lifetime by partnering with local justice systems to end violence against people living in poverty. She currently serves as director of partnership engagement on the Mid-Level Giving team. Her background in ministry and education have proved a good foundation for philanthropy, as she enjoys walking alongside partners and discovering their passions and interests.

Neida is the director of major gifts at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. In this role, she works to deepen relationships with alumni supporters and identify new major gift prospects for the school. Neida brings nearly fifteen years of development experience to Northeastern. Before her appointment, she was a major gifts officer at Harvard Business School (HBS) where she worked with alumni across different regions, including London, Texas, and New York. Neida started at HBS as a leadership giving officer on the Young Alumni team, where she had great success building and cultivating a pipeline for the next generation of philanthropic leaders. She also served as interim director of the HBS Fund, during which time she played an instrumental role in building and launching the fund’s strategy and infrastructure. Before HBS, Neida worked on the development team for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard and served as director of the Graduate School Fund, which supports master’s and doctoral students.

Development was Neida’s second career. She came to Harvard thinking she would pursue a doctoral degree but ended up working with faculty across the University in various inter-faculty initiatives, including the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. It was not until graduate school that Neida discovered development as a career; she has never turned back. She holds degrees from Rutgers University (BA in Spanish) and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (MS in Education).

For over two decades, Kylie Johnson has helped donors make charitable gifts that make an impact and meet their personal and philanthropic goals. As director of planned giving for Baystate Health Foundation (BHF) in western Massachusetts, Kylie serves as a member of the leadership team and leads the development and growth of a comprehensive planned giving program. She is focused on the donor-centric, relationship-building work that leads to major and principal gifts, both deferred and outright. She moves forward all aspects of the gift planning program, including a robust marketing program, and works closely with donors, their advisors, staff, and health system/physician leadership to increase philanthropic support to BHF. A program builder, Kylie was named “Top 40 under 40” for her work as a director in Virginia Tech’s successful one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign. She also helped launch a three-hundred-million-dollar campaign at UMass Amherst, directed planned giving and an endowment campaign for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and served wealth management clients as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch.

Committed to giving back to the profession, Kylie serves on the board of the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County, is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) and is a past board member of the Planned Giving Group of New England (PGGNE). A graduate of Virginia Tech and Washington University in St. Louis, she holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation from The American College for Financial Services.

Sandy is an alumna of Kansas State University and holds a BS in Family Studies and Human Services, a minor in Conflict Analysis and Trauma Studies, and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution. Sandy’s professional background ranges from corporate aviation charter brokerage, event planning, marketing, sales, and—most recently—higher education. Sandy completed the BU Professional Fundraising Certificate Program in December of 2016 and is pursuing a career in the non-profit sector. Sandy is passionate about advocacy and stays engaged by volunteering her time to organizations that promote equality, education, justice, and tolerance.

Theresa Lee is the founder and CEO of TJL Partners, a consultancy that provides top-quality strategy, training, and practical solutions for fundraising and staffing challenges. She has worked in a variety of advancement roles, including major gift fundraising, management of annual and major gift fundraising teams, alumni and parent relations, and human resource and budget management. As an expert in annual giving and special project fundraising, she believes passionately in an integrated marketing strategy and the impact of great stewardship.

For over twenty-eight years, Theresa served as a senior executive in advancement at MIT, Boston College, Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and UMass Lowell, following an early career in student affairs at Northeastern University. As a leader and a frequent speaker for Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and Women in Development (WID), she has shared knowledge and practical solutions with fundraising professionals from across the country in all types of non-profits. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University.

Adele Mezher is a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter who serves as co-founder and managing partner at Pearl Street Collective, an award-winning executive search and talent strategy firm for the higher education, nonprofit, and health sectors. She has three decades of experience in the executive search industry, initially leading CEO and VP-level engagements for Fortune 500 technology and manufacturing clients before she transitioned to nonprofit search and specialized in advancement and development. For the last fifteen years, she has partnered with presidents, boards, and leadership teams who seek advancement talent, particularly in preparation for multi-million and multi-billion-dollar campaigns. She has also provided counsel on career pathing, inclusive onboarding programs, organizational design, and succession planning. Adele is an active volunteer with SquashBusters, a member and mentor of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)®, and supporter of the #HIREBLACK Initiative and the scholarship-granting Lebanese American Awareness Association.

Marcela Muñiz has utilized her career in higher education and philanthropy to promote equity and opportunity. As vice president of philanthropy at the Latino Community Foundation (LCF), Marcela leads fund development efforts to fulfill the Foundation’s philanthropic aspirations. Prior to LCF, Marcela served as regional director of capital giving for Harvard University, where she led strategic fundraising efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Before joining Harvard’s team, Marcela was an assistant dean of admission at Stanford University. An expert on diversity in higher education, she has published and spoken widely on education topics including college access and faculty and student diversity. Marcela graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Sociology and Spanish, an MA in Sociology, and a PhD in Education.

Stanley Onuoha is the director of parent and international philanthropy (West Coast and Asia) at Emerson College. He is a native Bostonian and former founder and managing partner at Fruition Consulting. Stanley draws on his career as a portfolio manager and corporate banker at BMO Capital Markets, RT Capital, and Bank of America to help organizations effectively manage risk and quantify impact. Additionally, he has served on leadership boards in a myriad of community-based organizations to develop fundraising strategies and philanthropic programming. He previously served as governance chairman for the Museum of African American History and as vice president of the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association.

Stanley has also served on the EdVestors School on the Move Host Committee and Seed Fund Panel, and he is a former coach for Junior Achievement of New England’s Business Academy. Currently, he serves as a board member for the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club and board trustee for Roxbury Prep Charter School network (Uncommon Schools). He is a proud graduate of Boston Latin, Morehouse College (Business Management), and Harvard University (EdM, Education Policy and Management). He brings his professional and educational networks, insights, and energy to the Boston University community.

Kelli Rafferty, MPA is the executive director of philanthropy and community engagement for the Mary & John Elliot Charitable Foundation and Elliot Health System/SolutionHealth in Manchester, New Hampshire. Kelli has nearly 30 years of nonprofit management, community health, and philanthropy experience. In her current role at Elliot Health System/SolutionHealth, Kelli provides strategic planning and leadership for the philanthropy programs of SolutionHealth, Elliot Hospital, and Southern NH Health. In 2020, she directed a successful capital campaign that raised nearly thirteen million dollars for the expansion of cancer services at Elliot Hospital, helping to open the Solinsky Center for Cancer Care.

She has previously served as executive director of the Genesis Foundation for Children in Boston and as the philanthropy officer at Baystate Health Foundation/Baystate Health, where she was on the leadership team for Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Baystate Health, Kelli was vice president for development at Easter Seals Massachusetts and held various roles during her fourteen-year tenure at American Cancer Society, including Massachusetts state vice president for development and national director of mission integration for the Relay For Life program.

Kelli received her BA in Politics from Saint Anselm College (Manchester, NH) and her MA in Public Administration from American International College (Springfield, MA).

Sam Sanker is a New Jersey native. He holds a degree in psychology from Harvard University and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law. He currently serves as director of development at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences and as president of the Planned Giving Group of New England.

Prior to his career in fundraising, he practiced law as a litigation associate in New York City. In addition to Tufts, he has spent time at Harvard Medical School and Wake Forest University. He oversaw the gift planning program at Harvard Medical School and designed and launched the planned giving programs at YMCA of the North Shore and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In his spare time, he enjoys music, literature, film, and art.

The majority of Morgan’s career has been in finance and software development in the Boston area. In recent years, she has been spending time focused on early childhood development. Morgan is an alumna of Boston College, having earned a BS in Management as well as earning a master of business administration.

Throughout her life, Morgan has been committed to nonprofits. She has held a number of volunteer roles, including as a mentor and buddy with the Walker School and with the elderly. This work has inspired her to seek out new ways to ensure that the organizations she cares about are supported and sustained.

As director of international advancement at Phillips Academy, Ellen shapes cultivation and gift development strategies for Andover’s top potential campaign donors from abroad and manages a portfolio of international principal giving prospects. She came to Phillips Academy after a long career in higher education at Harvard University and Boston College, where she held similar positions in international advancement. Previous roles include director of corporate and foundation relations, associate director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and admissions officer for Harvard College.

Ellen holds a BA in political science from Boston College and an MEd from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she focused on international education. Ellen is a board member of South Africa Partners, a Boston-based nonprofit organization focused on advancing health and education in South Africa. She is a past member of the Board of Trustees of CASE, where she was chair of the International Committee and the honoree of the John Lippincott Award for Global Advancement and Support of Education (2017). She was also the convener of the Advisory Council on Education of the Fetzer Institute, an operating foundation in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Frank White has been involved with technology and communications since the 1970s, with experience ranging from television production to cable television consulting to high technology public relations. He has been working in the field of development since 1994. Most recently, he worked in alumni relations and resource development at the Harvard Kennedy School. Currently, he is an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations with an emphasis on development communications. He is an alumnus of Harvard College and Oxford University.