VAFRE 2013‐2014 Board of Directors Biographies

Lynne Berkness, Collegiate School – Returning Board Member Lynne Berkness joined Collegiate School’s Development Office in 1997 and is currently the Director of Stewardship. She also assists with the Centennial Campaign. Lynne is a Richmond native and a graduate of Collegiate School. She graduated from the University of with a BA in Environmental Sciences and was formerly employed at Dominion Virginia Power as an Environmental Specialist. Lynne is an 11 year breast cancer survivor and is also a licensed REALTOR in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She and her family are involved with greyhound rescue.

Cristina Cruz, VCU School of – New Board Member Cristina Cruz is the assistant director of development communications and special events at the VCU School of Dentistry. She has worked in development at VCU for three years and has a background in public relations and event management. She earned her undergraduate degree in public relations and Spanish from in 2006. She has put her language skills to use at VCU through teaching Spanish to faculty and staff as an adjunct faculty. Cristina looks forward to serving VAFRE and its constituents as a new board member.

Susan Early, Partnership for Families Northside – Vice President Susan Early is the Director of Development for the Partnership for Families Northside. She has over 30 years of development experience in a variety of sectors, including positions with the United Way, several hospitals and small non‐profits. During her 9 years as Vice President of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, she more than doubled VACR’s annual fund and guided its $6 million capital campaign to a successful completion. Susan has served as a member of the VAFRE Board of Directors since 2009 and is a past board member of the Central Virginia Chapter AFP. She also is a member of the Advisory Board of the ’s Institute on Philanthropy. Susan is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond. She has a BA from Goucher College and an MA in poetry from The Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars.

Betsy Wells Edwards, Preservation Virginia – Returning Board Member Betsy Wells Edwards is the Director of Development for Preservation Virginia. She has served as the Development Director for the ACLU of Virginia, Executive Director of the Virginia Fair Trial Project, President of Heron Hill Communications, Public Relations Director for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and the Indiana Public Service Commission, and as a marketing and PR manager for McGuireWoods LLC, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Majority Caucus of the Indiana State Senate. Betsy has been an adjunct professor in the School of Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University and is the author of Virginia Country: Inside the Private Historic Homes of the Old Dominion (Simon & Schuster, 1998). She holds a B.S. in Political Science and Journalism from Indiana University.

Tina Egge, Homeward and Effective Solutions – New Board Member Tina Egge is currently Director of Development for Homeward, a collaborative nonprofit whose mission is to reduce and eliminate homelessness. She is also President of Effective Solutions, which works with corporations and community affairs and nonprofits on fundraising, board development and volunteer management. For 15 years (1992‐2007) she served as President and CEO of Leadership Metro Richmond. Previously, Tina has worked in education at both the college and secondary levels. Most recently, she was the director of an academic skills program at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. She has taught in Roanoke, Fredericksburg, and Memphis Tennessee and was on the staff of Germana Community College. Currently Tina serves on the board of the New Community School. In the past, she has served on the boards of the Richmond First Club, the Virginia Volunteer Emergency Families for Children, Hanover Tavern, the Hanover Safe Place (a past president), the advisory board for the Metro Teen program operated by the YMCA, and an ex‐officio on the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce Board. She has been very active in the League of Women Voters and served as president of the Sherman (Texas) League from 1986 to 1990, a member of the Texas League of Women Voters Board from 1986‐1990, and a board member of the Richmond League from 1990‐1992. She is a member of Second Presbyterian Church. Among awards she has received are the Distinguished Leadership Award from and the Preceptors Award from the National Association of Community Leadership. She holds a B. A. in English from Bridgewater College (VA) and a M. A. in Liberal Studies from Hollins College (VA). She is married to Ned Moore and has two grown children.

Lisa Freeman, CFRE, E.L. Freeman, LLC – Returning Board Member Lisa Freeman is a consultant with over 30 years of development experience with a wide variety of organizations. Among other positions, Lisa served as the first development director of two organizations: Elk Hill of Goochland and Child Development Resources of Williamsburg. At the University of Richmond’s advancement office she served as assistant director of the $55 million capital campaign, director of the annual fund and director of special projects and gifts. For more than 8 years, she served as the founding executive director for a regional health care system in South Carolina. She is a previous member of the Walsingham Academy Board of Trustees and chair of the development committee, has chaired a fundraising effort for a Habitat for Humanity build and is a former volunteer Emergency Medical Technician. Lisa has served in a leadership role in a variety of organizations including AFP Hampton Roads, and University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy. In 2010 she won VAFRE’s Nina Abady Award, which is presented to a fundraising professional who has demonstrated utmost excellence in the field of development.

Dr. Jennifer Sager Gentry, Virginia’s Community Colleges and The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education – Returning Board Member Jennifer Sager Gentry currently serves as Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement at Virginia’s Community Colleges, providing leadership for private fundraising, governmental relations, and marketing on their behalf, and is the Executive Director of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, where she works with a statewide board of directors to generate awareness and resources on behalf of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Formerly, Jennifer was vice president and managing partner of The Clements Group, a national fundraising consulting firm specializing in community and technical colleges. Jennifer earned her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, her master’s degree in business administration from James Madison University, and her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College. She is a 2006 graduate of Lead Virginia, serves as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy, is a member of The Woman’s Club of Richmond, is a council member for her church, and has served on the VAFRE Board of Directors since 2011.

Loren Hatcher, Development Professional – Returning Board Member Loren Hatcher joined the Virginia Community College System’s Great Expectations program in April 2013, working as a development consultant to Former First Lady, Anne Holton. In this role Loren is supporting staff and volunteers during a $350,000 targeted fundraising campaign celebrating National Foster Care Month and jump‐starting the program’s fundraising efforts. Loren previously served as Branch Capital Campaign Director at the YMCA of Greater Richmond. She has over a decade of professional development experience with organizations including Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, Historic Richmond Foundation and . Her areas of expertise include annual giving, capital campaigns, strategic planning and volunteer management. Loren is an active volunteer with CASA’s Superhero Run and the Music Action Council of Friends Association for Children. A Longwood graduate, Loren is the recipient of VAFRE’s 2007 Rising Star Award.

Tim Heilman, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond – New Board Member Tim Heilman is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. BTSR was established in 1999 as a moderate Baptist seminary focused on training men and women to serve local churches. He previously served for three years at Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville as Director of Development and Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Saint Paul’s is a co‐educational liberal arts college. He has been able to secure transformational gifts of over $1,000,000 at both Saint Paul’s and Baptist Theological Seminary. Tim attended Berea College and is a graduate of the University of Richmond. He earned a fundraising certificate from the Institute on Philanthropy at University of Richmond. He has served on the University of Richmond Athletic Board and is active in his church, First Baptist of Richmond. He is the son of Dr. E. Bruce Heilman who served as President of the University of Richmond for over 16 years and currently serves as their Chancellor. Tim has two children and currently lives in Ashland.

Carol Anne Lajoie, YWCA of Richmond – New Board Member Carol Anne Lajoie, Senior Director of Marketing and Development for the YWCA of Richmond has been working for Richmond nonprofits for more than 13 years. She spent eleven years at the Virginia Historical Society, including the duration of the 175th Anniversary: Home for History capital campaign. She ended her tenure with VHS as grants officer in January of 2011, where she secured one of the last Save America’s Treasures grants awarded. That year, she moved to the YWCA as Director of Grants Management—a position she held both full time and freelance until November of 2012, when she moved into her current role at the YWCA. In addition to raising money for nonprofits, she also spends time volunteering and is an active hospital accompaniment volunteer for the Regional Hospital Accompaniment Response Team (RHART) collaborative with the YWCA, Safe Harbor, and Safe Place. In addition to her Bachelor of Science from VCU, she holds a Fundraising and Development Certificate from University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy. She has been volunteering with the VAFRE Program Committee since June of 2012.

Toni Maxey, Milestone Events, LLC – Immediate Past President Toni Maxey is the founder of Milestone Events, LLC, and was previously the Director of Development for Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, the state’s only fair housing organization. Since 1999 she has worked in various positions in the nonprofit sector, including grassroots advocacy, direct client services and program development. Toni assisted with the roll‐out of HOME’s development department in 2005 and, during her tenure, has focused on revising communication strategies, implementing donor‐centric strategies, developing a statewide volunteer structure, as well as building and stewarding donor relationships. Currently, Toni is putting the bow‐tie on a capital campaign which will launch a new social entrepreneurial program that will bring in revenue and serve as a national model for other fair housing organizations. She is a 2008 Emerging Non Profit Leader graduate and a member of the 2012 Leadership Metro Richmond class. Toni considers volunteerism vital and is very active in the community, including membership on Support One and YMCA’s board. She has served on the VAFRE Board since 2008.

Sarah Melvin, The Steward School – Returning Board Member Sarah Melvin has more than 20 years of experience in development, primarily in educational advancement. Currently she serves as Director of Development for The Steward School, where she has served in that role since 2005. She began her career in fundraising working for the American Pharmaceutical Association in Washington D.C, followed by the Georgetown University Medical School where she served as Assistant Director of Medical Alumni Affairs. Next Sarah returned to her native Richmond to accept the role of Director of Annual Giving at the University of Richmond. Her career path then took her to serve as Director of Development for her alma mater, Saint Gertrude High School, and finally to The Steward School. Since joining the staff at Steward, the Annual Fund’s totals have doubled, and she recently planned and executed a capital campaign generating $12 million for building, endowment and the Annual Fund. Sarah is a graduate of James Madison University.

Thomas Millisor, Virginia Union University – New Board Member Thomas P. Millisor is an accomplished nonprofit manager and fundraiser. Developing and successfully running multiple annual, capital and endowment campaigns, Mr. Millisor brings 12 years of project management, public relations and marketing knowledge to Virginia Union University. His mission focus has allowed him to take leadership roles in several nonprofit and grow their donor base through targeted marketing and technology enhancements. Believing in the need for strong communities, Thomas has focused his professional career on building strong organizations. Through board development, strategic planning and volunteer engagement, he has lead growth and change in each endeavor. Married with two children and two large dogs, Thomas enjoys rigorous pursuits of knowledge, music, and spending time with his family. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he recently completed his M.B.A. at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Alexandra Moore, VCU Development and Alumni Relations – Returning Board Member Alexandra Moore is the assistant director of Development and Alumni Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University. While she has only been in her current role for six months, Alex has been at VCU for nearly four years. Prior to her current position, she served as Director of Stewardship for VCU Athletics. She is a 2008 graduate of James Madison University and received her master’s in Sports Leadership in 2009 from VCU. In 2012 Alex was selected as the recipient of VAFRE’s Rising Star Award.

Jennifer O’Rourke, CFRE, ChildSavers – Returning Board Member Jennifer ORourke, CFRE, joined ChildSavers as Vice President of Development in January of 2012. ChildSavers provides comprehensive mental health and childhood development services that embrace the needs of children and those who care for and educate them. A former Peace Corps volunteer, she started doing fundraising to support her work with indigenous populations in Bolivia. Prior to joining ChildSavers, Jennifer has over 16 years of work experience in fundraising for organizations such as The Faison School for Autism, VCU Childrens Medical Center, Voices for Children, and the Shady Grove Family YMCA. Jennifer earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive designation in 2003 and is a graduate of . She has served on the VAFRE Board of Directors since 2009.

Kristina Preisner, Virginia Association of Insurance Agents & Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia – Returning Board Member Kristina Preisner started working for Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia in July 2008 as Education Marketing Coordinator. In February 2010, Kristina was promoted to the position of Executive Director of Virginia Association of Insurance Agents (VAIA) while remaining in the position of IIAV Education Marketing Coordinator. She is responsible for running IIAV’s non‐profit VAIA, overseeing IIAV’s Young Agents’ program, planning various networking socials, conferences and fundraising events, marketing and planning educational programs. Kristina has served on VAFRE’s Board since 2010, serves on the Jump$start Board and is a member of the Virginia Society of Association of Executives. She is a 2008 graduate of Randolph‐Macon College with a B.A. in International Relations concentrating in Business & Economics.

Nick Sollog, The Sollog Group – Returning Board Member Nick Sollog has been in development since 2003. His previous experience includes roles in prospect research and annual giving. In July 2009, Nick formed The Sollog Group to help charitable organizations meet their prospect research needs. In addition to his own firm, Nick is an Associate with Development Services Group Consulting, LCC and is a Capital Campaign Consultant with the Episcopal Church Foundation. Prior to becoming a full time consultant, Nick was the Assistant Director of Annual Giving at the University of Richmond where he was in charge of the their phonathon efforts. Prior to that, he served the University of Richmond as a Prospect Research Assistant where he worked with the Law School, Annual Giving, and Major Gifts on their research needs. He was a Phonathon caller for his alma mater Lynchburg College where he raised between $10,000 and $30,000 a semester for the Annual Fund. Nick is involved in the community both personally and professionally. He sits on foundation board of the MathScience Innovation Center, is a member of the Vestry and the Stewardship Committee at Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, and is a member of VCU's Massey Cancer Center's Massey Alliance. Professionally, he is a member of APRA‐VA and VAFRE and sits on both organizations boards. Nick was born and raised in Richmond, VA and just recently relocated to Charlottesville, VA. He graduated from Lynchburg College in 2006 with a degree in International Relations and has received certificates from the University of Richmonds Institute of Philanthropy in Grant Writing & Management, Fundraising & Development, and Nonprofit Marketing.

Dan Stackhouse, The New Community School – Secretary/Treasurer Dan Stackhouse has dedicated his professional life to not‐for‐profit organizations in the Richmond Region, both as an employee and volunteer. Dan has recently joined The New Community School as Director of Development. The New Community School is a private school on the north side of Richmond serving students in grades 6‐12, helping them overcome the challenges of dyslexia as they prepare for college and fulfill their potential. He most recently served as the Director of Development for the Library of Virginia Foundation, Virginia’s official repository of our shared history and culture. In addition to serving on boards and committees of many area not‐for‐profits, Dan has previously served on the VAFRE Board of Directors for seven years, including several years as the chair of the annual Awards Luncheon. He is a native of Baltimore and is a graduate of the University of Richmond.

Evelyn Terry, CFRE, Union Presbyterian Seminary – Returning Board Member Evelyn Terry, CFRE, currently serves as Director of Foundation Relations for Union Presbyterian Seminary, which is in the silent phase of a major comprehensive campaign. She brings more than 25 years of experience working in the field of higher education and non‐profit fundraising. Evelyn has served as an annual fund manager, director of development and director of corporate and foundation relations for various organizations. She has had the privilege of being part of four teams working on major campaigns and has helped in the areas of marketing/communications and fundraising. Evelyn holds two degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, a BS and MS in Mass Communications, specializing in public relations. She has been a CFRE since 2008. Evelyn is a native of Durham, North Carolina, and moved to Richmond after living in Atlanta, Georgia, for a few years. She has served on the VAFRE Board since 2011.

David Thomason, Special Olympics Virginia – President David Thomason, Vice President of Advancement, has enjoyed a 25 year career with Special Olympics Virginia. Prior to joining the development team in 2007, he held multiple positions on the program staff. He was instrumental in the development of the organization’s Global Messenger initiative, which promotes and enables athlete leadership and advocacy for the program around the world. In his current role as Special Olympic Virginia’s major gifts officer he builds relationships with and support of individual donors across Virginia. Since 2008, David has served on the Special Olympics U. S. Leadership Council. He holds a BS from the College of William and Mary, and has committed his entire professional life to non‐profit organizations—first as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, and then with the American Heart Association. Some of the boards which David has served in addition to his tenure with VAFRE beginning in 2010 are the Downtown Richmond YMCA, The Hampden‐Sydney Music Festival, Orthopaedic Research of Virginia, and the Greater Richmond Association of Volunteer Administration.

James Wasilewski, VCU Massey Cancer Center – Returning Board Member James Wasilewski, MBA currently serves as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Development Operations at VCU Massey Cancer Center and has been there since 2009. He shifted gears from a career in the world of higher education recruitment to pursue a position in development. He primarily facilitates the annual giving direct mail program at Massey and also delves into the world of data management and reporting for his office. He spends his “spare” time as the founding artistic managing artistic director and performer of West End Comedy ‐ an improvisational troupe in Richmond. James also conducts workshop sessions explaining the relevance and validity of improv concepts in a business environment. James earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting with a minor in Speech Communications from Randolph‐Macon College and his Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida.

Bruce Yoder, PhD, CFRE, YMCA of Greater Richmond – New Board Member Bruce Yoder joined the YMCA of Greater Richmond in 2001 and serves as the Director of Grants and Proposals. Bruce has directed both annual and capital campaigns at the Y. He has written for the national Y publication, Perspective. He earned his doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1997 and was awarded the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation in 2007. Bruce has presented grant workshops at NAYDO (North American YMCA Development Organization) and the University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy. He serves on the local board of Ten Thousand Villages. He is also an ordained minister, having earned his Master of Divinity Degree at Yale University.