Harrison Kobb

Director, Business Development

Wealth-X

Harrison Kobb joined Wealth-X in 2019 after working in non-profit fundraising for over 10 years. A majority of that time was spent as an international major gifts officer where he worked closely with deans, faculty and development staff to manage global revenue development and cultivate top-tier client relationships with both domestic and international donors. He has managed many volunteer committees and partnered with prospect researchers to build a strong portfolio of major donors.  

He brings his experience in the prospect research and fundraising space to his higher education and non-profit clients, helping his clients develop and refine their cultivation strategies when they are engaging with the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Maeen Shaban

Director of Research & Data Analytics

Wealth-X

Helen Brown

President

The Helen Brown Group

Helen is president of The Helen Brown Group LLC, a fundraising intelligence consulting firm based in Watertown, Massachusetts. She is co-author of the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers; the essential handbook (Wiley). Helen is a past board member and longtime volunteer for both Apra and NEDRA, and a frequent speaker for Apra and its chapters as well as other fundraising professional associations. Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the board of the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts & Manufactures (RSA) in London. Helen was honored to receive the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community in 2006 and the Apra Distinguished Service Award in 2017.

Catherine Flaatten

Director of Relationship Management

The George Washington University

Catherine is the Director of Research & Relationship Management at The George Washington University. Setting relationship management policy, procedure and protocol at the macro level for the division of Development and Alumni Relations, she works to enable fundraisers to reach new heights of success. Previously, Catherine served as the Manager of Prospect Research at Share Our Strength, a national organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States. Prior to that, she worked in prospect research at the BrightFocus Foundation and the National Psoriasis Foundation.

A regular speaker and author within the local, national, and international prospect development communities, Catherine serves as President of Apra Metro DC, Chair of the Apra Membership Committee, and Chair of the AASP Best Practices in Prospect Development Committee. Residing in Northern Virginia with her partner and their spoiled cat, Catherine spends her free time singing in the Alexandria Choral Society, providing pro bono fundraising consulting to the Alexandria Kinderchoir, and contributing to the DC Liberating Structures working group.

Catherine holds a BA in International Affairs and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health, both from The George Washington University.

Nicola Williams

Acting Head of Fundraising Intelligence

Cancer Research UK

Nicola works at Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the world's largest cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research and supporting the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors & nurses. At CRUK Nicola is currently Acting Head of Fundraising Intelligence responsible for prospect research, prospect and donor due diligence, database management, data analytics and performance insight & reporting, 

Prior to CRUK, Nicola was Research Director at The Factary, a UK-based prospect research and major donor fundraising consultancy working across Europe. Whilst at Factary, she consulted with a wide variety of clients from across the non-profit sector to ensure prospect development was used strategically to meet operational objectives, improve donor retention/relationships and to underpin income generation. She was also the lead consultant on GDPR and data protection. 

Nicola regularly speaks at events for CASE and RiF and has been a lecturer for the IoF’s Diploma in Fundraising in the UK. She also completed an MA in Philanthropic Studies at the University of Kent in 2018.

Chandra Montgomery

Director, Health Sciences Prospect Development & Co-Chair, University Advancement DEI Council

University of Southern California

Chandra Montgomery is a veteran advancement strategist and certified diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) speaker and practitioner. Her background in philanthropy spans academic medicine, higher education, public media, and social services. She currently serves as chair of Apra’s Advocacy Committee and is a member of Apra’s DEI Committee. Additional commitment to Apra includes service as Membership Chair, PD Conference Planning Committee member, Apra VA Board of Directors, Relationship Management Body of Knowledge Committee, and MARC conference volunteer. She is also a member of CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute 2019 Cohort. Chandra has presented on DEI and philanthropy topics for CASE, Apra NY, Apra Carolinas, Apra MN, and Meeting of the Minds West.

In addition to Apra, she is a member of AASP, CASE, African American Development Officers Network (AADO), Women of Color in Philanthropy (WOC), and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). Chandra is co-chair of the University Advancement DEI Council at the University of Southern California where she is the director of pipeline and prospect development for Health Sciences. Prior to USC, she led prospect development teams at National Public Radio and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Chandra holds a BA from Hampton University and is pursuing a master’s degree at USC’s Gould School of Law.

Chandra Montgomery

Director, Health Sciences Prospect Development & Co-Chair, University Advancement DEI Council

University of Southern California

Chandra Montgomery is a veteran advancement strategist and certified diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) speaker and practitioner. Her background in philanthropy spans academic medicine, higher education, public media, and social services. She currently serves as chair of Apra’s Advocacy Committee and is a member of Apra’s DEI Committee. Additional commitment to Apra includes service as Membership Chair, PD Conference Planning Committee member, Apra VA Board of Directors, Relationship Management Body of Knowledge Committee, and MARC conference volunteer. She is also a member of CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute 2019 Cohort. Chandra has presented on DEI and philanthropy topics for CASE, Apra NY, Apra Carolinas, Apra MN, and Meeting of the Minds West.

In addition to Apra, she is a member of AASP, CASE, African American Development Officers Network (AADO), Women of Color in Philanthropy (WOC), and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). Chandra is co-chair of the University Advancement DEI Council at the University of Southern California where she is the director of pipeline and prospect development for Health Sciences. Prior to USC, she led prospect development teams at National Public Radio and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Chandra holds a BA from Hampton University and is pursuing a master’s degree at USC’s Gould School of Law.

Tarek ElChaarani

Director of Annual Giving & Business Intelligence

McGill University

Tarek ElChaarani is the Director of Annual Giving & Business Intelligence at McGill University, a relatively unique position that sits in two distinct departments (Annual Giving and Advancement Operations). He is currently responsible for the strategic conception and day-to-day management of McGill’s Annual Giving program, as well as the development, implementation and oversight of a comprehensive analytics and performance management program to support the strategic information needs of the various units within University Advancement. Tarek began his advancement career at McGill in 2008 and has held a variety of roles within Annual Giving and Business Intelligence since then, including those of a Phonathon Manager, Leadership Officer and BI Analyst. He earned his BSc from McGill University followed by his MBA from Concordia University.

Erika Jordan

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni Relations & Constituent Engagement

University of California Irvine

As the assistant vice chancellor, alumni relations & constituent engagement, Erika Jordan serves as the chief alumni relations and engagement officer for the campus and plays a key role in providing leadership and strategic guidance to the Engagement & Annual Programs, UCI Alumni Association, alumni relations and Health Advancement pipeline. She is responsible for the overall management of the UCI Alumni Association, campuswide annual giving, Chancellor’s Club, the Parent Development & Engagement program, the Reunions program and leadership annual giving which includes a frontline team of gift officers. Prior to this role, Erika served as executive director, Engagement & Annual Programs and sr. executive director, alumni relations, Engagement & Annual Programs. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Howard University and executive masters in leadership from USC.

Jennifer MacCormack

Senior Director of Annual Philanthropy and Advancement Analytics

University of Washington

Jennifer MacCormack is the Senior Director of Annual Philanthropy and Advancement Analytics at the University of Washington. In her role, Jennifer is responsible for building strategies that lead to a robust base of philanthropic support and pipeline growth, bring data and analytical insights into fundraising and engagement decision making, and transform the way we build meaningful relationships with our constituents through digital pathways. Jennifer has worked more than 15 years in fundraising, prospect development and analytics. She served on the Board of Directors for Apra and has volunteered with CASE, AFP and Annual Giving Directors Consortium.

Astria L. Smith

Senior Executive Director for Annual Giving and Alumni Relations

Southern Methodist University

Astria L. Smith is the Senior Executive Director for Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at SMU. She provides strategic leadership and direction for efforts that engage, solicit and steward SMU alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends. Her role allows her to integrate several areas of passion and expertise, including front-line fundraising, annual giving stewardship, multi-channel direct marketing, volunteer management and alumni engagement. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and master’s degrees from both Amberton University and SMU. She began her development career at Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, TX before joining SMU in 2007. As a compliment to her 16 years in the development field, Astria shares her fundraising knowledge by volunteering in the community and has served as a presenter for several networks including CASE and AGN.

Sarah Clough

Consultant

Marts & Lundy

Sarah Clough is a consultant with Marts & Lundy. Her unique background fuses philanthropy, relationship management, data analysis, process improvement, strategic planning and change management. Prior to returning to Marts & Lundy in 2020, Sarah was vice president with a national thought-leader on integrated marketing, partnering with higher education institutions to position their brands to differentiate themselves from competitors, develop marketing strategies to generate interest from target audiences and position programs in ways that positively impact outcomes. Sarah attended Cornell College (B.Mus.) and Boston University (M.S.). She has served on several boards, including the Apra Great Plains board of directors, and is a volunteer member of her local rural ambulance service as a certified Advanced EMT.

Dexter Bailey

Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Dexter A. Bailey Jr. is a fundraising executive with over 25 years of experience. During his career, he has successfully managed development and alumni relations programs at Stony Brook University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, University of California at Berkeley, University of Washington and Ohio University. Dexter is recipient of the 2019 CASE Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Award. Prior to joining Caltech in July 2019, Dexter served for 8+ years as senior vice president for advancement at Stony Brook University and executive director of the Stony Brook Foundation (501c3). He earned a BS in journalism from the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and an MBA from the University of Toledo.

Misa Lobato

Director of Prospect Management and Analytics

Rhode Island School of Design

Milagro “Misa” Lobato is the Director of Prospect Management and Analytics at the Rhode Island School of Design. She is also the President of Apra. She has served on the Apra board since 2016 and held leadership roles in governance, conference planning and membership. Previously, Misa was the Assistant Vice President of Advancement Strategy and Annual Giving at the University of Colorado, where she worked in Advancement for over 13 years. She has a degree in Ethnic Studies and English Literature from the University of Colorado.  

Nancy E. Peterman

Partner

Alexander Haas

Nancy E. Peterman, as Partner, assists universities, schools, healthcare, animal welfare and religious organizations to achieve results and pursue their missions. Nancy served as President of the Georgia State University Foundation and Vice President for University Development for ten years prior to becoming a consultant. Before her tenure at Georgia State, she served as Executive Director of the Old Dominion University Educational and Intercollegiate Foundations. Nancy has also served as President of the DePaul Health Foundation, as Director of Development for Marist School in Atlanta, and as Senior Executive Consultant for the Kellogg Organization. She has been in the development field for more than 25 years, with considerable experience in institutionally related foundations and sixteen years of foundation management experience. Nancy is a graduate of the University of Virginia, with graduate work in business at Old Dominion University.

Beverly Brooks Thompson

Managing Director

Carter

Beverly Brooks Thompson holds a Doctorate in Human Resource Development specializing in Organizational Leadership with more than 20 years of fundraising campaign experience. Her fundraising counsel focuses on major and mega gift strategies, leadership coaching, campaign counsel and readiness, capacity building and organizational assessment. Beverly combines proven advancement principles and fundraising best practices with innovative, custom-tailored strategies to assist clients in realizing their philanthropic goals. Beverly has been licensed as a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), is a Certified Advisor in 21/64 Next Generation Family Wealth and is a Master Trainer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In addition, she is serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Valdry Center of Philanthropy at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.