Preparing Leadership for the Big Event: Prospect Research’s Planning and Partnerships Across Teams

Senior Specialist, Prospect Research, Humane World for Animals (formerly called the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International) 
 
Anna’s career in fundraising began when she joined Humane World for Animals, formerly known as The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, in August 2019. Anna develops detailed donor profiles, bios, and briefing materials that support leadership and frontline fundraisers in donor meetings, events, and major gift cultivation. She conducts comprehensive research to evaluate donors’ capacity, affinity, and inclination, and presents donor recommendations at bi-weekly assignment meetings to help guide portfolio strategy and strengthen prospect engagement.

Jennifer Liarakos joined the Philanthropy department at Humane World for Animals, formerly known as The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, in September 2023. She leads research efforts for the prospect development team by providing donor intelligence to leadership and frontline fundraisers in support of donor cultivation and solicitation activities, while supporting prospect discovery efforts and the team’s overall strategy. 
 
Jennifer has 15 years of full-time experience in fundraising and advancement services across higher education, secondary education, and animal welfare. Her areas of expertise include prospect research, program administration, leadership annual giving, and stewardship. She became involved with Apra’s Content Development Committee (CDC) and its predecessor groups in 2013. She served as vice chair of the CDC in 2024-25 and as chair in 2025-26.  
 
Outside work, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and their rescued senior toy poodle, Debbie, as well as other small-sized dogs they foster through their favorite local rescues.

Deputy Chief Development Officer for Research and Strategic Planning, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sharon joined The Met’s prospect research team in 2023 after serving as deputy director of development operations and prospect research at the Yale School of Management.  Her career in fundraising began with the Yale Office of Development in 2012 after over a decade of leukemia research.   She has been a director of APRA-Greater New York since 2022.

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Deanne Luna is the Assistant Director of Leadership Briefings at Caltech and serves as the primary point of contact for the development of donor and event briefings. She joined the Institute in 2017 as an assistant in Principal Gifts and transitioned to Advancement Services in 2019. 

With more than seven years of experience as Caltech's briefings writer, Deanne has developed a deep understanding of the information Institute leadership needs to engage effectively with donors, alumni, and guests. Following the appointment of Caltech's 10th president in July 2026, she has played a key role in supporting the leadership transition by refining briefing materials, documenting best practices, and training fundraisers to present critical information in a clear, accessible, and actionable format.

Tami has been working in fundraising operations for over 20 years and has been with Nuvance Health as a prospect research analyst for 6 of those years. Having tried just about every supporting role in fundraising from event planning to gift processing and database management, she found her real passion in prospect research and development. Before joining Northwell Health, Tami worked for higher ed institutions, cause-oriented organizations, and one grant-making foundation. She loves engaging with and learning from colleagues in the fundraising world, so please feel free to connect with her on Linkedin!