A veteran of public higher education fundraising, Dondi Cupp serves as senior vice president of development at the OHSU Foundation where he is responsible for leading comprehensive fundraising activities and strategic philanthropic initiatives that support OHSU’s multi-faceted mission and advance a broad range of education, research, and clinical activities.    

Before joining OHSU, Cupp served as associate vice president at the University of Michigan, where he played a leadership role in the Victors for Michigan campaign, the first campaign at a public university to raise $5 billion.  At Michigan he led the national major gifts team and supervised constituency fundraising programs including annual giving, foundation relations, parent and family giving, student life, and the Business Engagement Center.  He also led the operations teams including finance and administration and talent management.  

Cupp came to Michigan from the University of Washington, where he led the office of corporate and foundation relations and advancement teams in the health sciences. He joined the University of Washington in 1999 as director of development for the sciences. While at the Washington, Cupp founded the Advancement Leadership Class, a comprehensive leadership development program for advancement staff. In 2012, he was nominated by his peers for the UW's David B. Thorud Leadership Award. In 2006, he received the Marilyn Batt Dunn Endowed Award for Excellence in University Advancement.

Earlier in his career, Cupp served as associate director of the Western Washington University Foundation and as director of the annual fund at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.   Dondi holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations.  He is a fellow of the Advancement Leadership Academy and a CASE Laureate.

Matt White: Matt White joined Utah State University in 2018 as the Vice President of Advancement and President of the USU Foundation. He is the chief fundraiser for the university, providing leadership and strategic direction for the university’s philanthropic endeavors. He leads the USU Foundation and provides direction to the USU Alumni Board, ensuring gratifying engagement experiences for USU’s stakeholders. He has worked in the fundraising field for over 17 years serving in various leadership roles. Matt received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville, his master’s and Ph.D. from Saint Louis University in Higher Education and Administration and Public Policy.

If it isn't in the database, it didn't happen! Proud USU alumna Rachel Richards joined the crusade for clean data in 2010 when she started in Advancement at USU. She is a fourth-generation Aggie who received both her bachelor's and master's from USU. A longtime member of CASE and Apra, she served as the President of Apra Utah from 2017-2019. She has presented at many conferences and is always happy to talk about the exciting work she and her amazing team of Development Officer Analysts are doing. 

Courtney has been working in fundraising for the majority of her career and currently serves as the Philanthropic Due Diligence Analyst II at MIT. She initially joined MIT in 2015 as a Sr. Research Analyst, first working primarily with the School of Engineering and later focusing on principal giving. She took a brief hiatus in 2019 to travel the country and rock climb, but returned in early 2020 as MIT’s second hire on their Philanthropic Due Diligence team. Prior to MIT, Courtney worked in various development roles and in prospect research at the Appalachian Mountain Club. In her spare time, you can find her climbing in the Rockies or trying to keep up with her Australian Cattle dog, Stanley, in the foothills of the Front Range. 

• Rishika Kondaveeti is a data scientist with more than five years of work experience in data analytics and quality assurance with alumni and constituent data. She develops custom data algorithms to match and aggregate data and analyzes data to generate trend and pattern analysis for prospect identification. Rishika is focused on solving data quality problems, effectively presenting actionable data insights to help advancement teams with alumni and donor relations. She holds an MS in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois-Springfield, where she developed a passion for data analytics. She was awarded the highest recognition by the International Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma.

• Theresa Voigt has over 15 years’ experience as a project manager for events and engagement strategies that identify and cultivate non-profit and donor relationships. Recently, Theresa has focused on technology, data, and operational solutions for alumni relations and development teams looking to measure the quality of relationships, engagement opportunities, and their associated data points. After gaining firsthand experiences as the frontline officer, the project manager, and the vendor client manager, Theresa is dedicated to helping more organizations gain access to quality automated enrichment and analytics. Theresa has a bachelor’s degree from Beloit College and is an Annual Fellow of the Development Leadership Consortium.

• Wade Longmire joined SSB five years ago after working for the Athletic Department at the University of Texas and the Ticket Office at the Tennessee Titans. Wade has experienced firsthand how data can be leveraged to drive engagement with constituents and achieve business outcomes. He currently oversees all of SSB’s Higher Education Business Development and partners with universities to identify institutional goals and to align those goals with data strategy.

• Dr. Caitlin Scarano is a writer and researcher based in northwest Washington. She was able to earn her undergraduate degree at James Madison University through a donor-funded scholarship program that provided financial assistance and a multi-level academic support network. Since that time, Caitlin has been passionate about student affairs and philanthropy and the connections between them. Caitlin holds a PhD in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an MA in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, where she worked in residence life and coordinated service-learning trips. She also holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Katherine joined Blackbaud in 2007 and since has tenured her role in helping clients across all non-profit sectors better understand their constituent data and donor trends. She actively engages with client teams to provide guidance on data-informed strategic fundraising efforts, revenue growth and promoting long-term file health through her action-oriented facilitation. Her customer engagements include those using enterprise data intelligence packages. 

Before assuming this role, Katherine served as the national director of major gift planning at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society home office, as a regional director of gift planning at the American Heart Association, as director of major and planned gifts at Colorado Public Radio, and was the annual fund director at Southwestern University School of Law. She raised over $200 million mission-related dollars during her 25-year career.

She also served as an affiliate faculty member at Regis University for their Masters in Global Nonprofit Management degree program for 11 years. Before entering the not-for-profit field, Katherine practiced law in Arizona, managed a state-wide high school law-related education program and coordinated the National High School Mock Trial Competition. 

Katherine is a past president of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable and is an active volunteer and advisor to a variety of organizations in her community and beyond. She is a frequent speaker at BBCON, NACGP, APRA, AFP, and other industry conferences.

Katherine holds an Independent Studies degree from the University of Northern Colorado and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence at Drake University’s School of Law.

Giuliana Bighi is an Assistant Director of Prospect Research at New York University, where she leads prospect research for the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and the university's Provost Initiatives. She also leads and manages the team's suite of prospect research trainings for development staff. Prior to NYU, Giuliana held prospect research positions at The New School and City Harvest. She is a member of Apra's Online Content Committee, and previously served as treasurer of Apra of Greater New York, where she also co-chaired ProspectCon 2019, the chapter's annual conference.

Sarah Balogh is an Assistant Director of Alumni Programs at NYU. She previously served as a Senior Research Analyst on NYU's Strategic Planning and Analytics team and chaired the Ethics and Due Diligence committee. Sarah holds an MPA in policy analysis and program evaluation from Baruch College and a BA in political science from Bridgewater State University. From 2018-2020, Sarah served as the Director of Programming and Communications for Apra of Greater New York, where her events were synonymous with high/low charcuterie plates and strengthening collaborations between prospect research and the advancement field at large. In her spare time, you can find her inhaling as many dumplings as humanly possible.

Megan has been working with UC San Diego Advancement since 2015 where she has worked with campaign operations, Corporate & Foundation Relations, and is now involved in both Prospect Research and Prospect Management. She currently serves as Chair of the Apra Ethics & Compliance Committee, and has presented at several conferences including Apra Prospect Development, AFP ICON, and CARA. Before coming to San Diego, she worked in El Salvador and Washington, D.C. where she worked in violence prevention and Latin American social justice nonprofits. Megan has a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and an MA in Latin American Studies from UC San Diego. 

Mary Kiolbasa is the director of the Research Projects team in the Development and Alumni Relations department at Vanderbilt University. This team identifies potential donors to Vanderbilt University, primarily determining the donor capacity of undergraduate parents. Mary manages other special projects and is a subject matter expert in public records research. 

Mary began her career with Vanderbilt in June 2015 as a research specialist. Previously, she was a research analyst in the executive intelligence division at HireRight (formerly Kroll Background America), an international background screening company where she performed in-depth investigations and case management. She held a private investigator license with the Tennessee Private Investigator and Polygraph Commission from 2012 to 2015.

Mary received a B.A. in creative writing and classics from Knox College and an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Erynn Sarno has more than a decade of experience in prospect development. As the Senior Director of Prospect Research at Mount Sinai Health System, Erynn and her team are responsible for building the pipeline for the health system’s $2 billion campaign. This is Erynn’s second campaign with Mount Sinai; she had been part of its first campaign which exceeded its initial goal by more than $500M. Erynn loves campaigns, and was part of the planning and silent phases of Northwell Health’s $1B campaign. She has also worked with international science and technology non-profits in China and the Netherlands, where she wrote grants, edited manuscripts, and researched potential donors.

Laura is a Prospect Research Manager at UNICEF UK and was the Data Protection Officer for the Researchers in Fundraising Committee from April 2016 to November 2019. She has spoken at several RiF and Apra events and is a member of Apra’s Ethics & Compliance Committee. 

Dustin joined the WealthEngine sales team in 2015 and rapidly became a key player, receiving several “MVP” awards for exemplary

customer service. Most recently he was named WE’s “Salesperson of the Year.” He has worked in a sales and account management capacity for a wide variety of organizations, from small startups to publicly-traded companies such as IBM, Sage, and Vocus. Most recently, Dustin served as Sr. Director of Sales with public relations & marketing software powerhouse, Cision. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and in his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, boating, skiing and motorcycle racing.

Eric serves as the Director of Nonprofit Client Engagement, overseeing the professional services department and focuses on successful usage, service delivery and strategic growth for WealthEngine’s nonprofit clients. A WealthEngine team member since 2010, Eric, along with our engagement managers, provide fundraising intelligence through data driven consulting, analytics and predictive modeling. His leadership, in implementing evidenced-based solutions, equips organizations to identify and prioritize the right people for the right purpose.

A native Southern Californian, Eric has been on the east coast (Washington DC and now upstate New York) for much of his career. While earning a BA in Sports Journalism from USC, he garnered All-American honors as a pole vaulter for the Trojans’ track team. Later, Eric went on to earn a MA degree from UCLA.  

David Garcia serves as Director of Business Development at Wealth-X, working closely to support key clients in the not-for-profit sector, including top advocacy groups, healthcare organizations, and universities. The focus of his current role is to help Prospect Research and Development teams achieve their goals and objectives by leveraging the relevant suite of services that Wealth-X offers.

David has a background in Research, Project Management, and Relationship Management, and prior to Wealth-X he worked for firms including Smith Barney, Guideline Research, Deloitte, and Capgemini.

Jayme began her career in development in 2008 at the Rutgers University Foundation, where she spent the next seven years, first in prospect management and then prospect research. She spent several years at Monmouth University as their senior prospect research analyst, working with the fundraising staff, university president, and top leadership. She has worked as both a volunteer and consultant for non-profits in the areas of research and writing. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University and a master of communication and information sciences from Rutgers University. She is a member of APRA’s Online Content Committee. Jayme joined The Helen Brown Group in April 2019.

Michele began her career in development in 2012 as a Development Analyst with the University of California, Berkeley Corporate and Foundation Relations team. She served as a Prospect Analyst at University of California, Davis and then as a Senior Prospect Analyst at the George Washington University. Michele is a member of NEDRA, Apra Florida, and Apra International and previously served as the Social Media Chair for Apra Metro DC. She received her BA in creative writing from Florida State University and studied higher education leadership at California State University, Sacramento. She currently lives in Tampa, FL with her husband and two children. Michele joined the Helen Brown Group in July 2018.

Lori Hood Lawson is the Vice President of Advancement Insights for UC Innovation, a CRM Solutions & Services company with extensive expertise in Salesforce implementations and building managed products on Salesforce for Higher Education organizations. Lori is also the Co-Founder of WorkingPhilanthropy.com LLC. Lori is a member of aasp, where she has served on the Prospect Development Best Practices Committee, and Apra, where she has served with the Florida chapter as a board member and as president. Lori volunteers with Apra through serving on the Ethics and Compliance Committee. She has served on the Body of Knowledge Committee and is a former chair and co-chair for the Ethics and Compliance Committee and Online Curriculum Committee. She holds a master's degree from The Florida State University School of Information and a bachelor's degree from Emory University.

Megan has been working with UC San Diego Advancement since 2015 where she has worked with campaign operations, Corporate & Foundation Relations, and is now involved in both Prospect Research and Prospect Management. She currently serves as Chair of the Apra Ethics & Compliance Committee, and has presented at several conferences including Apra Prospect Development, AFP ICON, and CARA. Before coming to San Diego, she worked in El Salvador and Washington, D.C. where she worked in violence prevention and Latin American social justice nonprofits. Megan has a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, and an MA in Latin American Studies from UC San Diego. 

Erin Osborn is the Prospect Development Director at Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. She started at the Foundation in 1997, working as a coordinator in a variety of departments, including planned giving, major gifts and special events. Erin has worked in prospect research since 2001.  She is a past president of Apra-Rocky Mountains and has presented for Apra, Apra-Rocky Mountains, AFP Colorado, AHP Rockies & Southwest and other groups like Community Shares of Colorado and the Aspen Development Group.

Ben Bromley is the Associate Director of Prospect Research at Virginia Commonwealth University, a position he has held since November 2019. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Director of Prospect Research, a Development Research Analyst at VCU, a State Records Archivist at the Library of Virginia, and a Public Services Archives Specialist at the College of William & Mary. He holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from the College of William & Mary and a MSIS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Adrienne Robertson is a Senior Prospect Research Analyst at Virginia Commonwealth University, a position she has held since March 2018. Prior to that, she was a museum educator at The Library of Virginia and Henricus Historical Park, as well as managing the lumber department at Lowes. She received a BA in History and Women’s Studies from Furman University and an MA in American History from the University of Richmond. She recently received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU.