Nonprofit Summit Agenda
Nonprofit Summit Agenda May 2, 2024
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta
*The below agenda is subject to change
8:30 – 9:15 Registration and Networking
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta (Banquet Hall)
9:15 – 9:30 Welcome
9:30 – 10:30 Panel Session
Diversifying Resources
Moderated by: Shell Berry, President and CEO, Community Foundation for the CSRA
David A. Jackson, AVP, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Vetia Searcy, Business Strategist & Tax Credit Consultant, IVS Advisors; Phil Wahl, President, Security Federal Bank; Hawthorne Welcher, Jr., Director, Augusta Housing & Community Development
David A. Jackson
David A. Jackson is an assistant vice president on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s community and economic development (CED) team with a focus on affordable housing, community economic development finance and community engagement. Prior to joining the Atlanta Fed, Jackson was deputy executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, where he helped underserved communities participate in economic opportunities presented by the BeltLine. Previously, Jackson served as a visiting adviser with the Atlanta Fed, executive director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and president and chief executive officer of the Center for Working Families in Atlanta. He also held positions at the One Economy Corporation, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and Enterprise Community Partners. Jackson holds a BS in architecture from New York Institute of Technology, an MBA from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and he has completed a Fannie Mae Foundation fellowship at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is a lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology and serves on the boards of Mercy Housing, Food Well Alliance, and Georgia State University’s Honors College.
Vetia Searcy
Vetia Searcy is the Founder and Principal of ILS Corporate Services, LLC (est. 2005) and IVS Advisors, harnessing over 20 years of experience in corporate, finance and real estate transactions. She holds a unique industry perspective having worked on all three sides of New Markets Tax Credits transactions. As a CDE Consultant, Ms. Searcy supervised preparation of 4 successful NMTC award applications, closed on over $267MM in NMTC transactions, managed compliance procedures and sourced allocation for national and local CDEs. As VP of Community Development Tax Credits at JPMorgan Chase, she was responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and closing on over $200MM in NMTC transactions.
Currently, as a Project Consultant, she uses her unique skills and perspective to guide CEOs, CFOs and Project Managers through the NMTC closing process. She specializes in sourcing allocation for rural and underserved communities, specifically targeting allocation for projects in targeted states in the Southeast and the Midwest. Ms. Searcy is a graduate of Columbia College/Columbia University. She is an active participant in NMTC panel presentations and introductory sessions throughout the country.
Phil Wahl
Phil Wahl is a 38-year veteran banker in Augusta, GA. He is a 1987 graduate of Augusta University’s Hull College of Business and has served in several management capacities during his banking career in the Augusta Area, including Branch Manager, Private Banking Manager, Consumer Banking Manager, Business Banking Manager, and Market President. He is President of Security Federal Bank, a $1.5B publicly traded community bank with 19 locations in SC and GA.
Hawthorne Welcher, Jr.
Hawthorne Welcher Jr., an award winning community leader and businessman, has committed the last 20 years of his life to empowering, educating and creating opportunities for residents and small businesses in and around Augusta. As Director of the Augusta Housing & Community Development Department, he is responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of federal, state and local funds benefitting the underserved, business and nonprofit communities in the Augusta-Richmond County area of GA.
An Augusta native, Hawthorne is a proud graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and Morehouse College.
10:30 – 11:45 Keynote
Building Blocks – Affordable Housing: Stats, Facts and What it Means for You
Mike Alexander, COO and Mike Carnathan, Researcher, Atlanta Regional Commission
Mike Alexander
Mike Alexander is the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlanta Regional Commission, managing the Community Development, Natural Resources, Research and Analytics, Transportation Planning, Mobility Services, Aging and Independence Services, Workforce Development, and Homeland Security Departments of the ARC. Mike has over 20 years of public policy experience focused on regional and local community planning. As the COO, he leads this multidisciplinary, professional staff in the fields of transportation planning, environmental planning, community and workforce development, economics, aging services, and demographic forecasting.
He is a graduate of the ARC Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership DeKalb, and Leadership Atlanta. Originally from South Carolina, Mike attended Auburn University where he received a dual Master’s degree in Public Administration and Community Planning. He served as a Marine Infantryman in Desert Storm.
Mike Carnathan
Mike Carnathan is the Manager of the Research & Analytics Department at the Atlanta Regional Commission and is one of the founders of Neighborhood Nexus, which is a community intelligence system for the Atlanta region, providing data, tools and expertise as a catalyst to create opportunity for all of the region’s citizens. The goal is to foster a data-driven decision-making culture in the Atlanta region and beyond. Mike oversees the compilation of thousands of variables and indicators that tell the data story about the Atlanta region. And story-telling is key. One of Mike’s chief challenges is to help community groups tell their story better through a data-driven approach.
Mike has worked with numerous community groups, including the Annie E Casey Foundation, Families First, United Way, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, along with a host of statewide and local education agencies and other community groups to help them better understand the neighborhoods in which they work.
11:45 – 12:00 Sponsor Networking Break
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch & Presentation
Purpose Built Communities
Evan Smith and Alex Wiggins
Evan Smith
Evan Smith is VP, Network Member Success at Purpose Built Communities where he provides consulting and technical assistance to local leaders implementing a proven neighborhood revitalization strategy designed to create a healthy, mixed-income neighborhood with pathways to prosperity for the lowest-income families.
Prior to Purpose Built, he worked as an educator. As a teacher, he led his students to achieve significant academic progress. As a manager at Teach For America, he developed and led professional development efforts, on both a regional and national level, to increase classroom rigor and student achievement. While working as a manager in the Teach For America – Rio Grande Valley office, he created and championed an alternative goal-setting methodology that was adopted by the other Texas regions. He began his career as a 7th grade math teacher and soccer coach in Edcouch, Texas.
Born and raised in LaBelle, Florida, Evan loves outdoor adventures.
Alexandra Wiggins
Alexandra Wiggins supports current Network Members and assists new prospects as Vice President, Network Member Success for Purpose Built Communities. Alex is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor as well as a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law.
Prior to entering law school, Alexandra was a Metro Atlanta Teach for America (TFA) corps member where she spent two years as an elementary educator with a Fulton County Charter School. She served as grade level chair and was selected as a national TFA first year corps member case study for excellence in teaching. Her passion for education and the desire to mandate high quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors led her to explore education law and policy, specifically the constitutionality of educational gerrymandering and halting additional forms of educational segregation.
1:15 – 1:25 Sponsor Networking Break
1:30 – 2:45 Breakout Session 1
2:45 – 3:00 Sponsor Networking Break
3:00 – 4:15 Breakout Session 2
4:20 – 5:00 Closing Keynote
From Data to Impact: Harnessing ALICE to Create Lasting Community Change
Brittany Burnett, President and CEO, United Way of the CSRA
Brittany Burnett
Brittany joined United Way of the CSRA in July 2018 and has more than 20 years of non-profit experience. She is a Cum Laude graduate of Furman University with a BA in Business Administration and Communication Studies and earned her MBA from Georgia State University.
Prior to her non-profit experience, Brittany worked in sales and support for Cyrolife and Xerox. She joined United Way of Greater Atlanta in 2003, and during her 11 years there, she managed the workplace giving campaigns and helped raised more than $926 million for the greater Atlanta area. She then worked for a United Way partner agency, CHRIS 180, in Atlanta for 3 years and served as the Vice President of Development.
Since joining United Way of the CSRA, she led the organization in launching Leading Families Forward the organization’s initiative to focus on the most critical needs in the community as well as FOCUS45, focused on young professionals. Most recently, the organization led a massive rent and utilities assistance program which prevented over 2,500 families from eviction.
Outside the office, she is heavily involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta. Brittany and her husband, Jeff, have two children.
May 2, 2024
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta
*The below agenda is subject to change
8:30 – 9:15 Registration and Networking
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta (Banquet Hall)
9:15 – 9:30 Welcome
9:30 – 10:30 Panel Session
Diversifying Resources
Moderated by: Shell Berry, President and CEO, Community Foundation for the CSRA
David A. Jackson, AVP, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Vetia Searcy, Business Strategist & Tax Credit Consultant, IVS Advisors; Phil Wahl, President, Security Federal Bank; Hawthorne Welcher, Jr., Director, Augusta Housing & Community Development
David A. Jackson is an assistant vice president on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s community and economic development (CED) team with a focus on affordable housing, community economic development finance and community engagement. Prior to joining the Atlanta Fed, Jackson was deputy executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, where he helped underserved communities participate in economic opportunities presented by the BeltLine. Previously, Jackson served as a visiting adviser with the Atlanta Fed, executive director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and president and chief executive officer of the Center for Working Families in Atlanta. He also held positions at the One Economy Corporation, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and Enterprise Community Partners. Jackson holds a BS in architecture from New York Institute of Technology, an MBA from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and he has completed a Fannie Mae Foundation fellowship at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is a lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology and serves on the boards of Mercy Housing, Food Well Alliance, and Georgia State University’s Honors College.
Vetia Searcy
Vetia Searcy is the Founder and Principal of ILS Corporate Services, LLC (est. 2005) and IVS Advisors, harnessing over 20 years of experience in corporate, finance and real estate transactions. She holds a unique industry perspective having worked on all three sides of New Markets Tax Credits transactions. As a CDE Consultant, Ms. Searcy supervised preparation of 4 successful NMTC award applications, closed on over $267MM in NMTC transactions, managed compliance procedures and sourced allocation for national and local CDEs. As VP of Community Development Tax Credits at JPMorgan Chase, she was responsible for originating, underwriting, structuring and closing on over $200MM in NMTC transactions.
Currently, as a Project Consultant, she uses her unique skills and perspective to guide CEOs, CFOs and Project Managers through the NMTC closing process. She specializes in sourcing allocation for rural and underserved communities, specifically targeting allocation for projects in targeted states in the Southeast and the Midwest. Ms. Searcy is a graduate of Columbia College/Columbia University. She is an active participant in NMTC panel presentations and introductory sessions throughout the country.
Phil Wahl
Phil Wahl is a 38-year veteran banker in Augusta, GA. He is a 1987 graduate of Augusta University’s Hull College of Business and has served in several management capacities during his banking career in the Augusta Area, including Branch Manager, Private Banking Manager, Consumer Banking Manager, Business Banking Manager, and Market President. He is President of Security Federal Bank, a $1.5B publicly traded community bank with 19 locations in SC and GA.
Hawthorne Welcher, Jr.
Hawthorne Welcher Jr., an award winning community leader and businessman, has committed the last 20 years of his life to empowering, educating and creating opportunities for residents and small businesses in and around Augusta. As Director of the Augusta Housing & Community Development Department, he is responsible for overseeing the planning and implementation of federal, state and local funds benefitting the underserved, business and nonprofit communities in the Augusta-Richmond County area of GA.
An Augusta native, Hawthorne is a proud graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and Morehouse College.
10:30 – 11:45 Keynote
Building Blocks – Affordable Housing: Stats, Facts and What it Means for You
Mike Alexander, COO and Mike Carnathan, Researcher, Atlanta Regional Commission
Mike Alexander
Mike Alexander is the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlanta Regional Commission, managing the Community Development, Natural Resources, Research and Analytics, Transportation Planning, Mobility Services, Aging and Independence Services, Workforce Development, and Homeland Security Departments of the ARC. Mike has over 20 years of public policy experience focused on regional and local community planning. As the COO, he leads this multidisciplinary, professional staff in the fields of transportation planning, environmental planning, community and workforce development, economics, aging services, and demographic forecasting.
He is a graduate of the ARC Regional Leadership Institute, Leadership DeKalb, and Leadership Atlanta. Originally from South Carolina, Mike attended Auburn University where he received a dual Master’s degree in Public Administration and Community Planning. He served as a Marine Infantryman in Desert Storm.
Mike Carnathan
Mike Carnathan is the Manager of the Research & Analytics Department at the Atlanta Regional Commission and is one of the founders of Neighborhood Nexus, which is a community intelligence system for the Atlanta region, providing data, tools and expertise as a catalyst to create opportunity for all of the region’s citizens. The goal is to foster a data-driven decision-making culture in the Atlanta region and beyond. Mike oversees the compilation of thousands of variables and indicators that tell the data story about the Atlanta region. And story-telling is key. One of Mike’s chief challenges is to help community groups tell their story better through a data-driven approach.
Mike has worked with numerous community groups, including the Annie E Casey Foundation, Families First, United Way, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, along with a host of statewide and local education agencies and other community groups to help them better understand the neighborhoods in which they work.
11:45 – 12:00 Sponsor Networking Break
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch & Presentation
Purpose Built Communities
Evan Smith and Alex Wiggins
Evan Smith
Evan Smith is VP, Network Member Success at Purpose Built Communities where he provides consulting and technical assistance to local leaders implementing a proven neighborhood revitalization strategy designed to create a healthy, mixed-income neighborhood with pathways to prosperity for the lowest-income families.
Prior to Purpose Built, he worked as an educator. As a teacher, he led his students to achieve significant academic progress. As a manager at Teach For America, he developed and led professional development efforts, on both a regional and national level, to increase classroom rigor and student achievement. While working as a manager in the Teach For America – Rio Grande Valley office, he created and championed an alternative goal-setting methodology that was adopted by the other Texas regions. He began his career as a 7th grade math teacher and soccer coach in Edcouch, Texas.
Born and raised in LaBelle, Florida, Evan loves outdoor adventures.
Alexandra Wiggins
Alexandra Wiggins supports current Network Members and assists new prospects as Vice President, Network Member Success for Purpose Built Communities. Alex is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor as well as a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law.
Prior to entering law school, Alexandra was a Metro Atlanta Teach for America (TFA) corps member where she spent two years as an elementary educator with a Fulton County Charter School. She served as grade level chair and was selected as a national TFA first year corps member case study for excellence in teaching. Her passion for education and the desire to mandate high quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors led her to explore education law and policy, specifically the constitutionality of educational gerrymandering and halting additional forms of educational segregation.
1:15 – 1:25 Sponsor Networking Break
1:30 – 2:45 Breakout Session 1
2:45 – 3:00 Sponsor Networking Break
3:00 – 4:15 Breakout Session 2
4:20 – 5:00 Closing Keynote
From Data to Impact: Harnessing ALICE to Create Lasting Community Change
Brittany Burnett, President and CEO, United Way of the CSRA
Brittany Burnett
Brittany joined United Way of the CSRA in July 2018 and has more than 20 years of non-profit experience. She is a Cum Laude graduate of Furman University with a BA in Business Administration and Communication Studies and earned her MBA from Georgia State University.
Prior to her non-profit experience, Brittany worked in sales and support for Cyrolife and Xerox. She joined United Way of Greater Atlanta in 2003, and during her 11 years there, she managed the workplace giving campaigns and helped raised more than $926 million for the greater Atlanta area. She then worked for a United Way partner agency, CHRIS 180, in Atlanta for 3 years and served as the Vice President of Development.
Since joining United Way of the CSRA, she led the organization in launching Leading Families Forward the organization’s initiative to focus on the most critical needs in the community as well as FOCUS45, focused on young professionals. Most recently, the organization led a massive rent and utilities assistance program which prevented over 2,500 families from eviction.
Outside the office, she is heavily involved with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta. Brittany and her husband, Jeff, have two children.
Breakout Session One Topics Click on the plus sign beside each breakout session topic to learn more.
Burnout is a pervasive form of stress that is directly tied to work, and instances of burnout are on the rise, leading to reduced productivity and increased turnover. Together, we can stop it in its tracks. Learn how to jumpstart a cultural shift to support employees and prevent burnout long-term.
Recommended for the Executive Track
Janice Jackson
Mrs. Jackson is Principal of Janice Allen Jackson and Associates, LLC, where she provides management consulting services to local government and non-profit organizations. She has served as Administrator of the consolidated Augusta, GA government, Assistant County Manager of Mecklenburg County, NC, and City Manager of Albany, GA.
A native Augustan, Mrs. Jackson graduated from the Academy Of Richmond County, the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and Duke University.
Since March 2020, she has hosted the Local Matters radio show and Podcast. Local Matters is designed to build citizen engagement and to help listeners more confident voters. You can find all episodes of Local Matters on her company website, JaniceAllenJackson.weebly.com, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Mrs. Jackson is an active member of the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, the Rotary Club of Augusta, and a Diamond Life member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Purpose Built Communities partners with neighbors and local leaders to create pathways to prosperity for all residents. Implementation of the Purpose Built model requires strong collaboration and strategic cross-sector partnerships. Purpose Built staff will share lessons learned and practical advice for “setting the table” in a way that encourages meaningful exchange and collaboration.
Recommended for the Programmatic Track
Evan Smith
Evan Smith is VP, Network Member Success at Purpose Built Communities where he provides consulting and technical assistance to local leaders implementing a proven neighborhood revitalization strategy designed to create a healthy, mixed-income neighborhood with pathways to prosperity for the lowest-income families.
Prior to Purpose Built, he worked as an educator. As a teacher, he led his students to achieve significant academic progress. As a manager at Teach For America, he developed and led professional development efforts, on both a regional and national level, to increase classroom rigor and student achievement. While working as a manager in the Teach For America – Rio Grande Valley office, he created and championed an alternative goal-setting methodology that was adopted by the other Texas regions. He began his career as a 7th grade math teacher and soccer coach in Edcouch, Texas.
Born and raised in LaBelle, Florida, Evan loves outdoor adventures.
Alexandra Wiggins
Alexandra Wiggins supports current Network Members and assists new prospects as Vice President, Network Member Success for Purpose Built Communities. Alex is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor as well as a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law.
Prior to entering law school, Alexandra was a Metro Atlanta Teach for America (TFA) corps member where she spent two years as an elementary educator with a Fulton County Charter School. She served as grade level chair and was selected as a national TFA first year corps member case study for excellence in teaching. Her passion for education and the desire to mandate high quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors led her to explore education law and policy, specifically the constitutionality of educational gerrymandering and halting additional forms of educational segregation.
As a grant professional with at least a few grant applications funded, you have seen a variety of grant guidelines and requirements, so you understand the importance of 'how to write a grant application'. You have also seen the difference that grants make in your community. This session will help elevate your work as a grant professional to utilize intermediate-level skills for writing-related competencies.
Recommended for the Development Track
Tracie Parker
Tracie is a management consultant with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and grant writing. She has held VP and Director positions in both the nonprofit and corporate environment, responsible for multi-million dollar contracts. She launched Parker Consulting Group in Fall 2018. Her strength in problem solving has aided many small businesses and nonprofits in delivering significant, sustainable results in profit growth, employee development, and operations. Having worked in symmetry on numerous projects with Faith Edmondson and Ashley Ashe, owners of Gateway Grant Services, together they launched a new partnership in 2023, Insight Partner Alliance. This new endeavor creates a path for both companies to collaborate on large scale projects, offering a broader scope of expertise to their clients.
Nonprofit financial statements are essential for organizations as they provide an accurate and comprehensive overview of the organization’s financial health. Financial statements for nonprofits also provide transparency and accountability to donors, grantors, and other stakeholders, demonstrating that the organization is responsibly using its funds to achieve its mission. Accurate financial reporting helps to build trust and credibility with supporters, leading to increased funding and other valuable resources for non-profits. This session will help non-profit accounting professionals understand the most important nonprofit financial statements and how they can benefit your organization.
Recommended for the Finance Track
Michelle Bennett
Michelle is a graduate of Augusta University (1996) and joined SME CPAs in 2000. Where she continues to assist clients with both their tax and audit needs. She serves as SME’s Audit Quality Center partner for the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center. In addition to specializing in this audit area, she is experienced with the application of federal and state tax laws, as they relate to not-for-profit entities, as well as with the requirements of federal regulations relating to clients who receive government funding. She consults with clients on a variety of accounting and taxation issues.
Michelle is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Society of CPA’s and is a Past President of the Augusta Chapter. Michelle has served as a speaker for Augusta University, Georgia Society of CPA’s, Georgia Center for Nonprofits, and Lorman Education Services. Michelle is involved in the local community as a graduate of Leadership Augusta (2009) and serves on the Board of Directors for both the American Red Cross of East Central GA.
At the heart of every nonprofit is a story. More and more, it’s becoming an essential for nonprofits to not only articulate their story with powerful language, but market it in a way that makes people want to continue reading, eventually persuading them to take action. This engaging session will provide you with essential tips to get you started on your way to producing quality content.
Recommended for the Marketing Track
Heather Worthan
As Senior Content Producer (aka the team's resident storyteller and 'boots-on-the-ground' journalist) Heather focuses on telling the stories that showcase why Georgia is one of the best places in the nation to live, work and play. From web content to social campaigns, she is constantly pushing what's next. She's passionate about storytelling, crafting compelling content, and exploring the power of human connection.
Prior to joining Georgia Power, Heather served in various marketing and creative roles including Strategic Communications Officer for Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA). In that role she led the marketing team in its rebranding initiative of marketing collateral for print, social, and web. Before that, she spent years in restaurant marketing, working with Atlanta brands like Goldbergs, the Vortex, and Sweet Auburn BBQ. Heather is also a professional photographer and has owned a wedding photography company and a portrait studio.
Heather enjoys traveling, collecting records, and is a mother to three hilarious teens.
Breakout Session Two Topics
As a nonprofit leader, one of the most crucial responsibilities is to effectively engage your board of directors. The board of directors is responsible for ensuring that your nonprofit organization runs smoothly and achieves its goals. This session will provide you with effective strategies to engage your board of directors.
Recommended for the Executive Track
Janice Jackson
Mrs. Jackson is Principal of Janice Allen Jackson and Associates, LLC, where she provides management consulting services to local government and non-profit organizations. She has served as Administrator of the consolidated Augusta, GA government, Assistant County Manager of Mecklenburg County, NC, and City Manager of Albany, GA.
A native Augustan, Mrs. Jackson graduated from the Academy Of Richmond County, the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and Duke University.
Since March 2020, she has hosted the Local Matters radio show and Podcast. Local Matters is designed to build citizen engagement and to help listeners more confident voters. You can find all episodes of Local Matters on her company website, JaniceAllenJackson.weebly.com, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Mrs. Jackson is an active member of the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, the Rotary Club of Augusta, and a Diamond Life member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Impact is the difference your nonprofit makes: There's the work you do, and the results that flow from it. How do can you prove to someone the difference you are making? Now the nonprofit sector is focusing more on outcomes, rather than "outputs." This session will help you identify and use the building blocks. We will 1) walk through the "scary" terms, 2) hone in on the type of impact your program can prove, and 3) practice designing an outcome to connect with your impact.
Recommended for the Programmatic Track
Faith Edmondson
Faith, with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Augusta University, has worked in the private, education, and nonprofit sectors for over 15 years, fulfilling various roles, from Counselor to Assistant Director. Always seeing the big picture, Faith casts vision for Gateway, dreaming of better ways to serve our clients. In addition to writing and strategic planning, she enjoys teaching workshops on grant writing and doing presentations in the community related to grant funding.
Our spiritual director, Faith regularly leads prayer for us before meetings. She is a gifted writer who can make content say the same thing, only in 500 characters or less. As an Executive Director at her other job, Faith has a unique double view into the nonprofit space, using her experience to advocate for stronger organizations and the special importance of building a bought-in Board. Because of this role, she is the most qualified of the Gateway team to discuss funder relations and grant reporting.
When not writing, she can often be found with her hands flying in American Sign Language as her family plays at the park.
Great fundraising goes beyond simply raising funds. It requires a combination of strategy, empathy and creativity. It’s about building meaningful connections, inspiring others to join a cause and creating lasting impact. This session will help organizations focus on growth through a combination of strategy, storytelling and innovation.
Recommended for the Development Track
Remer Brinson
Remer Brinson is an entrepreneur and social impact consultant who helps entrepreneurial leaders scale social impact. He helps clients who are feeling unsure, stuck, or overwhelmed build and implement strategies to grow their business, nonprofit or foundation. Clients include World Relief, Michael Reese Health Trust and Soul City Church. Remer earned a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from Wheaton College and is an MBA-Candidate at Booth School of Business.
The greatest difference between a nonprofit organization and its for-profit counterpart is found in the bottom line. Everything else is the same, especially as you grow and expand. This session will cover insurance, human resources and facilities management to help you as you increase your impact and services.
Recommended for the Finance Track
Holly Quakenbush
Holly Quakenbush is a PHR certified manager of human resources with 10 years of experience in human resource/operations management and working within the intricacies of people management. Her background is best described as professional integrating HR compliance and best practice initiatives, with strategic business goals to ensure superior organizational performance and risk management.
Preston A. Moss
A graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and the University of Georgia, Preston is the President of Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance Agency Inc. He is a devoted husband and father of 4. Preston is deeply connected to our local community as a proud Eagle Scout and member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He currently serves on the board of the Augusta Polo Cup and as Vice Chairman of Legacy Risk Solutions. His past service to the local nonprofit community is insurmountable, through various posts with JDRF, the Augusta Players, Boy Scouts of America-Augusta Chapter, the Wounded Warriors Project, the Kroc Center, First Tee of Augusta and Imperial Theater to name a few.
Thad Sands
Thad Sands has over a decade of experience in higher education at Augusta University in the facilities department. Currently, as Environmental Service manager, he is responsible for establishing and implementing standards, guidelines, and other administrative processes to achieve proper management. His role is to effectively streamline supplies and equipment needed to facilitate needs for the University from the EVS perspective as well as staff development to reduce retention in the changing work force.
Prior to working in facilities at AU, he worked in the pest control industry for years in management/ consultant roles for multiple companies.
A native Augustan, Thad graduated from the Academy of Richmond County and Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Ga. He enjoys mentoring and volunteering throughout the community.
As a nonprofit leader, it’s likely that increasing awareness about your organization can be just as challenging as fundraising. While digital marketing and social media outreach can be effective ways to reach new audiences, gaining media coverage can be the key to promoting your mission, and consequently, engaging more supporters and donors. PR – the practice of promoting your organization through the media – isn’t just about crisis communications. Learn best practices from industry experts on nurturing relationships with the local media beyond a PSA.
Recommended for the Marketing Track
Cher Best
Cher Best has a successful 20 year multi-media career that includes co-hosting the #1 rated morning show in the CSRA – “The Fattz & Cher Morning Show” on 96.3 Kiss FM. She hosted “All Access” a weekend entertainment segment on NBC 26-Augusta for several years and is currently a columnist for the Augusta Chronicle’s entertainment magazine, “The Applause” and the Marketing/ Promotions Manager for iHeart Media (Augusta) where she supervises the marketing and branding for six radio stations.
Cher is not only a past Alumni of Leadership Augusta but now servers on their Board of Directors. She too serves on the Board of Directors for the Augusta Partnership for Children and the Wilson Branch Family YMCA. She is the founder and President of “Cher’s Sisters Only Club” – a women’s civic organization that focuses on meeting the needs of women and mentoring girls and a proud member of Abundant Life Worship Center.
Karen Gordon
Karen Gordon founded Garden City Jazz in 2003, while still a member of a smooth jazz band, with the purpose of presenting jazz in non-traditional settings. In 2020, after the onset of the global pandemic, Gordon shifted her focus to food systems/access and brought her creativity into social justice spaces. Since then, she has pivoted the Growing Augusta platform to develop a Black farmer co-op and acquired a small community newspaper, Urban Pro Weekly. Through those vehicles, she amplifies voices and connects community.
She deeply treasures relationships, as her formal education is in public relations. When asked what she does, more often than not, her response is that she meets great people and connects them with great projects.
Gordon is the wife of a retired United States Army officer, has three adult children and a tiny bodyguard, Scooter.
Jennie Montgomery
An award-winning broadcast journalist, Jennie joined the WJBF team in 1995 and has been anchoring the evening news since 1997.
Jennie is a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Augusta. She is very involved in the Augusta community through volunteer work with non-profits and foundations. Besides the Salvation Army, her community service has included serving on the boards of the University Healthcare Foundation, March of Dimes of East Central Georgia, and the American Cancer Society’s Trees for Life committee. She has also been a strong supporter of Women in Philanthropy for the CSRA and the Augusta Symphony Orchestra.
Jennie grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC with a BS degree in Psychology. She and her husband, Scott, have three grown children and welcomed a son-in-law into the family in 2020. They also have a couple of four-legged kids: a toy poodle named Ace and a cat named Stymie!
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