forward.

Jennifer Bledsoe is a non-profit fundraising professional living and working in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. 

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Jennifer works to bring over 13 years of experience from various non-profit organizations in the Washington, DC area, including Capital Area Food Bank, United Planning Organization, ASALH, ProInspire, National Children’s Center (NCC), Metro TeenAIDS, National 4-H Council, and various consulting projects. Through these opportunities, she raised millions of dollars in support through individual, corporate, foundation, government, board, and event fundraising. 

Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed her Master of Science in Administration in Organizational Management at Trinity Washington University. 

She has contributed to her community locally and nationally for many years, including areas of racial equity and injustice, natural disaster relief projects, HIV/AIDS education, teaching career-building skills, and serving as a youth mentor. Jennifer also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

Crystal Costello (they/them) is an experienced nonprofit human resources executive, most recently serving the AIDS Foundation Chicago as VP of Human Resources and Talent Management. Prior to the AIDS Foundation, they led human resources for the University of Chicago Law School and the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. Crystal's passion for ethical, compassionate, and creative human resources has spanned over 10 years in nonprofit human resources leadership across organizations in Chicago. Through their time in this work, they have developed considerable experience in building, scaling, and modernizing human resources systems.

They received their MBA with concentrations in human resources management and training + development from Roosevelt University, and they are PHR and SHRM-CP certified. Additionally, they are a certified mediator and career coach. Beyond human resources, Crystal is a passionate sexual assault advocate and certified crisis responder, having previously worked on-call and in emergency rooms with UChicago, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Resiliance.

Crystal will be located in St. Louis with their wife, two young children, and chatty Siamese. In their free time, they enjoy hiking through national parks and renovating historic homes.

Tim Slater joined the American Museum of Natural History as a Major Gifts Officer in 2023 to manage a portfolio of major donors and cultivate new prospects.

Tim is a data-driven fundraiser with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit development in Australia and New York. His experience spans museums, children's charities, medical research organizations, and volunteer roles at LGBT+ groups. After completing a Bachelor of Arts/Law, he pursued a career in development due to his passion for advocacy work that elevates social justice initiatives.

He previously worked at the Climate Museum as the Associate Director of Development—and is committed to enhancing a broad, accessible understanding of science.

Mr. Kiley has over thirty years of professional experience working in Washington, DC. An established leader in operational management for progressive causes, Kiley played key operational leadership roles for the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as well as for the Democratic National Committee during much of the 1990s. Kiley was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President for Management and Administration at the White House during the second term of the Clinton Administration and was instrumental to the early and successful growth of the Center for American Progress, a think tank in Washington, DC.

Kiley’s experience and strong management skills were recognized when he was asked to help lead the incoming transition team for then-President-elect Barack Obama in 2008. It was during the presidential transition that the incoming President asked Kiley to join his Administration as the Assistant to the President for Management and Administration at the White House, where he served from January 20, 2009, to January 20, 2013. 

As the Assistant to the President for Management and Administration, Kiley was in charge of overseeing all day-to-day operations of the White House, including finance and budget, facilities management, information technology, human resources, security, management oversight of the Executive Residence, and oversight of the Office of Administration, which provides enterprise services to all eleven components of the Executive Office of the President.  

Following his service during the first term of the Obama Administration, Kiley served as Chief Operating Officer for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where he managed the end-to-end finances, human resources, and field operations for the $200 million organization from January 2013 to 2020. Kiley most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for Radio Free Asia. Beginning in January 2023, Kiley will serve as the new Vice President + COO for AIDS United.

A proud graduate of Texas Christian University (TCU), Kiley resides with his husband, Jamie Coley, in Chevy Chase, MD.

Dr. Cardoso has 15 years of experience leading research on interpersonal violence, community safety, and health equity. Her work is conducted in partnership with global institutions, state agencies, and community-based organizations in an effort to generate evidence that informs equity-focused public health programming and policy. She brings this experience to her new role as Managing Director of Capacity Building at the HAVI.

Prior to joining the HAVI, Dr. Cardoso was a Deputy Director of the Office of Statistics and Evaluation at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). There she oversaw epidemiological work on a range of critical health topics and led initiatives with far-reaching impacts, including the Covid Community Impact Survey (CCIS) – MA’s first statewide research assessing the impact of the pandemic on marginalized communities. CCIS enabled not only a more equitable pandemic response but a more sustained focus on building equity into state data systems, an effort that will generate lasting improvements in health equity across Massachusetts.

Dr. Cardoso holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University, and a Bachelor’s degree in English from Brown University.

Originally from the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, Brandon Bryant (he/him) is a compassionate storyteller and fundraiser who brings over a decade of professional interpersonal relationship management experience through his roles in the fields of education, social justice, and community advocacy.

Brandon excitedly brings heart and passion to his new role as Gift Officer at the American Museum of Natural History, blending his love for educating students, promulgating increased awareness of world cultures and global citizenship, and championing fundraising for causes and institutions that mean so much to him.

He attended the University at Buffalo, where he studied Spanish and Theatre. Brandon most recently served as Individual Gifts Officer at God's Love We Deliver.

Brandon can be found enjoying any number of live music performances, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, exploring the world through YouTube, occasional travel, catching a Broadway show, and when he can, cozily relaxing at home.

Meredith Dean is a skilled fundraiser with nearly a decade of experience in museums and arts nonprofits. In her most recent role at The Museum of Modern Art, Meredith worked with major institutional, individual, and foundation donors to raise funds for MoMA’s special exhibition program, contributing to the team’s annual fundraising revenue goal of $15 million. As the new Major Gifts Officer at the American Museum of Natural History, Meredith is looking forward to supporting the institution’s work in science and education. 

Meredith earned her BA in Art History from La Salle University. In her free time, she enjoys floral design, cooking, and hiking. 

Angela brings nearly two decades of experience as a philanthropic advisor for high-net-worth families, a facilitator for multi-generational family offices, and administering private and family foundations.

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She has worked in several D.C.-based and international nonprofits to streamline and create strategies around fundraising and communications. These organizations have focused on amplifying the voices of young adults in the political process and expanding their economic opportunities, bringing clean energy to sub-Saharan Africa, and bridging divides + bringing people together on critical issues.  In these opportunities, she has managed the individual giving and family foundation portfolios, created strategic priorities, and guided the board and senior leadership through key fundraising opportunities.  

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Prior to her social justice work, Angela oversaw the philanthropic activities of high-net-worth families for more than15 years. As the administrative arm of a small D.C.-based organization, she engaged shareholders and liaised between foundation and financial components to align interests and values. She also worked to bridge the inter-generational gap in her office through meaningful dialogue and an understanding of both family and individual goals.

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Angela holds a B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Women’s Studies from Florida International University and an MBA from the University of Maryland. 

A Bay Area native and longtime Oakland resident, Terrence Riley is excited to join Hack the Hood as their next Executive Director. As a nonprofit leader, Terrence brings nearly two decades of experience working to advance the promise and potential of youth of color. He is excited to continue this work, reaffirming his commitment to education and social justice. As Executive Director, Terrence will bring a lens of innovation and collaboration to this work, partnering with the incredible Hack the Hood team to continue to be a resource for youth and young adults of color looking to enter the tech field.

Before joining Hack the Hood, Terrence served as Vice President of Programs for Aim High, the largest tuition-free academic enrichment summer program in Northern California. Aim High holds a special place in Terrence's heart as he was a student in the program in middle school. He later received his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Southern California, and his master's degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of the Pacific.

An avid and lifelong learner, Terrence participated in the sixth cohort of the prestigious Allstate Foundation's Non-Profit Executive Leadership Program at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and received a DEI certificate from the University of South Florida. Terrence was also a member of the inaugural cohort of Bridging the Bay, a cohort-based executive leadership fellowship for c-level nonprofit leaders in the Bay Area sponsored by the Golden State Warriors, Generation Thrive, and Coro Northern California.

Outside of work, Terrence enjoys woodworking, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife and two children at their home in Oakland, CA.

Samiya Bashir, called a “dynamic, shape-shifting machine of perpetual motion,” by Diego Báez, writing for Booklist, is a poet, writer, librettist, performer, and multi-media poetry maker whose work, both solo and collaborative, has been widely published, performed, installed, printed, screened, experienced, and Oxford comma’d from Berlin to Düsseldorf, Amsterdam to Accra, Florence to Rome and across the United States. Bashir is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Field Theories, winner of the 2018 Oregon Book Award’s Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry.  

Samiya’s honors include the Rome Prize in Literature, the Pushcart Prize, Oregon’s Arts & Culture Council Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature, and two Michigan’s Hopwood Poetry Awards among numerous other awards, grants, fellowships, and residencies. In addition to her books, Bashir has served as editor to national magazines and anthologies of literature and artwork. In 2002 she was co-founder of Fire & Ink, an advocacy organization and writer’s festival for LGBT writers of African descent with whom she worked through 2015. 

Formerly an Associate Professor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, Bashir worked to create, employ, and teach—both within and outside of traditional academic settings—a restorative poetics which can acknowledge the despair often bred by isolation and turn it toward a poetics of light and its potential for witness, for healing, and for change. Bashir, who took the helm as Executive Director of Lambda Literary in 2022, lives on the road in Harlem.

Mikah Barrueta was born and raised in Yucatan, Mexico. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Otterbein University. While in college, Mikah conducted various research projects, including an internship at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she conducted a research project on BIPOC involvement in scientific funding. After graduation, Mikah served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kampot, Cambodia. Mikah focused her service on reproductive and menstrual health education, and, alongside her community partners, she authored and implemented two funded grants to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions in her community.

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After her Peace Corps service, Mikah served as the Executive Assistant to the Global Executive Director of Equality Now, an international women's rights organization. In this role, she was the chief administrative support for the GED and a key liaison for the organization's leadership, staff, and board. During her time at Equality Now, Mikah was one of the founding members of the organization's Anti Racism Task Force, which aimed to ensure the non-profit policies and procedures were as equitable and inclusive as possible.

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One of Mikah's favorite quotes is, "You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time" by Angela Davis.

Gillian Power is an accomplished executive and legal technologist. Prior to joining us she served for over a decade as the CIO of an AM Law 200 firm. She has over 20 years in legal technology experience at four different firms ranging from a global firm, two regional firms, and a national firm. Prior to her career in legal technology, Gillian was a Doctor of Homeopathic and Naturopathic medicine in South Africa, the country where she was born and grew up.

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She is an active member in the legal technology community, having served for five years as a committee member—including two as a thought leader—for the annual International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) conference. Gillian was a recipient of an ILTA Distinguished Peer Award in 2011 for the area of server/operations, and was a shortlist nominee for the ILTA Distinguished Peer Award for IT Professional of the Year award in 2013 and the ILTA Distinguished Peer Award for Leadership award in 2014 and ILTA Contributor of the Year in 2020. She helped to chair and establish the ILTA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force in 2019.

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Gillian is a passionate advocate for DEIB and does regular public speaking on panels and individually where she tells her story of coming out as a trans woman in the C-Suite. She served on the board of the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, the UMKC Chancellor’s LGBT Council, as a mentor for the Stephen Metzler Mentorship program of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce. She also helped found Transfinity KC—a chorus for trans people and allies.

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Gillian received a master’s degree in technology from the Durban University of Technology in South Africa and an Executive MBA from the Henry W. Bloch School of Business at University of Missouri-Kansas City.

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Gillian lives with her wife, two daughters and mother-in-law just outside Kansas City. They live on some farmland, with four cats, one dog, and 16 chickens. Gillian and her wife are passionate about sustainable agriculture and are avid market gardeners, growing organic vegetables that they sell at a local farmer’s market on the weekend.

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Mia Legaspi-Cavin joined the Johnson Family Foundation in the summer of 2022 as its newest Program Officer.  In this role, Mia manages the Foundation's justice portfolio and will help build and shape a new fellowship program. Mia has deep experience leading systems change in collaboration with those most impacted. In previous roles, she has strengthened youth-adult partnerships and implemented healing practices in traditionally toxic environments. Mia firmly believes that communities closest to the problems have the solutions to change them.

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From 2019 to 2022, Mia worked on the Vera Institute of Justice's Restoring Promise Initiative. She helped shape the technical assistance strategy and partnered with incarcerated people and corrections staff to improve prison conditions and culture. Prior to working at Vera, Mia spent nearly five years with the Osborne Association as a program manager for the young adult mentoring programs. During her tenure at Osborne, she focused on building an empowerment model through the prioritization of leadership development. She also added an employment component to programming and organized city-wide peer leadership opportunities for young adults.

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Additionally, Mia has worked on a New York City-based action research project driving success via a partnership between young adults and the project team, holistically addressing systemic barriers. Mia holds a bachelor's degree in law, societies, and justice from the University of Washington and a master's degree in youth studies from the City University of New York (CUNY) and teaches a capstone course at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice.

Joe Foster began his career as a fundraiser over a decade ago at Roundabout Theatre Company. He continued onto LGBTQ+-specific causes beginning with Lambda Legal in 2012 as Liberty Circle Manager, moving onto positions as a Major Gifts Officer at GLAAD and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. 

Joe also managed his own fundraising consulting firm, JFo Consulting, and worked with clients like Housing Works and One Colorado. After relocating to Denver in 2018, Joe served as Director of Development for the Matthew Shepard Foundation before taking on the role of Vice President of Development & Communication at The Center on Colfax, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Rocky Mountain Region. 

Over the last two and a half years, Joe secured the organization’s first six-figure gift to fund the Transgender Services Program and led a team that produced the largest Denver PrideFest in The Center’s 32-year history, raising $1.5 million to support programs and services for LGBTQ+ Coloradans. 

During his time at The Center on Colfax, Joe also engaged with local law firms and legal professionals to provide services for community members. In addition, Joe served as spokesperson for The Center, where he pushed for local stories regarding support for LGBTQ+ youth and frequently discussed the consequences of harmful legislation in neighboring states. 

Joe was born and raised in the Atlantic City, NJ area, and holds a BA in Theatre Studies from Montclair State University and a certificate in Major Gifts Fundraising from NYU’s School of Professional Studies. Joe currently resides in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Denver, CO. 

John Roane is an accomplished nonprofit executive who specializes in building and continually improving organizational operations.

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After graduating from James Madison University, John transitioned to the Santander campus of Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo in Spain for intensive language study. He returned to his hometown of Richmond, VA, to launch a professional career at the Children’s Fund, where he began his specialization in nonprofit management, enterprise system development and implementation, and staff development. This experience led to an officer role with Suntrust Bank, having the responsibility of transferring traditional banking services to electronic delivering platforms, including ATMs, 24/7 call centers, and online banking. When John relocated to Washington, DC, he joined the staff of Councilmember Jack Evans and oversaw operations for the council office and mayoral campaign. John transitioned to the DC association community and served 17 years at the executive level, primarily in the role of Chief Operating Officer, for three associations:  Association of American Medical Colleges, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. John most recently served five years as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AIDS United.

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John enjoys leveraging his professional expertise within mission-driven organizations. He identifies leading the implementation of the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) for US veterinary colleges and transitioning AIDS United to a primarily virtual office with tremendous cost reductions as top professional achievements.

John has extensive volunteer experience that includes serving on three boards: Fan Free Health Clinic in Richmond, VA, and Us Helping Us and the Financial and Administrators Roundtable in DC, in addition to volunteer service to Food and Friends and Dog World Rescue.

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John resides in DC with his husband, two kids, and two dogs.

Lupe Jimenez-Pinto is a mission-driven, solution-oriented strategist, and nonprofit expert with a proven record of creating innovative educational experiences. In her previous role as Senior Director of External Affairs, Lupe returned to her alma mater, Perspectives Charter Schools, where, for a decade, she cultivated an organization-wide passion for social-emotional wellbeing and advancement. She worked diligently as an adept brand and marketing strategist while crafting thoughtful messaging and communications and was instrumental in the successful planning and execution of fundraising activities and community events.  She effectively built relationships with community partners, funders, city leaders, and elected officials to further advance the organization’s mission. She is skilled at navigating the political and philanthropic landscapes of the city, never hesitating to leverage her relationships to positively impact Chicago students.

As Ingenuity’s newest hire, Lupe brings her passion for equity in education, strategic thinking,  and a fresh perspective to continue advancing their mission. She will develop and support the organization’s strategic priorities, and above all, she will empower and expand the groundbreaking opportunities that they offer to schools and youth across the thriving city of Chicago.

Lupe graduated with a BA in Marketing Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations from Columbia College Chicago in 2006. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and children, and remarkably, she emerged from years of pandemic parenting even stronger and saner than before. When she isn’t developing cutting-edge partnerships or creating inventive educational experiences, you can find her with her family or enjoying a walk through our city’s many incredible museums.

Marco Chan (he/him) is a leader in strategic planning and project management – he has worked with cabinet-level officials, Fortune 500 executives, and nonprofit leaders in the U.S. and Canada to turn visions into strategies and concrete results.

 
Most recently, Marco advised Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry on the economic recovery and the greening of industry, including the design and investments of a multi-billion-dollar fund to green industry. His previous roles include advising mining and retail executives while at Bain + Company as well as leading on international LGBTI rights for the Canadian Prime Minister's Special Advisor on LGBTQ2 Issues. He holds a bachelor's in Romance Studies from Harvard College, an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Marco is excited to use his management background and lean into his long-time passion for LGBTQ issues at Lambda Legal. A newly minted New Yorker, he is excited to discover the city’s dining (spicier the better), coffee, visual/performing arts, and queer life. He loves to chat about francophone culture, travel, and good reads (especially queer, immigrant, and/or French works).

Demetri Sparks began his career in Washington, DC, helping to launch former President Bill Clinton’s signature program, AmeriCorps, after attending Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Demetri has worked diligently in the LGBT+ health space over the past three decades. He has led three different grassroots agencies as Executive Director. He has served in various development positions at diverse LGBT+ organizations as well, including Howard Brown Health (Chicago), AIDS ReSearch Alliance (LA), and PRC (San Francisco).

Most recently, Demetri worked as the Managing Director of Individual Giving at GMHC where he managed all major gifts, direct marketing, and planned gifts. His portfolio included thousands of individual donors, raising over $2 million each year.

Demetri is excited to join Reaching Out as its Development Director. He lives in South Orange, NJ with his husband Josh, son Christopher, and dog Waffles. He enjoys alternative music festivals, international travel, and low-key weekends.

Kate Schroder is a health care leader with 15+ years of experience in both public and private sectors. She has served on the Cincinnati Board of Health since 2016, and in 2021, she led vaccine coordination efforts for the Greater Cincinnati region as the Interim Chief Strategy Officer with The Health Collaborative in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kate received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Indiana University and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She has spent 12 years leading global public health projects, including two years living in Lusaka, Zambia. She served as Vice President at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), where she led an $80M program that reduced the cost of pediatric drugs by 40% nationally across India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda and increased treatment rates for tens of millions of children.

In 2020, Kate was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Ohio’s first district, running on a platform to expand access to affordable healthcare and to invest in jobs and the economy. As a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Kate knows personally what it is like when one’s survival is dependent on access to healthcare. Kate and her husband, John Juech, currently live in Cincinnati with their two children.

Bianca Hasten (she/her) began her fundraising career on the sidewalks of New York City, raising money for Planned Parenthood with the canvassing organization Grassroots Campaigns. Since then, she spent six years working in Planned Parenthood Development offices in New York and Los Angeles, specializing in Planned and Individual Giving. Bianca is deeply passionate about social justice and is very excited to join the Lambda Legal team to fight for equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV. As the new Legacy Gifts Officer, Bianca is looking forward to building relationships with donors who plan to sustain the future of LGBTQ+ rights through impactful legacy gifts. In her free time, Bianca loves thrift shopping, singing Adele songs, cooking, and spending time with her adorable nieces. 

Knox Martin is a multifaceted fundraiser who brings a mission forward approach to his work. During his career, he has advocated for arts education on Capitol Hill and advocated the City of New York and New York State to procure funding for arts education. Most recently, he served as Major Gifts Officer at Dancers Responding to AIDS, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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Knox graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in Music Entrepreneurship. He champions using fundraising and advocacy to ensure the rights of all.

Carlyn Worthy (she/her) is a communications and administration professional bringing 10 years of experience in social impact to Lambda Legal. She previously supported the executive leadership team at LiveOnNY, the donor relations team at the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, and coordinated public relations at New Orleans + Co. Carlyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Loyola University New Orleans and is currently pursuing an MBA from Baylor University. When she’s not studying, Carlyn can be found playing with her dog Artemis, visiting local book stores or testing new recipes in her kitchen.