David is the founder and creative director of the multimedia production company CitizenRacecar, which has been creating emotionally resonant podcasts and videos for a wide variety of organizations since 2012. Specialties include translating complex chunks of information, such as multi-multifaceted organizational missions and esoteric scientific concepts, into narratives that are clear, compelling and designed to capture the imaginations of clients’ most important audiences.

Previously, David built careers as both a producer of large-scale events and a professional musician. He lives in Sunnyside, Queens with his wife (a nonprofit executive) and two children, where he enjoys reading, cooking, birdwatching and playing bass in locally-famous Dad-rock band The Lowers.

Dr. Don Waisanen started Communication Upward to help professionals at all levels practice outstanding communication skills. Whether it’s elevating the impact of presentations with donors, helping emerging managers move from ad hoc to evidence-based frameworks for all aspects of leadership communication, telling more strategic stories for external facing campaigns, or learning how to resolve conflicts and negotiate effectively, our mission remains the same: to help our clients use the best forms of communication to lead people to action.

Don is a communication professor at Baruch College, CUNY, Columbia University and New York University; an author with over 40 publications on nonprofit and public sector communication; and a practitioner who has conducted speechwriting and communication trainings with many nonprofits across New York City and around the world. He has been a performer in Los Angeles and New York for nearly two decades, and is a cast member of the National Comedy Theater in New York City. He received a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School.

Marti is an NYC-based consultant, executive coach, blogger and speaker who specializes in taking the ‘scary’ out of career transitions and transforming managers into leaders. Since 2006, she’s worked with interns to CEOs to board members, helping them to successfully manage interpersonal communications, develop leadership skills, and get or craft the jobs they want. She offers individual coaching, staff and board trainings and retreats to create workplaces where everyone feels valued and heard.

Marti came to this work after 15+ years in the advertising and television industries. She is excited about her new project, Breaking In: The Intern’s Guide to Getting In, Fitting In, Standing Out and Being Remembered. The book prepares students to be successful during their transition from student to professional. When not working, she’s traveling, skiing, trying to hit a golf ball or prowling around the Met. Marti lives in Harlem with her family.

Rhea helps nonprofits raise more money.  Though she has deep experience with institutional, corporate and event fundraising, she’s passionate about major individual donors and helping organizations to establish individual giving programs. She has raised millions of dollars in private philanthropy and is passionate about building the next generation of fundraising leaders.

She has become a leader in the New York educational community and is a frequent educational commentator in the media. She has been recognized with the SmartCEO Brava Award in 2015 and NY Nonprofit Media’s 40 under 40 in 2017. Rhea lives in Brooklyn with her husband and the World’s Most Spoiled Dog, Stevie Wonderdog. When she’s not raising money for causes she loves, she can be found onstage as a newbie stand-up comedian.

Great Believer is a Brooklyn-based design agency for nonprofits, specializing in web design, branding and print. The Great Believer team is fueled by mission-driven work and honored to have created beautiful, custom websites for amazing organizations like The Fresh Air Fund, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and Rutgers University.

After graduating from Syracuse University, Josh spent years working as a copywriter in the advertising industry. He spent his days toiling away on behemoth Fortune 500 clients and left work each night feeling deflated. Josh’s thirst for professional gratification inspired him to get a master’s in Nonprofit Administration and launch Great Believer. Today, Josh lives in Brooklyn with his wife Missy and cat Sunny.

TakeTwo Services provides first-rate fundraising and communications services to nonprofit organizations so they can achieve their mission. This ranges from grant writing, to campaign development, to event strategy, and board fundraising. In operation for more than ten years, TakeTwo has had clients with budgets from $500,000 to $20 million+. Services are tailored to the specific budgets and needs of organizations. Founders Stephanie Arcella and Bix Gabriel are nonprofit lifers who passionately support and care about community work and social justice.

TakeTwo’s most popular service is grant writing! Organizations often contract TakeTwo to supplement their grants management department, provide relief to staff, or serve as their grant manager if a full time person is not affordable. By hiring TakeTwo, organizations get director-level expertise and help at affordable prices. Bix and Stephanie are located in Queens, NY; and Stephanie might believe she is the Queen of Queens.

Known as “The Transition Whisperer”, Diana stabilizes nonprofits in leadership transition or crisis by serving as Interim Executive Director/CEO. With 20+ years’ management experience, a track record of winning seven-figure grants, and strong finance and operations muscles, she has navigated successful leadership transitions at organizations such as Marquis Studios, Young Audiences New York (YANY), Rebuilding Together NYC, the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) and INCLUDEnyc. Previous roles include serving as Executive Director of the South Bronx-based economic empowerment non-profit Ariva.

Diana graduated first in her class from Baruch College with an MPA in nonprofit management and magna cum laude from NYU with a degree in music. She also holds a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University. She is a proud Board member of Grand St. Settlement. Diana lives in South Slope, Brooklyn with her partner Michael and their child Bridget.

Carmen is a specialist at helping people to learn things in new ways. Her expertise is in building online learning experiences and helping people to understand changes in digital media. At Edmaker, the online learning consultancy she co-founded in 2014, she and her team help organizations to envision, create and run progressive continuing education for their communities.

Previously, she led the innovative internal training program Learning @ Time Inc. during a period of intense change for the storied publisher and its 5,000 elite professionals. Before that, she helped to build the continuing education program at Mediabistro that helped to launch thousands of writing careers.

Ed Lefkowicz provides still photography to nonprofits that document and highlight their work for donors, stakeholders and employees. Whether it’s memorializing key events or building libraries of photos to draw from, he collaborates with organizations to tell their stories online and in print. His local, national and international clients include the Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Robert Toigo Foundation, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and the Animal Medical Center.

Since his teens, Ed has been immersed in photographing the stories he saw unfolding around him. He studied and taught photography, taking part-time photo work while maintaining a successful 25-year career buying and selling antiquarian books and manuscripts. In 2007, he turned to photography full-time and has been based in New York City since 2011. He is also the photo editor of the food magazine Edible Queens, part of the Edible Communities group. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Cynthia.

Momentum specializes in PR for nonprofit, social impact and arts organizations. Named one of the Most Powerful Nonprofit PR Firms by Observer, Momentum helps clients build awareness and influence through media relations, social media, digital marketing, events and thought leadership. Based in New York, Momentum won the PR News Agency Elite Award for Best Work on Behalf of a Nonprofit/Association and PR Daily Award for Best Media Relations Campaign Under $100,000.

Jim launched Momentum in 2012 to bring a specialist focus to nonprofit communications. He began his PR career at Burson-Marsteller and previously served as Managing Director of Dentsu Communications. Jim lived in Germany in the 1980s, a short walk from the Wall that divided East and West Berlin. He studied acting at NYU and won a piece of the Death Star model from Return of the Jedi in a Star Wars writing contest. He lives with his husband and son in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

RoundTable Technology supports nonprofit organizations and mission driven small businesses across the US with managed IT support, co-managed IT, cybersecurity, project delivery and vCIO services.

Laura has two decades of experience working with local and international nonprofits, helping to develop project scopes and outsourcing partnerships to provide technical and management assistance to improve operations and build organizational capacity. She takes a client-centric approach to business development, creating and executing sales and marketing strategies focused on the nonprofit sector while looking for opportunities to enhance the balance of people, processes, and technology. Laura serves on the board of the Association of Nonprofit Specialists, a volunteer-run educational organization that builds collaboration, capacity and community among consultants, professional service providers, and the nonprofits they serve; and on the organizing committee of the NYC Imagine Awards, recognizing nonprofit innovation and impact.