Leadership Archives - Page 3 of 8

Nana joined CCS with over a decade of experience in development and nonprofit management, including securing funding for nonprofit programs in underserved communities across the Washington, DC region. She has partnered with more than a dozen nonprofits- assisting teams, volunteers, and other stakeholders to identify and implement, the most effective management and fundraising strategies to achieve their goals and mission. She recently served as the Project Manager for UNCF (United Negro College Fund). In this role, she led both a Development Assessment and a Feasibility and Planning Study. Following the onset of COVID-19, and with UNCF, Nana directed an initiative to secure essential funds to prevent a disruption in the education of students at HBCUs and other higher education institutions. More than $80 million was secured in just 7 months.

Nana serves on the Development Committee for Childhood Education International and is a Neighbor Ride volunteer – providing seniors with reliable transportation. She previously served on the Montgomery County Board of Social Services and the grant review committees for Montgomery Coalition for Adult Education Literacy, DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, and DC Office of Latino Affairs.

Nana received her MPA in International Development and Nonprofit Management from The George Washington University and BA from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

select client partners

The Anglican Pilgrim Centre in Santiago, Spain
The Arc of the United States
Ashoka
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
USA for UNHCR

recent resources

Fundraising for Higher Education: Insights on Today’s Philanthropic Landscape

Martin Camacho is senior vice president at CCS and has more than 20 years of experience working in the non-profit sector. He has helped clients raise more than $900 million in philanthropic support.

Martin was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and is proud of his deep roots in the community, which go back nearly 150 years. Martin holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. He spent 15 years working in broadcasting prior to transitioning into fundraising.

His first job in development was serving as Associate Director of Development for Arizona Public Media, where he was responsible for corporate underwriting and leadership gifts. His next role was as Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Tucson, where he worked closely with the Bishop and the Board of Directors to implement a comprehensive philanthropic program including annual giving, major gifts, gift planning, as well as planning the annual Gala. Some of his achievements include raising funds to renovate St. Augustine Cathedral and successfully executing the Our Faith, Our Hope, Our Future campaign which raised $32 million for parishes and ministries of the Diocese of Tucson.

Martin joined CCS in 2011 and has worked on several key campaigns in the religious sector including the Archdioceses of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Denver. In addition, Martin has completed development assessments, pre-campaign planning studies, and provided executive consultation to organizations such as the Institute of American Indian Arts, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, Downey Family YMCA, and XICO, Inc.

Select Client Partners

Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Institute of American Indian Arts
Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus
Archdiocese of Chicago
Our Mother of Sorrows Church and School
Xico, Inc.

As a Senior Vice President at CCS that is results-driven and action-oriented, Maria excels at project management, with an emphasis on operations, fundraising staff engagement, strategic planning and analytic reporting. As a senior member of CCS Europe, she has led diverse initiatives from both a sector and geographical perspective – from a $250m campaign for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to supporting UCD in receiving six and seven-figure investments.

Maria has extensive experience in securing transformational gifts from individuals, trusts/foundations and the corporate sector. Additionally, Maria has assessed large-scale fundraising operations, conducted feasibility studies in complex situations, and prepared resource mobilisation strategies for UN entities.

In joining CCS, Maria brought insight from both her corporate background and non-profit expertise. As a Marketing Agency account manager for Dell EMEA and as a Major Gifts Manager at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in New York.

Maria holds a B.Sc in Entrepreneurship and Information Technology and an M.Sc in Business Management from Dublin City University conducted through the Irish language, and was awarded a First Class Honours in both degrees.

Leigh Page, Senior Vice President, has over 15 years of experience in campaign strategy and fundraising within higher education, healthcare, cultural, public policy, conservation and international organizations. She has worked closely with CEOs, boards, leadership donors, partners, and volunteer committees. Her areas of expertise include organizational structure and strategy, campaign development, principal gift strategy, board management, fundraising operations, prospect and data management and donor cultivation.

Since 2020, Leigh has served as the on-site campaign counsel for the University of New South Wales Campaign to raise $650 million for university strategic priorities. Her role focuses on advancing the campaign strategy and operations, principal gift development, and program capacity. In 2023, Leigh will be a lead driver in executing the university’s new five-year fundraising strategy. In mid-2020, Leigh served as interim chief development officer, leading the university’s fundraising team to surpass the 50% raised campaign threshold on schedule.

She is also currently working with Menzies Foundation, to build a landscape of global prospects to support their efforts to explore the dimensions of leadership qualities and attributes that are key to leading in an Australian and global context.

In 2019, Leigh worked with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation to design and launch a campaign plan to raise $60M in private philanthropic support to build new hospitals in Westmead and Randwick.

Previously, Leigh was the on-site director of National Audubon Society’s $650 million campaign to build capacity and launch new conservation initiatives. Leigh’s past CCS client organizations also include University of Maryland Children’s Hospital; Washington Animal Rescue League; Bon Secours Health; and Norwood School.

Prior to CCS, Leigh worked at Brookings Institution the Medical University of South Carolina.

Leigh earned a Masters degree in arts administration from Winthrop University and a Bachelors in communications and fine arts from College of Charleston, SC. She is a native of North Carolina and currently resides in Sydney, Australia. She enjoys painting, gardening, yoga and live music.

select client partners

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation
National Audubon Society
University of Maryland Children’s Hospital
Bon Secours Health
Washington Animal Rescue League

Lauren is a Senior Vice President with CCS Fundraising, where she leverages her expertise in building strong partnerships in nonprofit and policy environments to better serve her clients. Lauren is trained in mixed-methods research and offers over ten years of experience in strategic planning, research, and data analysis to support her clients and drive high-impact fundraising efforts. Lauren specializes in campaign and project management, feasibility and planning studies, and development assessments.

Prior to joining CCS, Lauren worked in the public sector for the City of Boston and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her focus in previous roles centered around topics like environmental advocacy, workforce development, energy policy, and urban planning. She has worked as a research assistant in two Boston-based research labs dedicated to housing policy, economic development, and environmental policy.

Lauren holds a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Planning from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Lauren currently lives in Long Beach, CA with her husband and her fearless dog, Pip Domino. She dedicates her spare time to getting outdoors, studying the plants of Southern California, and taking Armenian language courses.

Laura has managed numerous development projects and campaigns for CCS throughout the East Coast, and her projects have collectively raised hundreds of millions of dollars. She is currently working on a landmark fundraising initiative for the NAACP, the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization.

In Washington, D.C., Laura served as campaign counsel for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she worked with the development team and senior leadership to complete the Center’s $250 million Building the Future capital campaign.

Laura has also worked on major campaigns for Nantucket Cottage Hospital, a medical center affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital; Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Manhattan and the Bronx; and The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University.

Prior to joining CCS in 2015, Laura spent several years in journalism with a focus on architecture and design. She earned a BA from Harvard University and resides in New York City.

select client partners

NAACP, Baltimore, MD
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
Ethical Culture Fieldston School, NY, NY
Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Nantucket, MA
Ali Forney Center, NY, NY
Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Newport Performing Arts Center, Newport, RI
Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, Shoreham, NY
The Harvard Crimson, Cambridge, MA

Kurt is an Executive Vice President for CCS where he manages CCS’ South Florida strategic growth initiatives. He works with members of the region’s executive leadership team to identify and implement strategic priorities related to business development, communications, institutional partnerships, and client engagement.

Kurt serves on the National Association of Cancer Center Development Officers’ Benchmarking Committee. This cooperative venture of NCI-designated centers provides the only annual review of Cancer Center giving trends across the United States. He is a past Board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Maryland Chapter where he co-chaired the Membership Committee. Kurt also serves on the Association Foundation Group’s Research Committee.

Kurt graduated from Loyola University Maryland Sellinger School of Business with a Master’s in Business Administration and from Penn State University with a Bachelors in Business Management and Marketing.

select client partners

National Association of Cancer Center Development Officers
Association Foundation Group

Money follows mission and fundraising is an essential part of elevating mission for all nonprofits. With over ten years’ experience in strategic fundraising, Kris expertly works with staff and volunteers to support their impactful missions. Kris thrives in volunteer engagement, partnership development, data-driven fundraising, and creating successful strategies to achieve stated objectives. Her analytical and organizational skills, coupled with her personability and passion for philanthropy, make her a favorite among CCS client partners, executives, staff, and volunteers. Throughout her career, Kris has worked on campaigns that have raised well over one hundred million dollars.

Kris serves as the Strategic Plan Manager for the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning where she is helping manage an $11,000,000 transformative effort. She also provides Board and prospect strategy support to YWCA USA. She also completed strategic benchmarking projects for the University of Miami and Loyola University of Maryland. She has served as Executive Counsel on the campaign for KIPP: Baltimore and numerous engagements for Episcopal parishes. In 2022 she served as Chief of Staff for Inova Health Foundation, helping establish protocols and procedures for their fundraising function. She has worked with numerous clients to create and deploy strategic planning efforts through analytics, research, and fundraising.

Previously, Kris led highly successful campaigns for clients throughout The Episcopal Church. She was Campaign Director at Seminary of the Southwest for over three years where she worked in partnership with a six-member staff and 115 volunteers to help fulfill the ambitious national campaign. The effort brought in numerous new donors, some of whom provided significant leadership gifts, and several seven-figure donors doubled their commitments. Kris also conducted a successful Annual Fund Assessment and assisted with the implementation, resulting in an unprecedented 34% year-on-year increase in funds raised.

Kris serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – DC Chapter (Washington, DC) where she is Chair of the Education Committee. She also serves as Co-Chair of Education for the Bridge Conference (2024). She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Union Meeting Hall (Ferrisburgh, VT).

Kevin Findlan is a strategic and entrepreneurial development leader and advisor. His portfolio of fundraising skills encompasses principal and major gifts, foundation and corporate philanthropy, government grants and contracts, and campaign design and direction. The initiatives he has led and advised during his career have together raised over a billion dollars for organizations across the nonprofit sector.

Since joining CCS in 2015, he has undertaken a range of projects on behalf of clients, including campaign planning and direction, development assessments, strategic planning, board engagement, systems analysis, and interim executive roles. His work has specialized in turnarounds and transformations as well as organizational capacity building. Prior to CCS, he spent a decade managing academic research centers in economics and urban planning at Columbia and NYU.

Within CCS, Kevin was a founding co-chair of CCS Elevate, the firm’s thought leadership initiative designed to apply CCS best practices to the next big questions in philanthropy, and is a member of the Higher Education Practice group. He also is an instructor and course author for CCS Learning and a highly sought mentor to his colleagues.

Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, a Masters in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and Masters in Music from the University of Edinburgh. He lives in Greater Boston and is an active hiker, musician, arts supporter, and traveler.

Juliet is a dynamic fundraising professional with extensive experience working with nonprofits across the United States. She has a proven track record of navigating and solving organizational challenges, fulfilling project goals, and creating a strong culture of philanthropy. Areas of expertise include strategic planning and visioning, feasibility and planning studies, campaign management, major gift fundraising, and institutional partnerships.

Since joining CCS in 2016, Juliet has partnered with both small- and large-scale institutions that transcend sectors. She has designed, advised, and directed fundraising campaigns with revenue goals ranging from $3 million to more than $500 million. She has conducted successful feasibility studies, led organizational assessments, facilitated focus groups with interdisciplinary teams, and worked closely with professional staff and volunteer leadership to set and achieve mission-critical goals.

As Senior Vice President, Juliet is a thought partner on multiple projects and leads some of the firm’s most complex initiatives, currently serving as Director for the Joint Campaign with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health. In this role, Juliet works with institutional leaders and staff to ensure a coordinated and collaborative approach to fundraising for the unified cancer service line. Key areas of focus include pipeline development, with an emphasis on opportunities for collaborative engagement and coordinated volunteer and grateful patient engagement; case development with shared messaging across partner entities; and operationalizing joint systems and processes designed to support the larger institutional partnership.

In addition to her client responsibilities, Juliet participates in several corporate initiatives and is a mentor to new colleagues. She is the former co-chair of CCS’s internal Healthcare Sector Network and has authored a selection of CCS Insights, including articles focused on building campaign momentum and fundraising best practices.