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Type: Regional Leadership

Executive Vice President Erik Kiernan joined CCS in 2003 and brings nearly 25 years of experience working with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations to every client engagement. Erik leads the New England Team’s faith-based practice and his areas of expertise include campaign design, project management, organizational development, data analysis, volunteer management, and major gift program development.

The ability to help nonprofits generate the resources they need to grow and thrive motivates Erik to offer a high degree of dedication and focus to match the passion our clients have for their causes. Philanthropy is in Erik’s blood. His mother is an accomplished fundraiser in her own right who continues writing grants even in retirement and who led a fundraising effort to build a state of the art child language clinic in Tucson, Arizona.

“I have always believed in helping the less fortunate and being able to provide for those in need. It was something I grew up around. I think it was very natural for me to consider philanthropy as a career choice as a result. There are so many opportunities out there to help fund great causes and help make a real impact,” says Erik.

Erik resides in suburbs of Worcester, Massachusetts with his wife and daughter. He spent his youth living in South America and Arizona, and is fluent in Spanish.

select client partners

  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, MA
  • Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
  • Trinity Episcopal Church, Boston, MA
  • Our Lady of Victories National Shrine and Basilica, Buffalo, NY
  • Cotuit Federated Church, Cotuit, MA
  • Mary, St. Helen & St. Thecla Parish, Hanover, MA
  • Catholic Charities of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
  • The Nature Conservancy Massachusetts Chapter, Boston, MA
  • Epiphany School, Boston, MA
  • Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo, NY

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Pronouns: she/her

As Managing Director, Lindsay Marciniak oversees CCS’s operations across the Central U.S., supporting career growth for CCS directors and fundraising efforts for client partners. Lindsay is an expert at designing and directing comprehensive campaigns, implementing major gifts programs, leading initiatives to build fundraising capacity, and developing strong relationships with senior leadership, staff, board members, and donors. Her efforts and leadership have resulted in more than $1 billion in philanthropic support secured for her clients.

Lindsay has spent her entire career working with nonprofit organizations to acquire the resources they need to fulfill their mission, realize their ambitions, and positively impact our communities – locally, nationally, and globally. Lindsay brings to every engagement a big-picture perspective and hands-on approach, immersing herself not only in the organization at large, but in the details – the facts, milestones, people – that make up each nonprofit and shape its unique approach.

This thorough immersion allows Lindsay to stay deeply connected to her clients’ respective mission, create actionable goals, and pave a strong path forward.

Within the greater philanthropic community, Lindsay regularly presents on fundraising topics to clients, board members, and development professionals both in the U.S. and internationally. She also shares insights, trends, and best practices as a presenter at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management.

Lindsay resides in Chicago. She earned her MPA in Nonprofit Management at Indiana University and a BS in Psychology with honors from John Carroll University in Cleveland. She is a member of the 2021 Class of Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) Fellows. She serves on the boards of Uptown United, her community development corporation, and Community Leadership Fellows, a leadership program for upcoming leaders on the West side of Chicago. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys reading, hiking, kayaking, live performances, and spending time with her family.

select client partners

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  • United Way of Greater Cleveland / United Way of Metro Chicago
  • The Salvation Army
  • Feeding America
  • Greater Cleveland Food Bank
  • Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
  • Saint Mary’s College
  • Grinnell College
  • Cuyahoga Community College
  • Bronson Health Foundation
  • North Shore Country Day School
  • Kiwanis International

Terence Curley is motivated to support and participate in causes that are founded upon a desire to effect positive change and growth for individuals, communities, and institutions. He gains immense satisfaction from collaborating with leadership, volunteers, and donors to exceed goals and forward missions. He has worked closely with staff leadership on campaign management, advising on goal-setting and campaign activity, as well as coaching board and committee members on messaging and donor engagement.

Originally from Dobbs Ferry, NY, Terence now resides in Fair Lawn, NJ with his wife, Alison and their 9-year-old son, Jack and 7-year-old daughter, Sarah Jeanne. He is a graduate of Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Terence is a member of the Pastoral Council at the Church of Saint Anne in Fair Lawn, NJ.

select client partners

  • Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, NY
  • Diocese of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
  • Archdiocese of New York, New York, NY
  • Ellis Hospital Foundation, Schenectady, NY
  • Fordham Law School, New York, NY 

Tyler Mark is a dedicated nonprofit professional committed to helping clients maximize their work on the communities they serve. Beginning his career as a special education teacher with Teach for America and later joining CCS, Tyler has helped a variety of clients build systems and teams that have led to significant positive impact.

At Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston), for example, Tyler analyzed the feasibility of funding the historic expansion of their neurological research enterprise. He went on to manage the launch of a $100 million campaign, working onsite to raise a monumental $42 million in less than six months. In all, his counsel has helped CCS client partners raise more than $350 million worldwide to advance important causes.

Other non-profit clients include The Rockefeller Foundation (NYC), KIPP Foundation (San Francisco), BRICK Education Network (Newark), Children’s Health Fund (NYC), Fairfield University (Fairfield), Cathedral of St. John the Divine (NYC), Good Reason Houston (Houston), and the UN’s International Telecommunication Bureau (Geneva).

Tyler holds a B.A. in International Relations from Colgate University. He volunteers as a crisis counselor for The Trevor Project in New York City and is an active Teach for America alum.

Shawn began his career working as a Mental Health Worker at Butler Hospital (Providence, RI) and served as the Director of Confirmation Retreats and Youth Ministry at his home parish, Immaculate Conception Church (Cranston, RI). Subsequently, he spent nearly eight years as the Director of Admissions and Communications at Saint Raphael Academy (Pawtucket, RI).

As a Senior Vice President with CCS, he leads capital campaigns, major gift efforts, development programs and operations, feasibility and planning studies, and organizational assessments. He partners with clients to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major individual, corporate, and foundation donors; create compelling cases for support and related donor communications; recruit, train, and manage volunteer leadership at the board/c-suite level; and design plans to meet target goals and outcomes among other responsibilities.

Shawn currently serves on the Advisory Board of Saint Raphael Academy (Pawtucket, RI). He resides in West Orange, NJ with his wife, Tracy, and their daughters, Sloane and Quinn. He has a passion for technology, music, theater, and design. Shawn is also a classically trained singer and has performed in many choirs, musicals, and plays.

Select Client Partners

  • Archbishop Molloy High School
  • Archdiocese of Cincinnati
  • Catholic Charities of Long Island
  • Diocese of Brooklyn – Catholic Foundation of Brooklyn & Queens
  • Diocese of Bridgeport
  • Diocese of Rochester
  • Fontbonne Hall Academy
  • Order of Malta American Association
  • Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women
  • Portsmouth Abbey School
  • Rome Health
  • St. Thomas More Catholic Center and Chapel at Yale
  • The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Vann Ellen Mitchell, Senior Vice President, joined CCS in 2014 with a unique blend of experience in capital, endowment, and comprehensive campaigns, leadership gift fundraising, Case for Support development, grant writing, volunteer management, and prospect research. An expert in healthcare and higher-ed fundraising, Vann strives to bring high levels of innovation and creativity to her client partnerships to ensure a customized and unique strategies that accelerate activity in new ways.

Vann’s dedication to tailored client service is evident in her work through a recent major university campaign with targeted national donor strategy and messaging, her management of a team of ten staff across South Carolina raising $70,000,000+, and consistent awareness of client needs and the ability to pivot. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vann developed and launched the S.E.C.U.R.E. Program that increased offertory by 254% in five (5) weeks. Over 2020 and 2021, this program was implemented in ten (10) total dioceses salvaging millions of dollars in offertory nationwide.

In addition to her work with CCS, Vann serves as an Advisory Board Member for Florida International University’s Business Women in Leadership Program, as well as an Alumni Board Member for Cary Academy in North Carolina.

Vann received her MA from Carnegie Mellon University and her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She loves being outdoors, playing golf, and cheering on her UNC Tar Heels in college basketball. Vann and her husband, Matt, currently reside in Tampa, FL.

Select client partners

  • Broward Health (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
  • Catholic Diocese of Charleston (Charleston, SC)
  • Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Hagerstown Community College (Hagerstown, MD)
  • Howard University (Washington, DC)
  • National Museum of Bermuda
  • Roland Park Country School (Baltimore, MD)
  • Univ. of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center (La Plata, MD)
  • Univ. of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson, MD)
  • Woodruff Arts Center (Atlanta, GA)

Steven Picciano has partnered with mission-driven organizations across the sectors of religion, higher education, healthcare, and social services to design and implement transformational fundraising initiatives. He has directed successful fundraising campaigns with goals ranging from $5 million to $250 million.

Steven’s areas of expertise include feasibility and planning studies, campaign management, fundraising communications, and board recruitment. He has a passion for developing compelling case narratives, engaging philanthropic volunteers, and soliciting major gifts.

Raised in New Jersey, Steven attended Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., before studying government at Georgetown University and Seton Hall University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He resides in Nutley, N.J., with his wife, Juliette, and their three sons.

select client partners

  • Archdiocese of New York
  • Diocese of Bridgeport
  • Divine Word Missionaries
  • Saint Rose of Lima Church (Newtown, CT)
  • Seton Hall University
  • The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist (Stamford, CT)
  • The University of Scranton