Our People
Executive Leadership
Nicole Antil
Chief Creative Officer
Kevin Lynch
Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer
Jackie Sullivan
Executive Vice President, Client & Consultant Development
Allison White
Executive Vice President, Business Development
Nicole Antil
Chief Creative Officer
With boundless creativity, strong business acumen, and strategic thinking, Nicole pilots creative efforts to achieve organizational goals and develops innovative concepts that further corporate identity. Distilling large amounts of information into salient communications, Nicole translates abstract corporate visions into tangible, recognizable brand messages and actionable strategies that support business goals.
Jackie Sullivan
Executive Vice President, Client & Consultant Development
A sincere relationship manager and consummate bridge builder, Jackie serves a variety of independent school, higher education, and social change clients. She also leads Graham-Pelton’s talent recruitment initiatives, strategically identifying and assessing those candidates most aligned with the firm’s mission and goals. An external relations expert, Jackie counsels development teams in optimizing their roles and departments, as well as provides counsel on campaign planning, campaign management, and board and leadership engagement.
Allison White
Executive Vice President, Business Development
A lifelong champion of the fundraising vocation and those professionals within it, Allison is energized by client partnerships and inspired by their growth. She has been a catalyst for that growth across all sectors and is especially passionate about education. Allison is known for her optimistic approach and is an expert in campaign planning, relationship building, leadership development, and all elements of major gifts fundraising and annual giving.
Industry Experts
Meg Bailey
Vice President
Anne Carlson
Associate Consultant
Brian Crockett
Senior Vice President
Aaron Dahlstrom
Vice President, Digital Marketing
Walt Edwards
Senior Vice President
Kristin Fehrenbach
Senior Consultant
Christina Ferguson
Senior Vice President, People
Michele Giacobbe
Office Manager / Executive Assistant
David Greig
Senior Consultant
Anthony Heaven
Senior Consultant
Jen Herrmann
Vice President
Rose Kennedy
Coordinator, Accounting
Courtney Luzzi
Editor
Jim Lyddy
Senior Vice President
Yasaman (Yasi) Martin
Vice President
Rachael Masturzo
Vice President
Laura McGarry
Vice President
Cassandra Mesko
Senior Consultant
Elizabeth Milhous
Vice President
Patrick Mulvihill
Associate Consultant
Chelsey Newmyer
Senior Consultant
Brian O'Leary
Senior Vice President
Mukesh Parikh
Controller
Erica Pettis
Vice President
Charles Platt
Senior Counsel
Jamie Pugh
Senior Consultant
Eloise Rangel
Coordinator, Strategy & Operations
Pamela Rossi
Vice President of Business Development Services
Katie Rozycki
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Jim Rude
Senior Vice President, Data Analytics
Anna Schlia
Vice President
Meredith Schneider
Senior Consultant
Alex Senchak
Vice President
Alice Sockett
Consultant
Katy Steele
Associate Consultant
Karen Sveda
Senior Vice President
Gina Vaughn
Vice President
Jay Vogelsang
Senior Vice President
Todd Weissman
Senior Consultant
John Zabinski
Senior Vice President
Craig Leach
Founder
Anne Carlson
Associate Consultant
A team builder, problem solver, and change agent who has served at the University of Chicago, Brown University, New Canaan Country School, St. Andrew’s School, and more, Anne has developed strategic plans, built advancement programs, and strengthened fundraising pipelines.
Brian Crockett
Senior Vice President
Profoundly influential, appreciated for his strategic mind, and a tireless advocate for a comprehensive development operation, Brian imbues the mission of advancement in all dimensions of his leadership, most recently as the Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Military Institute Foundation.
Aaron Dahlstrom
Vice President, Digital Marketing
Creative and considerate, Aaron plans and executes Graham-Pelton’s presence across all digital mediums, ensuring that those who invest their time engaging with the firm experience the timely thought leadership and bold approach audiences have come to appreciate.
Walt Edwards
Senior Vice President
Recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in philanthropic coaching and training, Walt redefines clinician engagement among top academic medical centers and universities. He oversees and helps lead a comprehensive training program for TEXAS Development and is an architect of Graham-Pelton’s propriety Beyond Gratitude™ service line.
Christina Ferguson
Senior Vice President, People
Known for her background in strategy and administration, Christina operationalizes the firm’s business development, executive engagements, and client service. A collaborator and consensus builder, Christina works firmwide to ensure we remain unparalleled in approach, outreach, and service.
David Greig
Senior Consultant
With extensive experience in education and foundation sectors, David excels in strategy, prospect development, and stewardship. With an insightful approach, David creates and implements annual plans, manages major gifts portfolios, leads database optimization, and trains and empowers boards to achieve fundraising leadership.
Anthony Heaven
Senior Consultant
A higher education scholar-practitioner, Dr. Anthony Heaven specializes in advancement and diversity/inclusion work. Recognized by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as a District III Faculty Star, his dissertation focused on the experiences of African American frontline gift officers at predominately White institutions received the Dissertation of the Year Award from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education. As a development strategist, Dr. Heaven has served a number of flagship state universities and has built a unit development operation.
Jen Herrmann
Vice President
Throughout her fundraising service to a number of preeminent institutions, Jen ignites “the spark that comes from mission-driven work” to strategize, ask for, and steward significant gifts. With a track record of eight-figure solicitations, Jen has held a variety of frontline positions with managerial focus on program administration, process improvement, and analytics.
Jim Lyddy
Senior Vice President
Jim provides senior executive-level leadership to healthcare and higher education institutions and has served as a trusted advisor to nonprofits across the entire philanthropic spectrum. Considered to have an unparalleled knowledge of philanthropy and network, Jim served as Department of Development Chair with Mayo Clinic and led the institution’s $1.25 billion five-year campaign.
Yasaman (Yasi) Martin
Vice President
With a unique ability to observe an organization holistically, Yasi is able to offer innovative solutions and ask tough questions that otherwise wouldn't be considered internally. Throughout her fundraising career in education, social change, and healthcare sectors, Yasi has developed and implemented creative engagement solutions with an emphasis on measuring performance outcomes. She enhances nonprofits' systems to achieve their goals, whether she is building board capacity, creating prospect strategies, or improving staffing structures.
Rachael Masturzo
Vice President
With a background in independent schools, higher education, and social change, Rachael’s experience spans from restructuring development offices, creating and implementing development strategies, and crafting policies and procedures, to soliciting major and principal gifts and providing solicitation training and Board development.
Laura McGarry
Vice President
Excited and driven by surprises, challenges, and the opportunity to approach each client engagement with a new perspective, Laura brings expertise in relationship building, communication, fundraising, and program management. Known for her collaborative approach to increasing engagement and giving among all constituencies, Laura is passionate about harnessing philanthropy to increase access and opportunity.
Cassandra Mesko
Senior Consultant
A strategist and closer, Cassie has raised millions of dollars of new gifts and commitments by virtue of her work in major gift solicitations, prospect management, volunteer capacity building, and comprehensive campaign management for both higher education and social change organizations.
Elizabeth Milhous
Vice President
Specializing in securing annual, capital, and major gifts in university and other nonprofit settings, Elizabeth is a driven program builder. She counsels organizations to receive the most transformational gifts in their histories and is known for cultivating and securing landmark giving through elevating the strategy and evolving the culture of those she serves.
Patrick Mulvihill
Associate Consultant
A UK-based expert in education and community fundraising, Patrick leads capital campaigns, bursary funding, major gift solicitation and stewardship, corporate fundraising and sponsorship, trust and grant applications, events management, and international funding in China, Hong Kong, Russia, and North America.
Brian O'Leary
Senior Vice President
An architect of mega-giving strategy and a reviver of stagnant annual giving programs, Brian is a leader in development and messaging within higher education and social impact sectors. Brian leads highly effective fundraising strategy and campaign communications teams while managing limited budgets and tight deadlines.
Erica Pettis
Vice President
Noted for her authentic and comprehensive partnership with independent schools, Erica strategizes board and donor relationship management and all aspects of the solicitation cycle. A leader in campaign planning and management, Erica has coached clients to ask for and receive the largest gifts in their histories.
Charles Platt
Senior Counsel
An advocate and champion of fundraising, Charles has consequential influence as a volunteer fundraiser, board member, and supporter of independent school, higher education, and social change organizations. He has guided institutions to grow participation in giving and partnered on a record-breaking capital campaign. Charles spent his finance and legal career in both the US and Europe and now resides in the UK.
Jamie Pugh
Senior Consultant
With an exceptional ability to build relationships, exceed goals, and manage campaign-related projects for 9- and 10-figure efforts, Jamie Pugh is noted for expertly designing and implementing major gift strategies, shepherding priority projects and initiatives, collaborating with organizational partners, and developing clear and compelling fundraising communications.
Eloise Rangel
Coordinator, Strategy & Operations
With a passion for civic engagement and a solutions-oriented mindset, Eloise supports Graham-Pelton’s strategic operations, including program design and implementation. She enhances organizational processes and supports cross-functional teams, drawing upon her background in community empowerment and nonprofit strategy.
Katie Rozycki
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
A keeper of the Graham-Pelton brand, Katie’s commitment to industry and association partnerships, publications, and events articulates the firm’s values and places its thought leadership on a global stage. She works with firm leaders to hone presentations, webinars, and written pieces to develop the most meaningful and relevant content for our audiences.
Jim Rude
Senior Vice President, Data Analytics
With pragmatic and measured logic, coupled with emotional intelligence, Jim brings a rare and sophisticated approach to data analytics and prospect management as complex organizations plan for record-breaking campaigns. The leader of Graham-Pelton’s Data Analytics Practice, Jim is a pioneer of our unique approach to vetting and tiering prospects to generate the greatest value for clients.
Anna Schlia
Vice President
Status quo breaker, frontline fundraiser, and researcher of donor inclinations, Anna Schlia is an expert in principal and major gifts, collaborative ask strategy and management, program building, and solicitation team leadership. Relentlessly inquisitive about nonprofit institutions and the donors who support them, Anna is completing a Ph.D. on the topic of donor motivations and is a noted presenter on the topic.
Meredith Schneider
Senior Consultant
A capital campaign leader noted for her donor relationship management and persuasive communications, Meredith Schneider is devoted to helping organizations find creative solutions to address their unique challenges and ultimately advance their missions. Noted for her ability to engage a variety of both internal and external stakeholders, Meredith is also a program-builder, having launched an entrepreneurship philanthropy program while at The George Washington University.
Alex Senchak
Vice President
With an aptitude for analyzing return on investment and productivity, Alex has helped organizations of all sizes plan for the future and launch campaigns while maximizing resources. Working within the arts, academia, and human services, Alex leads major gift fundraising plans and campaigns, early-stage development plan creation, and board and executive engagement and training.
Alice Sockett
Consultant
The builder of strong and lasting relationships, Alice’s influence moves people to action. Working with a broad range of clients, she delivers assessments, campaign planning studies, and strategic counsel to leading independent schools, NHS trusts, universities, and museums. Based in the UK, Alice is passionate about professionalizing legacy fundraising and is a frequent speaker on the topic.
Katy Steele
Associate Consultant
Providing counsel to nonprofits across the entire philanthropic spectrum, Katy is an expert in donor cultivation, major and principal gift pipeline creation, corporate and foundation relations, special events, board giving and giving societies, planned giving, and more. In addition to advising nonprofits,, Katy has served the White House Historical Association, Gettysburg Foundation, the Madeira School, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Aspen Institute.
Karen Sveda
Senior Vice President
An expert in principal and major gifts and donor relations in a variety of academic medical centers and scientific settings, Karen works with multifaceted development teams to advance leadership, principal, and planned gifts. With a deep understanding of the innate donor goals often met by healthcare and scientific organizations, Karen has mobilized multiple scientific symposiums and major summits for donor cultivation.
Gina Vaughn
Vice President
With a keen focus on increasing efficiency and producing a greater return on investment for the organizations she advises, Gina develops, implements, and executes fundraising plans to their fullest potential. A leader in organizational management, fundraising, and branding for both nonprofit and government entities, Gina focuses on campaign planning, prospect management, fundraising communications strategy, and more.
Jay Vogelsang
Senior Vice President
With 40 years of leadership experience in institutional advancement and development programs, Jay Vogelsang has played a key role in developing and maintaining a culture of philanthropy at all institutions where he has served and is known for designing, implementing, and directing successful campaigns that range in size to more than $1B. As Chief Development Officer of Swedish Health Services and President of Swedish Medical Center Foundation, Jay led the philanthropic program for the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the Seattle and Puget Sound area. Other institutions that benefited from Jay’s leadership include University of Utah Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Carroll College, Montana Tech University Foundation, and Special Olympics Montana.
Todd Weissman
Senior Consultant
Having successfully developed and implemented programs that diversify philanthropic support throughout his nearly two decades working in and with nonprofits, Todd is a passionate fundraiser, manager, and communicator adept at building relationships and gaining buy-in from diverse stakeholders. Prior to joining Graham-Pelton, he demonstrated this expertise while working closely with senior physicians, medical staff, and fundraising teams as Director, Principal and Major Gifts at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
John Zabinski
Senior Vice President
A change agent who can move organizations to new and consistent levels of success, John is an expert in developing meaningful relationships to secure leadership gifts, providing management oversight and guidance with an emphasis on best practices, and developing business plans with defined goals and staff empowerment focused on accountability.
Craig Leach
Founder
Throughout his tenure as a fundraising leader, Craig became keenly aware of the evolving demands of the fundraising industry – demands that required an evolved approach to fundraising counsel. He questioned his thinking:¬ “Does the world need another fundraising consulting firm?”
Hundreds of nonprofits across the globe would come to benefit from his well-considered answer to that question. Craig led Graham-Pelton to emerge as one of the nation’s premiere fundraising consulting firms serving the full spectrum of sector clients. Under his direction, Graham-Pelton has earned a reputation for offering clients maximum value by providing them with hands-on, accomplished professionals; diverse and innovative service models; and an extraordinary commitment to customer service.
Hundreds of nonprofits across the globe would come to benefit from his well-considered answer to that question. Craig led Graham-Pelton to emerge as one of the nation’s premiere fundraising consulting firms serving the full spectrum of sector clients. Under his direction, Graham-Pelton has earned a reputation for offering clients maximum value by providing them with hands-on, accomplished professionals; diverse and innovative service models; and an extraordinary commitment to customer service.