San Luis Valley Rural Philanthropy Days

Keynote Speaker

Andy Goodman is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant in the field of public interest communications. Along with the book, Storytelling as Best Practice, he is author of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes. He also publishes a monthly journal, free-range thinking, to share best practices in the field. Andy has been invited to speak at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton, as well as at major foundation and nonprofit conferences. In 2007, he was selected by Al Gore to train a thousand volunteers who are currently conducting presentations on global warming throughout the US and around the world. And in 2008, he co-founded The Goodman Center, an online school, “to help do-gooders do better”. To learn more about his work, please visit www.agoodmanonline.com and www.thegoodmancenter.com.

Speakers and Trainers

Darius Allen. Darius is a small business owner and farm-rancher in Alamosa, and has served as an Alamosa County Commissioner for several years. Allen was named Commissioner of the Year by Colorado Counties Inc. for his tireless efforts on behalf of the people of Alamosa County. Allen is known for working with community leaders to bring the county’s many solar farms, bringing jobs and revenue to Alamosa County and was recently appointed to the Colorado Economic Development Commission.

Erin Binford is Program Officer of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation. Erin joined the Foundation in 2000. Her focus is rural early childhood education. She has a degree in marketing and worked in the corporate world before coming to the nonprofit sector through VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She played a leadership role in the Common Grant Application and Common Grant Report revision efforts, among other projects.

Lance Cheslock has directed La Puente, a human services non-profit organization in Alamosa, for over 21 years. Lance has tried every fundraising idea under the sun, and has learned from both the successes and failures. Lance's experience includes both traditional and innovative methods to raise funds, and he is always happy to share his learnings. Lance serves on the Governor's Interagency Council for the Homeless and is a past Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Livingston Fellow.

Teri Erickson is the Director of Resource Development at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado, a position she has held since January 2006. Part of her responsibility is to manage OJC’s Grant Resource Office, which is part of the college’s SCORE Center. The Center was created with federal grant dollars to enable collaborations in economic development activities in southeastern Colorado, including increasing the number of grant dollars brought into the rural region. Ms. Erickson is responsible for researching, writing and administering all grants for OJC, working with non-profit organizations in the college’s three-county service area and providing grant writing training for both campus employees and the community. These trainings include everything from writing grants to board development and strategic planning to budgeting. To date, she has written and assisted with successful grant proposals that have brought over $30 million to southeast Colorado and over $13 million to OJC. Her background is in journalism and public relations, with a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. She served as editor of a local newspaper before contracting as a grant writer for several local non-profit organizations and then working for OJC.

Maria Fabula, Director of Programs at Community Resource Center (CRC), brings 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, fund development, volunteer engagement, collaboration, and business development. She has spent a majority of her career connecting government, nonprofit, and private enterprises to improve community. Her experience includes leadership positions with the Nonprofit Support Center, the Junior Statesman Foundation and the California State Senate.

Lisa Flores is Senior Program Officer at the Gates Family Foundation, where she reviews capital grant proposals for small and large projects throughout the state of Colorado. Previously, she served as senior staff to Denver’s Mayor Hickenlooper. Earlier in her career (when she had more energy than experience), she served as executive director. In that role, she raised operating and capital funds for the Denver Inner City Parish, a multi-generational community center. Flores received her master’s in nonprofit management at Regis University.

Maria Garcia, a native of Conejos County, is the Director of the Conejos County Department of Social Services, a position she has held for five years. She has a degree in Business Administration and Interdisciplinary Studies from Adam States College and an Associate Degree in Accounting. Ms. Garcia has been a Family Social Worker, a Pre-School and Elementary Education Teacher, and a Youth Mentor Coordinator for the Regional Head Start. She has also worked for Trinidad State College in the ABE, GED, and ESL Department.

Reginaldo ("Reg") G. Garcia, Ph.D. is the San Luis Valley Program Director of the Rocky Mountain Prevention Center. His degree and background is in clinical psychology.

Charlotte Gillespie, CFRE, Senior Program Officer at the A.V. Hunter Trust since 2007. Charlotte has 30 years of fundraising and management experience in the nonprofit sector. Among other leadership roles, Charlotte served for a number of years on the International Board of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.

Jim Gumpert, a native New Yorker, graduated from Cornell University, and has over 30 years experience in resource development. For the past 17 years he has been specializing in charitable estate planning for various nonprofit organizations including the Arthritis Foundation, American Red Cross and currently for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Jim recently completed a three-year term as a board member of the National Committee on Planned Giving and is a frequent speaker at the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable.

Bill Gurule, MSW, is the Chief Probation Officer of the Twelfth Judicial District Probation Department. He currently serves as Chair of the Colorado Chief Probation Officers' Association, Chair of the Senate Bill 94 Program, Chair of the House Bill 1451 Collaborative Management Program, is an active member of numberous State committees, and is a member of the National Association of Probation Executives. He has served as a Probation Supervisor for the 12th District, a Clinician, Clinical Team Leader, and Forensic Coordinator for the San Luis Valley Community Mental Health Center and SLV Community Corrections.

Kari Harp is the Coordinator for the Joint Interagency Oversight Group in the San Luis Valley. She has a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Public Policy and Leadership. Ms. Harp currently administers the HB1451 initiative in the Valley, supervises the wraparound program in Alamosa and Conejos counties, and oversees the bi-county Individualized Services and Support Team process. Prior to working with the IOG, she was the Supervisor for the Prevention Coalition of Alamosa where she oversaw programming through the Drug Free Communities grant, Colorado Prevention Partners grant, and ADAD block grant. She also serves as the President of the Board of Dierctors for the Early Childhood Counil of the the San Luis Valley.

Hew Hallock is a co-founder of a small town newspaper and former editor of the Valley Courier and Lamar Daily News. He is currently the Director of Research for the San Luis Valley Development Resources Group.

Greg Kimbrough began his working life in Advertising and Marketing in Chicago, Illinois, but after getting tired of the corporate world he moved to South Florida where he took his first job with the Boys & Girls Clubs as a Program Specialist. Within 6 years he had spent time as a Program Director, Athletic Director, Development Director, and finally, Senior Director of Development, overseeing a $4 million annual fundraising campaign. In 2008, Greg took on a new challenge as the Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County, Colorado, helping to rebuild an organization that had seen some tough times.

Julie Lerudis, Director of the Grants Program at the Boettcher Foundation, has over 16 years experience in project management and accounting in the nonprofit, healthcare, and real estate sectors. Julie is the Director of the Grants Program at the Boettcher Foundation and is also a certified public accountant. She began her career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and prior to joining the Boettcher Foundation, Julie was an auditor at Kundinger, Corder & Engle, P.C. in Denver, which specializes in nonprofit accounting.

Clayton Moore is the Director of Agency and Volunteer Engagement for Metro Volunteers. He has more than 20 years of experience in a management or leadership roles within both the corporate and nonprofit sections. He has managed several volunteer programs at sites ranging from a hospital and National Service program to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Clayton is also a professional writer whose work has been featured in national and regional magazines and newspapers.

Lindsay Moore is the Rural Philanthropy Days Program Manager at the Community Resource Center. She has over eight years experience in volunteer management, grant writing, project management, and capacity building. Lindsay has a genuine passion for nonprofits, community organizations, and issues of social justice.

Julie Mordecai is the Executive Director of the Colorado Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. She has been with the Boys & Girls Club movement for over 8 years, first serving as the Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley. Ms. Mordecai owned and operated the Cottonwood Inn Bed & Breakfast in Alamosa for over 10 years selling the inn in 2000. Julie is currently the board president of the Alamosa Live Music Association, past president of the Alamosa Rotary, and she volunteers for KRZA community radio. She has a BA in Environmental Studies and an Elementary Education Credential from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Carol Nickell is the Executive Director of the Community Resource Center. She brings over 25 years experience in capacity building, fundraising, community relations, and partnership development as well as many years in policy development in local government and several years in corporate management.

Mike Roque is Director of Corporate and Employee Giving for Mile High United Way. Before that, he served for 7 ½ years as a political appointee for Mayor Hickenlooper as Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships which built collaborative efforts between the City and nonprofit sector. Mike has served as Executive Director of the Chinook Fund and the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. He was raised in Pueblo and has family roots in the San Luis Valley. He enjoys fishing, camping and hunting as often as possible in the Valley.

Mark Schoenecker is Director of Communications for Adams State College, a responsibility that includes directing the college's presence on the Web and messaging in traditional media.

Latia Shaw, CNP, is a Program Coordinator at CRC. She brings over six years’ experience to the nonprofit sector. She holds a degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, minor in Business Administration and National Certification in Nonprofit Management and Leadership through Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Latia developed her passion for the nonprofit sector after working with several different nonprofit organizations in a variety of different capacities. She has extensive experience in Nonprofit Management and believes in the power of people working together to make a difference.

Michelle Sturm is the Senior Program Officer at the Anschutz Family Foundation. Michelle has worked in the nonprofit arena for 17 years prior to her ten years with the foundation. Her experience includes working with the homeless, food distribution, services for the disabled, volunteerism on public lands, and community development from a grassroots, multi-sector perspective.

Mark Swart is the Data Collection Coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center and a Board Member of ScSeed, the Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development.

Cindy Willard is Senior Program Officer for the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, a family foundation providing grants throughout Colorado. Prior to her work at the Johnson Foundation, she spent nine years at The Denver Post in marketing and community relations. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas (go Jayhawks!) and is a 2005 graduate of the Master of Nonprofit Management program at Regis University, where she is now Affiliate Faculty in the MNM program.

Michael Wisdom. Michael is the Executive Director of the San Luis Valley Development Resources Group, Inc. (SLVDRG). The Valley’s development group operates as a Colorado nonprofit corporation with federal 501(C) (3) tax status and takes a very proactive role in community and economic development. The consolidated group consists of the San Luis Valley Council of Governments, the San Luis Valley Economic Development Council, and the San Luis Valley Regional Development and Planning Commission. Michael’s personal beliefs for development are based in the existing human capital within an environment and he has a preference for sustainable and compatible jobs created on value-added principals.

Roni Wisdom is the Chief Financial Officer for the San Luis Valley Development Resources Group, a nonprofit regional economic development organization that provides funding and counseling to small businesses, nonprofits and local government throughout the San Luis Valley. She previously worked as a manager and owner of small businesses, a business banker, and a small business counselor. She spent much of her past 30 years in the banking field with most of those years in “nontraditional” financing in rural counties of Colorado.

Clarissa Woodworth, MA CAC III is the Development Director for the San Luis Valley Community Mental Health Center, where she has worked for over twenty years. Clarissa has developed and coordinated multiple initiatives in substance, violence and suicide prevention, substance abuse treatment, and mental health. She currently supervises development, public relations, substance abuse, and 1451 programming. She also serves as Chair of the Alamosa HB 1451 and the SLV Human Services Association. Over the last 15 years she has worked for SLVMHC to form collaborative partnerships with multiple agencies in the region and worked with these community partners in coalitions/partnerships to strategically identify needs around prevention, early childhood, mental health, substance abuse, and criminal justice.