Speakers
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Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman
Moderator for A Legacy for Giving in the Black Community
Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman is the newly appointed Glenn Family Chair in Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where he teaches and researches fundraising, the history of philanthropy, Black philanthropy and Africana Studies.
He is a 2022 recipient of the Dan David Research Prize—“the largest history prize in the world”—and the Madam C.J. Walker Legacy Award from Fabulous Female Fundraisers. Formerly a fundraiser in community development, youth and family social services, and higher education organizations, he also served as Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained fundraisers in the US, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
His book, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow, won AFP’s Skystone Partners Research Prize and the Terry McAdam Book Award. He is a proud HBCU alum of Lincoln University (PA).
He is a 2022 recipient of the Dan David Research Prize—“the largest history prize in the world”—and the Madam C.J. Walker Legacy Award from Fabulous Female Fundraisers. Formerly a fundraiser in community development, youth and family social services, and higher education organizations, he also served as Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained fundraisers in the US, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
His book, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow, won AFP’s Skystone Partners Research Prize and the Terry McAdam Book Award. He is a proud HBCU alum of Lincoln University (PA).
Nikki Hopewell
Moderator for Hurt People Hurt People: How We Support Black People in the Nonprofit Workplace
Nikki Hopewell (she/her) is the director of multicultural marketing for Susan G. Komen. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Nikki has spent more than two decades developing marketing strategies and crafting content in digital marketing and health care marketing and is a passionate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging advocate.
She’s also a former OpEd Project fellow penning national pieces on racial equity in health care and bias in sports. Nikki is committed to creating connections through storytelling, bringing marginalized folks into the mainstream and championing health equity for all.
Nikki has spent more than two decades developing marketing strategies and crafting content in digital marketing and health care marketing and is a passionate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging advocate.
She’s also a former OpEd Project fellow penning national pieces on racial equity in health care and bias in sports. Nikki is committed to creating connections through storytelling, bringing marginalized folks into the mainstream and championing health equity for all.
Kishshana Palmer, CFRE
Moderator for Align Not Hustie: Matching your Values with Your Career
Kishshana Palmer is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management who helps leaders create high performing teams.
Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint formerly Kishshana & Co., an organizational development firm focused on helping everyday leaders live well and lead well. The firm's work centers on equity and social justice and practical solutions for today’s organizations.
She is the founder of The Rooted Collaborative -- a global community focused on the growth and development of women leaders of color in the social sector and the host of the podcast "Let's Take This Offline". When an organization or leader wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial.
Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint formerly Kishshana & Co., an organizational development firm focused on helping everyday leaders live well and lead well. The firm's work centers on equity and social justice and practical solutions for today’s organizations.
She is the founder of The Rooted Collaborative -- a global community focused on the growth and development of women leaders of color in the social sector and the host of the podcast "Let's Take This Offline". When an organization or leader wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial.
Quanisha Nugent
Panelist for Align Not Hustle: Matching your Values with Your Career
Quanisha Nugent, owner of SI (Social Impact) Events, is a dedicated social entrepreneur who has been making a difference since she started her company four years ago. Working closely with government agencies, Quanisha creates impactful initiatives and collaborates with nonprofits to organize special events. Her expertise also extends to developing and implementing comprehensive development plans.
Passionate about supporting moms in fundraising, Quanisha provides coaching to help them avoid burnout and navigate the challenges of stress and anxiety. From the early days of her involvement in philanthropy, where she helped establish her high school's first foundation, Quanisha has always been committed to giving back. Having raised nearly 1 million dollars for nonprofits, she continues to make a significant impact.
Quanisha's dedication extends to her local community, where she works with the school district across three counties, ensuring that often overlooked students receive Christmas presents. Her commitment to social impact is further demonstrated through her involvement on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Heart of Florida Emerging Leaders, the Women United Engagement committee, and Toastmasters, where she serves as the VP of Education.
In her free time, Quanisha enjoys reading and cherishing moments with her teenage son and family.
Passionate about supporting moms in fundraising, Quanisha provides coaching to help them avoid burnout and navigate the challenges of stress and anxiety. From the early days of her involvement in philanthropy, where she helped establish her high school's first foundation, Quanisha has always been committed to giving back. Having raised nearly 1 million dollars for nonprofits, she continues to make a significant impact.
Quanisha's dedication extends to her local community, where she works with the school district across three counties, ensuring that often overlooked students receive Christmas presents. Her commitment to social impact is further demonstrated through her involvement on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Heart of Florida Emerging Leaders, the Women United Engagement committee, and Toastmasters, where she serves as the VP of Education.
In her free time, Quanisha enjoys reading and cherishing moments with her teenage son and family.
Angela Glover
Panelist
Angela Glover has over 25 years of philanthropic experience working with hospitals, colleges, universities, and advocacy organizations as well consulting. Currently, she serves as a Principal Advisor for Bequests at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital working with frontline gift planning officers to maximize legacy and major gift opportunities to support the hospital’s efforts to find cures to save children. Also, Angela serves as a Global Advisor in ALSAC’s Global Scholars Program educating fundraisers from around the world on fundraisng techniques as well as advising the multicultural giving program. Prior to ALSAC, Angela worked with Habitat for Humanity International as a Senior Planned Giving Officer. She has worked with small and large organizations at all levels of fundraising, garnering institutional support from grants, individual solicitations, events and planned giving. Also, Angela has served as a philanthropic consultant with nonprofits as well as individuals. Throughout her career she has built fundraising programs from the ground up and has lectured on strategy and fundraising techniques while mentoring young professionals along the way. She has held positions with UCLA, Wake Forest University, Morehouse College and her alma mater Spelman College as well as a host of regional advocacy organizations. She holds a BA in Political Science from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and a JD from the University of Miami, School of Law. Angela completed her CAP (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy) certification in May of 2022. She is active with the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College (NAASC) as well as other organizations promoting women of color in philanthropy. Angela enjoys traveling, cooking exotic food, art, basketball volunteering and simply making the world a better place.
Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP ®, AEP ®, CFRE
Panelist
Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP ®, AEP ®, CFRE is the Director of Planned Giving at George Mason University. Prior to joining George Mason University, she was the Senior Executive Director of Planned Giving at World Vision (Eastern U.S.). Before her roles within organizations, Aquanetta spent more than a decade as an estate planning attorney in the District of Columbia and Maryland. She is the President of the Chesapeake Planned Giving Council, and serves on the board of the Baltimore Estate Planning Council. She serves in leadership positions with the National Bar Association’s Real Property, Trusts, and Estates Section, the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy, and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners where she is a board member, and chair of the DEI Committee.
Matthew Treadwell
Panelist
Matthew Treadwell is a Gift Planning Attorney at the Indiana University Foundation where he fundraises for all units on IU Indianapolis and IU’s regional campuses. Along with his fundraising responsibilities, Matthew directs IU’s Planned Giving marketing efforts. Matthew is an Adjunct Faculty for the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s The Fund Raising School. Prior to joining IU Foundation, Matthew was the Planned Giving Officer for the National FFA Foundation. Before entering the nonprofit world, Matthew was a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. Matthew is a member of the National Association of CGP Board. Matthew graduated from Indiana University with a major entitled Global Inequalities, through the Individualized Major Program. Matthew attended law school at the University of Notre Dame.
Olumide (Mide) Akerewusi, M.Sc. (Econ), CSR-P
Panelist and Founder & CEO AgentsC Inc.
Olumide (Mide) Akerewusi, is a fundraiser, a social justice advocate, and a certified Corporate Social Responsibility Practitioner. He was born and raised in the UK to immigrant parents from Nigeria, and now lives as an immigrant in Toronto, Canada.
Mide is Founder and CEO of AgentsC Inc. an international, B-Corp Certified full-service fundraising and philanthropy agency, specializing in people-centred change management, research, evaluation, and solutions to socially and environmentally conscious organizations in Canada and around the world.
Mide is a co-author of the award winning book, Collecting Courage. Mide is also the lead researcher for the research report, The Duality of Giving: Contemporary Perspectives on Formalized African Philanthropy. He is host and convenor of the Giving Black Conference, and the Giving Black Podcast.
Dr. Reshunda Mahone
Panelist
Dr. Reshunda Mahone is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at North Carolina State University. With over twenty years of advancement and development experience, she has supported every aspect of higher education fundraising. Dr. Mahone has previously held fundraising roles at Emory University, Virginia State University, Spelman College, the University of Miami, Georgia State University, and the University of Central Florida. She began her career in advancement at her alma mater, the University of Florida. She has expertise in campaign fundraising, data analytics, diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy, leadership development, and operational optimization.
She is an active member of the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) District III Board. She has previously served CASE on the Commission on Philanthropy and the Minority Serving Institution Advisory Board. Dr. Mahone also serves as the African American Development Officers (AADO) Network board chair and previously served on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) boards for the Central Virginia, Greater Atlanta, and Miami chapters. Dr. Mahone earned an Ed.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MBA from the University of Central Florida, a B.S. in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida, and is a Certified Fundraising Executive.
Nneka Allen, CFRE POC PCC
Nneka Allen is a Black woman, a Momma and a daughter of the Underground Railroad. She descends from African survivors of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. Through the centuries-long unparalleled forced free labour of Africans in the United States, her ancestors helped build North America. And in the process developed a historic relationship with the First Peoples of Turtle Island and as a result, the Cherokee and the Lumbee are her relations.
Born in the 70s, Nneka was raised during a time of Black power and acute political awareness in North America. As a result, the air in her childhood home was generous, brilliant and proud. Her parents and their siblings with great intentionality poured their consciousness into her multi-ethnic identity.
Today, Nneka is a relationship builder, a stone-catcher, a freedom fighter, a leadership coach and a storyteller. As a lover of justice, Nneka has inspired philanthropy as a Fundraising Executive in the charitable sector for almost 25 years. As the Principal and Founder of The Empathy Agency Inc., she helps leaders and their teams deliver more fairly on their missions by coaching them to explore the impact identity has on culture and equity outcomes.
Nneka is also the founder of the Black Canadian Fundraisers' Collective, a group of fundraisers who inspire and elevate the philanthropic sector in the African tradition of Ubuntu - "I am because we are". She is an award-winning author and joint editor of a book featuring the first-person narratives of 15 Black contributors, mainly fundraisers from the United States and Canada called Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love. In 2022/23, Nneka was also one of the first Scholars-in-Residence on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of British Columbia.
Her ultimate joy is her daughter Destiny and her husband Skylar. Along with their dogs Sophi and Sammi, they live and work on the unsurrendered and stolen shared territory of the Sumas and Mastqui First Nations. She honours the survival of the Indigenous nations of Turtle Island, despite genocide. She recognizes the theft and the subjugation of colonization and white supremacy culture. And as a forced inhabitant of these beautiful territories, she is challenged to confront the cost of living on this land. It is only through the historic relationship and collective wisdom of her African and Indigenous ancestors that she is here today and her activism emerges.
Nicole Salmon
Shaped by her Jamaican identity and deeply influenced by spending 2/3 of her life in Canada, Nicole is a skilled communicator who embraces her natural curiosity and thirst for variety and new challenges. An avid reader, gardener, sports enthusiast and mentor, Nicole is anchored by family, committed to service, building connections and deepening personal relationships.
With thirty years working in the non-profit sector, Nicole is the Founder & Principal of Boundless Philanthropy, a consultancy providing a range of services, including interim leadership and decision-making support, fund development strategy and advisory services, staff mentorship, and a variety of Raiser’s Edge database supports.
Prior to the founding of her consultancy in 2014, she was the Director of Fund Development for a Canadian international development organization.
Christal M. Cherry
MA, Principal & CEO, The Board Pro
MA, Principal & CEO, The Board Pro
Christal M. Cherry, a native New Yorker, lives in Atlanta with her son, Mac and dog, Charlie. She identifies as an African American woman with pronouns, she/her.
Christal worked 23 years as a nonprofit fundraiser serving higher education institutions, seminaries, and human service organizations. Now as a board consultant for nonprofits, she equips and empowers boards to support their missions and change the world. Her services as Principal and CEO of The Board Pro, include recruitment, governance, fundraising, conflict resolution and diversity, equity, inclusion, access and belonging.
Christal earned an MA in Counseling from Hampton University, a BA in Liberal Arts from Hofstra University and professional development certifications in nonprofit leadership, social media fundraising, and nonprofit management. She recently earned certification as a Quadrant 3 Leadership Coach and as a Nonprofit Board Consultant with Board Source.
She is a contributing author to Collecting Courage, a collection of first-person narratives from Black fundraisers documenting their experiences with racism in the nonprofit sector. In 2021, Christal authored her first children’s book, Mac and Cheez, Being Different is Okay which is available on Amazon.
Camila Pereira
PhD
PhD
Born and raised in Brazil, Camila comes from a very mixed family including Black, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Native Indian. She understood from a very young age that race relations, identity and gender roles were central not only to her family but to herself and that skin color in Brazil dictates your role, future and existence within society.
Since childhood Camila has been involved in philanthropy through her family's community initiatives. Her career in the nonprofit sector is a means to contribute towards the eradication of all forms of prejudice preventing the advancement and betterment of humankind; she is a fundraising professional in Toronto
Yovonda Malbrough
Panelist
Yovonda Malbrough is considered a connector and collaborator to those without a voice. Her life’s mission through reciprocity is to enlighten others by having the ability to find and secure the resources needed to support valuable initiatives.
Vonda brings over 15 years of development experience which includes event planning, annual fund, and individual giving experience which allows her passion for advocacy to tell the story of those in need. She graduated with a Masters of Liberal Arts in Business Management from Dallas Baptist University and received her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Sam Houston State University. Active in the community, Vonda has been involved with Leadership North Fulton, Leadership Johns Creek, The Junior League of Atlanta, and The Georgia Center For Nonprofits, High Potential Diverse Leaders leadership program. When she is not working, Vonda loves spending time watching movies and spending time with her family.
Her favorite quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi
Kerry Shillito
CFRE
CFRE
Kerry Shillito is a Black woman born in Montserrat and raised in Toronto. Her father is a descendent of African people enslaved by the British planter class in Montserrat. Her Mother is White British.
Fundraising was a calling for Kerry. It has been her vocation for over 23 years. She has worked both in Canada and England and has raised funds for causes in healthcare, education and arts & culture. Her experiences range from events to major gifts and today she inspires individuals to create lasting legacies for healthcare in British Columbia.
Kerry inspires individuals to create lasting legacies for healthcare in British Columbia as the Associate Director of Gift and Estate Planning at VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. She is also a board member of a black-led & black-serving charity, Hogan’s Alley Society and sits on the Vancouver Executive of CAGP. She is passionate about British Empire history and seeks to understand & change our sector’s harmful traditional fundraising practices.