Educational Programs
Expert Instructors of Nonprofit Center Courses and On-Site Group Trainings
Jason Alexander is a principal and co-founder of Capacity for Change, LLC, a public interest consulting group. He is a strategy and management consultant with expertise in strategic, business and merger planning for nonprofits and has served as a management, planning and development consultant for nonprofits, state and local government agencies, consortia, foundations, and grassroots organizations. He has an MA in Public Policy and Urban Affairs from the University of Delaware with specialization in nonprofit management and community development and a BA from College of the Holy Cross.
Patrick Feeley has over 13 years of experience in generating donations and sponsorships from corporations. Currently assistant vice president of Institutional and Events Fundraising at the Children's Hospital Foundation at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, he oversees corporate advancement, foundation relations, cause-related marketing and special events. He was previously director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at La Salle University and prior to that, worked with Junior Achievement. He earned an MBA from La Salle University and a BA from Millersville University and holds a Certified Fundraising Executive Designation.
Donna Freyman has served as director of Human Resources at the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia for 15 years, overseeing all aspects of HR, including employee recruitment and retention, compensation and benefits, performance management, training and employee relations. She previously served as assistant vice president of training and development for PSFS. She holds a BA in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has done graduate work in management at the University of Pennsylvania and La Salle University.
Greg Geruson is Director of the Catholic School Development Program, the nonprofit arm of the International Education Foundation which provides pro bono consulting services in development, governing boards, enrollment management, and strategic planning to Catholic schools and dioceses. He has worked extensively in advancement for many educational institutions, the latest being St. Joseph’s University. He has run multimillion dollar capital campaigns, cultivated and solicited major gifts, managed advancement offices, established enrollment management and student recruitment systems and strategies, helped establish and build governing boards, and managed strategic marketing initiatives. Greg holds an M.S. in public policy and management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in economics from La Salle University.
Dave Jones, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Marketing Department at La Salle University. He has consulted with both for profit and nonprofit organizations for over 35 years in marketing research, marketing and promotional strategy and staff training and development. His published research includes marketing segmentation strategies and marketing strategies to build client utilization of services. He earned his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his MS in Psychology and his MBA and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
John Kelley, Ph.D. is Executive Director of Planning, Training and Institutional Research at Villanova University. Well-recognized in program evaluation with over 25 years in the field, he has trained and taught extensively in this area and has participated in hundreds of evaluations at the federal, state and local levels. He holds an MA from Bryn Mawr College and a Ph.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Stephanie Kindt has more than 10 years experience in organizational development for both nonprofits and for profits. As a human resources consultant, her focus is primarily in the areas of process management and continuous improvement, leadership and facilitator training, mission and strategy development and organization design. Her community leadership and board experience have further informed her knowledge and appreciation of nonprofits. Her education includes a BA in Psychology from Bloomsburg University, an MA in Organizational and Industrial Psychology from West Chester University and a JD from the Widener School of Law.
Linda Kligman is executive director of the Jenkintown Community Alliance which administers Jenkintown’s Business Improvement District. She has developed and grown fundraising and promotional campaigns and has won awards for her special events including Jenkintown Jazz & BrewFest, Jenkintown Bridal Premier, Gay Bingo, and the Philadelphia AIDS Walk. Prior to this position, she was director of educational programs for The Nonprofit Center, which she initially joined as a fundraising consultant and instructor. Before joining The Nonprofit Center, she was principal and co-founder of Aunt Bunny Marketing, a fundraising and marketing consulting firm. A self-described “recovering engineer,” Linda earned a BS in Appropriate Technology and a BS in Civil Engineering from Drexel University.
Pamela Leland, Ph.D., applies her more than 20 years working in and for the nonprofit sector as an administrator, planner, scholar and consultant to her role as Principal of The Leland Leadership Group, which helps nonprofits build their organizational effectiveness. She works primarily in executive leadership, board governance, strategic planning, succession planning, organizational assessment,program evaluation and process facilitation. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, her MS from Georgia State University and her BA from the University of Georgia.
Patricia LePera, senior vice president, Steege/Thomson, brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, marketing, communications and organizational development to her client relationships. Her skills as a strategic thinker and planner have helped numerous organizations analyze, then strengthen, their positions and branding. She previously served as marketing vice president for the American Cancer Society in Pennsylvania. She holds an undergraduate degree from Temple University and a master of science degree from Drexel University.
Kim Neubauer is an award-winning trainer who has worked globally to increase personal,team and organizational effectiveness. She is especially accomplished at training trainers, improving customer service, and designing programs that improve working relationships and productivity. Kim is also a certified associate with Lee Hecht Harrison, a talent management company that specializes in career consulting. For 11 years, Kim served as the training director at the Franklin Institute. She earned a BS in Psychology and African Studies from Penn State and an MS in Human Resources Development from American University/NTL Institute.
Laura Otten, Ph.D., has been the director of The Nonprofit Center since 2001. She began her affiliation with The Nonprofit Center shortly after it was formed in the early 1980s, working as a consultant and trainer, primarily in the areas of board development, strategic planning and program evaluation and she continues to play these roles, in addition to providing director and leadership to The Nonprofit Center’s educational, consulting, and leadership development programs. She is a national expert in numerous aspects of nonprofit management and governance. She earned her MA and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA from Sarah Lawrence College.
Elizabeth F. Pilacik, CPA, chairs the Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Services of Asher & Co., Ltd., a team of professionals seeking to optimize the financial performance of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. Elizabeth is experienced in conducting audits in keeping with generally accepted auditing standards, as well as with specific government and industry regulations. She works with clients on accounting for endowments, contributions, and government funding, evaluates internal control procedures, identifies potential problems and proposed sound recommendations for improvements. She has assisted organizations in developing procedures to record charitable gift annuities and trusts. She holds a BS in Accounting from St. Joseph's University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Richard Przywara is executive director of the West Chester University Foundation where he had also held the university position of associate vice president for advancement. He previously served as the General Manager for the Special Services Department for New Castle County DE., overseeing a staff of 450. Richard received his B.A. in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Delaware.
Katherine Ann Reilly, a Certified Management Account, recently retired as finance director for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, where she was responsible for all fiscal matters, including the preparation of monthly and year-end financial statements and reports, budgets and investments. Previously, she was finance director for Big Sisters of Philadelphia, Inc. and MEND, a housing organization. Prior to focusing on accounting, she was a program director at Lutheran Settlement House Women’s Program in Philadelphia. She received an MBA from Temple University, a M.Ed. from Eastern Washington University and a BA from SUNY at Buffalo.
Ruth Roberts is the director of human resources for Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA (BBBS SEPA). With more than a decade of experience in human resources and more than half of that time spent at nonprofits like BBBS SEPA and BETA Center Alternative School, Ruth is an HR generalist with experience in attracting and retaining talent; training and coaching; performance management and employment law. In addition, Ruth has for-profit experience from Walt Disney World Resort, Inc. and Oasis Lakes Resort. She received her master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Webster University and her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Towson University. Ruth has a Professional Human Resources (PHR) Designation through the Society of Human Resource Management/Human Resource Certification Institute.
Jennifer Shropshire is a principal with Edward F. Swenson & Associates, Inc., a management and fundraising consulting firm, where she uses management and fundraising expertise to support nonprofit clients. She was formerly director of development for the Walnut Street Theatre. In addition to her consultant work with The Nonprofit Center, she was a CLEAR Circle facilitator, working with nonprofit executive directors. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a BS from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Rick Simmons is a Principal at Dinkum Interactive, a leading online marketing company. He has more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing and more than nine years working with the Internet. For the past five years, he has merged his marketing expertise with his Internet knowledge through search engine optimization and numerous other Internet marketing strategies. He was part of the team that perfected webcasting in 1999. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Urban Studies and an MBA.
Michael Smith, Ph.D., teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in public relations, organizational communication and conflict at La Salle. During his 25 years as an educator, he has taught at several universities, including La Salle's graduate programs in Prague and Athens. In addition to his own nonprofit training and consulting, he has supervised over 100 student-run service learning public relations projects for area nonprofits. He earned a Ph.D. in Communication at Purdue University, and his MA, MS and undergraduate degrees at Central Michigan University.
Sonia J. Stamm is principal of The Stamm Consultancy which helps nonprofits and entrepreneurial clients build more cohesive organizations. She brings more than 20 years of experience in management consulting, organizational development, program management and training within the nonprofit, service and technology arenas. A staff member of The Nonprofit Center for more than seven years, Sonia served as director of educational programs and director of leadership programs, as well as a consultant and instructor in governance and leadership. She also spent a decade as an executive search consultant for emerging companies. She earned an M.Ed. in adult and organizational development from Temple University and a BS in communication technology from Ithaca College.
Edward F. Swenson is founder and principal of Edward F. Swenson & Assoc., Inc., a management and fundraising consulting firm that helps nonprofits design and implement strategic and fundraising plans. His firm performs organizational and feasibility assessments, strategic planning assignments and provides counsel to annual, major gifts and capital fundraising programs. He holds an MS from Columbia University and an MBA and BA from Yale University.
Lynne A. Texter, Ph.D., is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication at La Salle University. An award-winning educator with over 20 years of teaching experience in the U.S., Czech Republic, Switzerland and Greece, she consults with a variety of organizations, including the New York State Department of Health, the Association of Government Accountants, JEVS, Habitat for Humanity/Germantown, Siloam Ministries, and the Kelly Anne Dolan Foundation. She received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her Master's from the Newhouse School of Communication at Syracuse University.
Allison Trimarco is the founder of Creative Capacity, a consulting firm that collaborates with nonprofits to solve management challenges, inspire people to participate and enhance an organization's ability to carry out its mission. Her practice focuses on strategic planning fundraising and board development projects. Prior to becoming a consultant, she worked for a wide range of nonprofit organizations, including performing arts groups, libraries and public television. She earned her MA in Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University, and her BA in Theatre at Smith College.
Janis Von Culin is the founder and president of Von Culin Associates, a human resources consulting firm working in organizational effectiveness and human resource strategies. With more than 25 years of experience in industry and human services, she combines the knowledge of a hands-on human resources professional with that of a senior level business executive. Prior to starting her consulting practice, she spent 17 years with a Fortune 500 company, where she led the HR function for nine divisions operating in North America and Asia. She has a BA from Pacific Oaks College and an MA in Organizational and Industrial Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles.
Eric Wichner, former principal of Aunt Bunny Marketing and director of corporate relations and major gifts at the American Red Cross of Southeastern PA, brings 15 years experience in individual and corporate fundraising, volunteer utilization, and corporate and nonprofit marketing alliances. As executive director of the AIDS Fund, he was the driving force behind the unparalled growth of Pennsylvania’s largest AIDS fundraising organization. Eric currently spends most of his time in Puerto Villarta, Mexico.
