Executive Director
Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, Wheeling, WV

Susie Nelson works every day to help fulfill philanthropic wishes. As Executive Director of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley (CFOV), she has the privilege of working with philanthropists of all types. Since 2007, Nelson has served as Executive Director of the CFOV, serving the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. The assets of the CFOV have increased by more than 50% under her leadership, comprising 240 individual charitable funds. In addition to working with donors, Nelson also spends time working with nonprofit leaders to assist them with finding and acquiring philanthropic resources from across the region and nation. In 2013, Nelson was awarded the Spirit of Philanthropy Award for Staff Leadership by West Virginia Grantmakers. In 2012, the CFOV, under Nelson’s leadership, was awarded the Spirit of Philanthropy Award for Critical Impact for the Women’s Giving Circle of the CFOV.

Nelson serves as Chairperson of the board of Philanthropy West Virginia. She also serves annually on the allocations panel for the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley. Nelson is the former regional chair of Leave A Legacy of Central Appalachia. She is a former board member of Wheeling Health Right and the YWCA Wheeling, and former board president of the Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley. She is a former President of the Rotary Club of Wheeling. Prior to Nelson’s work at the CFOV, she served as the Director of Marketing & Community Relations for the City of Wheeling where she marketed the city for economic development and worked to enhance summer events at Wheeling’s Heritage Port.

A wife and mother of two, Nelson graduated from West Virginia University in 1993.

President/CEO
Hillsdale County Community Foundation, Hillsdale, MI

Passionate about philanthropy and community service, Sharon is honored to have served the Hillsdale County Community Foundation as President since 2000.  As a native of Hillsdale County, she is proud to have been selected to serve as the first paid director in the organization’s history. 

Prior to working with the Foundation, Sharon spent eight years in the for-profit field before realizing her dream job at the Foundation.  Sharon serves her area through her leadership in several community-based organizations and specializes in development, community convening, program development, organizational leadership, and volunteer services. 

Sharon resides with her husband and children in Hillsdale.

Chief Financial Officer
Albuquerque Community Foundation

Nick joined the Albuquerque Community Foundation as CFO after work as an audit manager for KPMG for five years. His time at KPMG gave him a strong accounting and internal control background. While at KPMG he specialized in the higher education and state and local government industries.

Nick is interested in education and Nick remains passionate about sustainable agriculture and environmental issues. Nick serves as the Treasurer for the Governing Council of the Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School and heads the Finance and Audit committees there.

Vice President of Community Impact
Community Foundation for Monterey County, Monterey, CA

Laurel Lee-Alexander has served as Vice President of Community Impact for the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) since 2014 where she leads competitive grantmaking, program initiatives and community engagement. She works with the Philanthropic Services team to coordinate and grow donor investment and is responsible for the foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence. She convenes and collaborates with local funders, organizations and leaders to address important community needs. She has more than 20 years of experience in philanthropy, nonprofit fund development and corporate marketing and is committed to furthering best practices in grantmaking and the field of philanthropy.

Prior to joining the Community Foundation, Laurel was Director of Philanthropy at the Monterey Peninsula Foundation (host of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) for 12 years. Previously, she was Senior Program Officer at the CFMC, and held fund development positions at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and United Way, as well as marketing management positions with the Walt Disney Company and the Colgate-Palmolive Company.

Laurel has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a master’s degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and has studied and worked in the U.K., Norway and Hong Kong. She has served on numerous local and national nonprofit boards and is a Past President of the Association of Junior Leagues International.

Vice President of Community Impact
Community Foundation of Broward

Sheri Brown Grosvenor has built a solid 24-year career in philanthropy and serves as Vice President of Community Impact at the Community Foundation of Broward. She envisions, defines, and executes strategies on community initiatives and is responsible for over $150M in community investments and instrumental in the growth of Foundations assets from $35M to $250M during her 21-year tenure.   She is a graduate of the Global American Express Leadership Academy (NY), Leadership Florida Class XXXVI, and Leadership Broward Class XXVI. Sheri is a 2023 YMCA MLK Spirit of Community Honoree.

Sheri is involved in the Florida Philanthropic Network; Community Foundation Opportunity Network (CFON) Leadership Council and CFON’s Public Policy and Advocacy Group to shape strategic direction, provide fiscal stewardship, and devise collective impact strategies; Broward Climate Change Task Force- appointed by Senator Nan Rich; Broward Funders Forum; and she is the Foundation team lead for the Helios Foundation College Access Network through Broward’s Bridge 2 Life Local College Access Network. Her past participation includes Atlantic Philanthropies Community Foundation initiative, CF Leads, and the Humana Foundation grantee network.

Sheri holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Development with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and DEI from Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL.  She is married to Sean Grosvenor and they have three children. Sheri is actively involved in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the North Broward County Chapter of the Links. She is also the former 99/2000 Ms. Black Florida.

Vice President and CFO
California Community Foundation, Los Angeles, CA

Steven Cobb oversees California Community Foundation’s investment management, financial and program reporting and cash management activities.

Before joining CCF in 1998, Cobb was the chief financial officer for the Milken Family Foundation, a leading Southern California private foundation, and the Weingart Center, a comprehensive health and human services complex in Los Angeles’s Skid Row. He was also an auditor with Ernst & Young and an assistant controller for the Ticor Title Insurance Company of California.

Cobb is a certified public accountant and a graduate of The UCLA Anderson School of Management, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Ventura College. He is a past recipient of the Los Angeles Business Journal Nonprofit CFO of the Year award and has been an adjunct professor at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. He currently serves as a board member for the Community Foundations National Standards Board (CFNSB), Community Partners, and Pfaffinger Foundation. 

Chief Brand and Impact Officer
Arizona Community Foundation

Lisa Dancsok was named Chief Brand & Impact Officer for the Arizona Community Foundation in May 2017. Lisa came to ACF from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, where she was Vice President, Marketing and Communications. In her role as a member of the executive management team, Lisa leads ACF’s strategic initiatives, overseeing all aspects of marketing and communications, branding, strategy and analysis, market research, resource development, governance and Board relations, and assessing and conveying social and financial impact.

As Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy, Marketing and Communications for Rock Ventures, Lisa created and implemented the “Opportunity Detroit” marketing campaign, oversaw Rock Venture’s philanthropy program and helped launch the Detroit Homecoming program with Crain’s Communications, among other accomplishments. Lisa’s background includes creation and implementation of the award-winning “Pure Michigan” campaign for the State of Michigan as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Legislative Affairs at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Prior to that, she served as Managing Partner of D&D Advisors and held senior level positions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Lisa’s civic leadership has included service on the boards of Delta Dental of Michigan, Renaissance Health Services, Inforum, and Michigan State University’s Eli Broad Alumni Board and on the Knight Foundation’s Detroit Advisory Committee and the customer advisory board of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. She holds an executive master’s of business administration and a bachelor’s degree in advertising, both from Michigan State University.

Executive Director
Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country

Austin Dickson is Executive Director of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country. He leads the Community Foundation’s asset management and development, grantmaking, and partnerships. The Foundation supports nonprofits and civic efforts in 10 Central Texas counties.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2017, Austin lived in Atlanta, Georgia. He led several nonprofits there, worked for the Atlanta community foundation, and served on many nonprofit boards.

A Waco, Texas, native and TCU graduate, Austin earned master's degrees in religion from the University of Edinburgh and Emory University. He also holds a master's in public policy from Georgia Tech. He has been a professor alongside his civic career; from 2008 to 2016, he taught at Clayton State University, and since 2017, he has taught nonprofit leadership at Emory.

President and CEO
Central New York Community Foundation

Peter Dunn has more than 25 years of experience in the community foundation field working to support the growth and impact of the philanthropic sector. In 2008, Peter became the third President and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation in Syracuse, NY. The oldest and largest philanthropic foundation in its region, the Community Foundation currently administers more than 800 component charitable funds with a collective value of more than $300 million. In its most recent fiscal year, the Community Foundation distributed $15 million in grants and support for local strategic initiatives, including notable projects addressing early childhood literacy, concentrated poverty, childhood lead poisoning, post-secondary educational attainment, racial equity and nonprofit fiscal sustainability. In 2020, the Community Foundation launched the Black Equity & Excellence initiative and, along with local partners, created the CNY COVID Community Support Fund. The Community Foundation has distributed more than $200 million to local charities since its inception in 1927.

Previously, Peter was Vice President, Philanthropic Services with the California Community Foundation (CCF) in Los Angeles, CA. Peter joined CCF as Gift Planning Officer in 1996, became Director of Gift Planning in 1998 and the foundation’s chief development officer in 2006. During his tenure, CCF’s assets grew from $200 million to more than $1.3 billion – in the process becoming one of the nation’s largest and most innovative community foundations. From 1994 to 1996, Peter was Program Coordinator for Community Foundation Services at the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC. He began his nonprofit career as a fundraiser for the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County in 1993.

Peter received a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1987 and a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1990. He was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1991.

Peter is currently a member of the board and treasurer of the Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. He is a member of the boards of the Community Foundation National Standards Board, CenterState CEO, Governance Matters and the leadership councils of Say Yes Syracuse and the Early Childhood Alliance of Onondaga County. In 2011, he was appointed to the New York State Attorney General’s Leadership Committee on Nonprofit Revitalization.

Vice President of Philanthropy & Community Investment
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities

Jennifer joined the CFNSB in January of 2020. Jennifer is the Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Investment at the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. Prior to this, Jennifer served as the Director of Workforce Development for Goodwill Industries Keystone Area, and as the Director of Mental Retardation services for Northwestern Human Services. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in health administration from the Pennsylvania State University, and an associate’s degree in business management. After serving as a program officer for two years, Jennifer held the title of Asset Development Associate for nearly a year, working with new fund development and managing existing funds and projects. In 2017, Jennifer was promoted to the Vice President of Development & Community Investment and now oversees both the development and program departments. Jennifer is a graduate of the Leadership Harrisburg Area Community Leadership Series Class of 2012, Vice-Chair for the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness, co-chair for the Youth Community Development Team of the Harrisburg Rotary Club, and serves as President of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance’s Board of Directors.

President and CEO
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation

Dr. Michelle Foster is the President and CEO of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF), a philanthropic leader that helps donors, nonprofits, and other collaborative partners strengthen the community so that all of the people and places served have the opportunity to thrive. With approximately $300 million in assets under management, TGKVF is the largest community foundation in Central Appalachia and ranks 82nd among community foundations nationwide. TGKVF distributes over $13 million annually to health, education, community economic development, basic needs, and arts and culture initiatives targeting Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam counties, as well as statewide scholarships. Before joining TGKVF in 2016, Michelle was the CEO of the Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc., a nonprofit organization that strengthens families through health, employment, asset development, and learning initiatives. Michelle’s original career in chemical engineering brought her to West Virginia in 1993 to work for Union Carbide (now Dow).

Michelle’s chemical engineering undergraduate degree was conferred at City College of New York. Additionally, she has two master’s degrees – one in community economic development (CED) from Southern New Hampshire University and another in engineering management from Marshall University and a doctorate in CED. As part of her professional development, Michelle studied impact investing at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, and nonprofit management and leadership at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Michelle lives a life of community service and is actively engaged with several organizations in West Virginia, the Appalachian region, and nationally. She is a board member of Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD), WV Women’s Business Center, Charleston Rotary, and Charleston Regatta Commission. In the philanthropy sector, Michelle serves as a co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Appalachia Funders Network, board member of Philanthropy West Virginia and Invest Appalachia, and founding member of African American Philanthropy in Action (a giving circle). She is the President of the Charleston-Institute (WV) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and a member of the Charleston-Institute Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Additionally, she has served as the Minister of Administration of Ferguson Memorial Baptist Church since 1997. In 2020 Michelle launched Fostering Solutions, a podcast and blog, to encourage, enlighten, and empower. Her book, Maximizing Impact: Success Strategies for Dynamic Nonprofits, is scheduled to be released in February 2023.

President/CEO
Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin

Wyatt Jackson serves as the President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, an 80-million-dollar regional community foundation, for the nine southwestern counties of Wisconsin.  He along with his team annually grant over 4 million dollars throughout the region to assist in community and public development, education, economic development, nonprofit coaching, and even international philanthropy.

Jackson came to Southern Wisconsin from the Community Foundation of Crawford County in southern Indiana, where he served as the Programs & Operations Manager.  His previous experiences with the IUPUI (Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis) Division of Student Affairs development team and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's The Fundraising School brings a wealth of knowledge in nonprofit curriculum development. In his roles, he worked to improve nonprofit trainings for development and fundraising professionals. Prior to this position, Jackson served as the Community Foundation of Crawford County Interim Executive Director, Dubois County Community Foundation Lilly Endowment Graduate Intern, and an assistant to the Indiana University Foundation President.

Currently, Wyatt is a doctoral student with the Indiana University School of Education's Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs program.  Jackson holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, as well as a Bachelor Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Indiana University – Bloomington.

Senior Vice President, Philanthropy
Community Foundation Tampa Bay

As Vice President for Development, Sheila is responsible for connecting Community Foundation donors to philanthropic causes they care about, facilitating legacy and planned gifts and establishing charitable funds that impact our local community and nation. She works closely with the Foundation’s programming team to join together donors who are interested in co-investing to local charities for greater leveraged impact.

Sheila was most recently the Chief Advancement Officer at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. During her seven-year tenure, she was charged with developing an advancement department with formalized goals and structure.  Under her leadership, the assets grew from $163 million in 2009 to over $440 million. In addition, Sheila focused on developing strategic relationships with professional advisors and grew the Greater Des Moines’ Charitable Investment Program to over $70 million in assets during her tenure. 

Sheila earned her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation in 2013 and she has been working in the development field for over 15 years.

President & CEO
Adams County Community Foundation (PA)

Ralph is the President and CEO of the Adams County Community Foundation in Gettysburg, PA where he and his team are responsible for encouraging the community to invest in the Community Foundation’s  vision for Adams County.

Prior to joining the Adams County Community Foundation in 2017, Ralph was Vice President of Philanthropy at the Baltimore Community Foundation where he oversaw BCF's successful $100 million Campaign for Baltimore. He was previously the Executive Vice President of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, and directed professional advisor outreach for Community Foundation Silicon Valley. Before entering the community foundation field in 1999, Ralph was with Wells Fargo Bank in California and Chase Manhattan in New York.

Ralph founded the Unrestricted Asset Development Peer Group in 2007, leading 15 community foundation executives through an extensive peer learning and asset building discussion to uncover and put in place successful strategies to raise unrestricted assets. Over time, the group has grown to include over 150 community foundations from across the country.

Ralph is currently on steering committee of the Pennsylvania Community Foundation Association and a board member of the Boston Youth Marching Arts (MA). He is a former member of the Maryland Community Foundation Association Steering Committee, past president of the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey and the York City (PA) Human Relations Commission.

Executive Director
Golden Belt Community Foundation, Great Bend, KS

Christy L. Tustin, a lifelong resident of Great Bend, Kansas, joined the Golden Belt Community Foundation in June 2003 as Executive Director.  In this role she promotes philanthropy across Barton, Pawnee, Rush, and Stafford counties in central Kansas by working with both donors and non-profit organizations. 

She earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and international business from Kansas State University. In addition, she graduated from Washburn University School of Law with a Juris Doctor degree and was admitted to the Kansas Bar.  She recently completed the qualifications to become a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional.

Christy currently serves as a member of the Health Equity Advisory Committee with the Kansas Health Foundation, the National Annual Conference for Growing Community Foundations Committee, the Citizens Advisory Committee at Larned State Hospital, Great Bend Rotary Club (President 2008 – 2009) and is a member of the Kansas Bar Association. 

National Standards Executive Director
Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C.

Kevin joined the Council in April of 2017. During his time with the National Standards program, Kevin has overseen CFNSB's transition to an online platform, as well as to a three year accreditation period.

Before joining the Council, Kevin was editor for a nuclear non-proliferation blog and worked as a system administrator for a home health firm. Kevin has an MSc in Crisis and Security Management from Leiden University’s Faculty for Governance and Global Affairs in The Hague, Netherlands - where he researched international security policy and implementation. He has a BA in Psychology from Oregon State University.

Associate, Legal and National Standards
Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C.

Ashley Tobon is joining the Council on Foundations in the role of Associate, Legal and National Standards. Previously, Ashley worked as a Practice Assistant for Jenner & Block, a law firm known for pro bono advocacy. Ashley is originally from Queens, New York. Ashley graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought, and is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Policy evening program at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. When she is not working, Ashley enjoys spending time with her cat and two dogs, visiting art exhibits, taking scenic walks around the Tidal Basin and the Potomac River, and trying fusion recipes.