Lateefah has worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade, with the last seven years working in institutional development. Prior to joining Elevate as a Director, Lateefah has worked at a range of New York City based institutions, from small community-based organizations to nationally renowned nonprofits, including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Center for Employment Opportunities, and CaringKind. She also practices Community-Centric Fundraising as a way to examine the roots of philanthropy and explore fundraising strategies grounded in anti-racism, equity, and belonging.
Lateefah graduated from The New School with a MA in Public and Urban Policy. While earning her degree, she had the opportunity to serve as a consultant to various nonprofit clients on pressing policy and management issues. Lateefah earned her BS in Political Science from Clarkson University, minoring in Law. She currently volunteers with Court Watch NYC, a program of the Envision Freedom Fund (formerly Brooklyn Community Bail Fund).
In her free time, Lateefah enjoys reading, practicing yoga, exploring different parts of the city, watching bad reality television, planning for her next vacation, cooking an interesting recipe from NYT Cooking, and honing her ever evolving rotation of hobbies ranging from various crafting projects to dabling in fermentation.
At Elevate, Alix works across multiple sectors, from hunger relief and disability rights advocacy to the arts and youth development. Her expertise is rooted in leveraging knowledge of institutional fundraising strategy to develop resources for organizations of all sizes, serving organizations that are just getting their grants programs off the ground and multimillion dollar national organizations that are balancing stability and growth. As a champion of innovation and imagination, Alix is motivated to build and redistribute resources, create an even playing field, and promote the latest and greatest ideas that celebrate our humanity and challenge us to move forward to a more just and equitable world.
Alix came to Elevate from the arts and culture sector, where she has had over a decade of experience collaborating with nonprofit companies and artists to lift up their unique and essential stories. She served as a fundraiser for several theaters in the Philadelphia region, using her skills as a creative strategist to increase their capacities while encouraging resource development through community-centric models and a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Alix continues to be very active in the arts community, and she recently served as the Regional Vice President of Philadelphia for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. She has also been a guest artist and lecturer for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and the University of the Arts. Alix earned her BA in Drama from Vassar College and her MA in Theater from Villanova University, and she is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University.
When she isn’t working with Elevate clients or on a creative project, she can be found reading, spending time with her partner and cat, or attempting to perfect her challah recipe.
Jennifer has 18 years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising and communications and a passion for anti-poverty work. Prior to working at Elevate, she worked as a grants manager for one of the largest nonprofits in Maine, where she led teams that contributed to a nearly $10M growth in overall budget, doubling the nonprofit’s public funding sources during her tenure. Jennifer is comfortable navigating the complex nuances that often come with grants and will use this expertise to coach Elevate clients throughout the institutional fundraising process.
Jennifer earned a graduate certificate in Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations from Southern New Hampshire University and a dual bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Psychology from Syracuse University. She is a proud graduate of Hot Dog High, where she “cut the mustard” to become a Hotdogger for Oscar Mayer and travel in the Wienermobile while auditioning kids to star in the next commercial. She is also the author of Simple Giving: Easy Ways to Give Every Day and a contributing author to The Mother of all Meltdowns.
Outside of the grants world, Jennifer can be found strength training in her backyard, writing haiku, exploring Maine (and beyond), and trying to convince her two teenage sons to hang out with her.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jacquelin has more than 13 years of experience in nonprofit development, including grant writing and strategy, foundation and corporate relations, communications, and project management. She has a passion for tackling issues at the intersection of equity and sustainability, and believes in building the capacity of the nonprofit sector to create a just future for all. Prior to joining Elevate, Jacquelin served as the Resource Development Officer of a multi-service community development and environmental nonprofit based in Trenton, NJ. She has worked in grant development across issue areas including workforce development, environmental justice and health, housing and homelessness, collective impact, youth services, community planning, developmental disabilities, and mental health.
Jacquelin graduated summa cum laude from Villanova University with a BA in Sociology and minors in English and Women’s Studies. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Writing Center Tutor. More recently, Jacquelin completed a Management Certificate at Bucks County Community College, focusing on time management, productivity, and generational workplace differences. She previously served on the Yardley Human Relations Commission and is a member of the Puget Sound Grantwriters Association.
A recent transplant to Seattle, Jacquelin enjoys spending time outdoors on Lake Washington, exploring her new surroundings, and wrangling her household menagerie that includes three cats and a large, easily excitable sheepadoodle.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Jaime has worked in the nonprofit development sector for over a decade, specializing in grants consulting for most of her career. She’s passionate about helping organizations achieve their missions, developing systems that increase efficiencies and impact, and supporting colleagues to achieve shared goals. Jaime brings project management and strategic grant program planning expertise to Elevate and has worked with a wide variety of clients ranging from multi-state hospital systems to small social service agencies.
Jaime graduated from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) with a BA in Political Science and Environmental Conservation. While in college, she worked at the UNH Writing Center as a writing fellow and academic writing tutor, solidifying her love for the written word. She currently volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem, advocating for children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect.
While not working, Jaime enjoys trying to replicate recipes she discovered on TikTok, traveling with her family, and spending countless hours singing to her dogs (even though she can’t carry a tune).
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jim came to Elevate with a wealth of development and nonprofit management experience, having served organizations in New York City, Atlanta, and Fairfield County, CT. He enjoys working with a variety of nonprofits and issue areas, including human services, education, and the arts.
Jim has always specialized in grant writing but is also well-versed in major gifts, special events, and other areas of development. A highlight of his career came when he secured the largest single grant in the history of Safe Horizon, where he served as Vice President for Government & Foundation Relations.
Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian from Emory University. He and his partner live in northwestern Connecticut and New York City.
Pronouns : He, Him, His
Ben has a decade of experience in development, fundraising, nonprofit project management, and a lifelong passion for international development. Prior to Elevate, Ben worked with Canine Partners for Life (CPL), a small nonprofit that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. Before working at CPL, he worked in a rural area in South Sudan, developing and subsequently managing a large donor portfolio for two schools and a clinic.
Ben has a Masters in Public Administration with a focus on International Development from the University of York (UK), a BS in Biology from Eastern University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. He volunteers with several nonprofit organizations, and has served on nonprofit boards, working to improve their impact and fiscal sustainability, furthering his personal belief that people can do good in the world when they use their strengths and work together.
Although a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Ben has spent much of his life overseas. He enjoys volunteering, reading, cooking, spending time with loved ones, traveling, and trying to keep up with his high-energy border collie, Buna.
Emily came to Elevate with six years of national and international nonprofit experience in fundraising, development, and communications. Her grant writing expertise includes working with organizations with budgets over $1 million focused on Early Education, College Access, Policy, Nutrition, Voter Registration, Immigration Reform, and a host of other initiatives. Through all of her work, Emily ensures to provide technical input on grant deliverables and innovative fundraising strategies.
A native to Southeast Michigan, Emily holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Loyola University of Chicago and a BA from Capital University in Political Science with a minor in English Language. When not writing grant proposals, Emily can be found planning her next big trip or enjoying time with her adorable yellow Labrador Loki.
Pronouns: she/her
Angela has over a decade of nonprofit fundraising experience which includes grant writing, grant research, government/corporate relations, and major gifts donor cultivation for several national and international nonprofit organizations such as the Center for Court Innovation, Legal Aid Society, Nazareth Housing, Futures in Education, Bellevue Hospital and the Lemann Foundation of Brazil. More specifically, she specializes in assisting organizations with focus areas in legal aid, criminal justice reform, homelessness prevention, education, child welfare/human services, violence prevention and arts/culture.
In her previous roles, she managed development teams and led complex proposal and reporting development projects. She also has extensive experience supporting clients as a freelance nonprofit fundraising consultant and a Policy and Advocacy Relations consultant on behalf of multiple nonprofits at a major lobbying firm in New York City. In her role as Director at Elevate, she partners with client organizations to deliver customized, highly effective grant writing strategies designed to maximize revenue potential and help clients significantly impact the communities they serve.
Angela earned her BA in Economics and Social Sciences on a full scholarship, pursued a Masters in Government (ALM) at Harvard University and was admitted into a Juris Doctorate (JD) program at Northwestern California University School of Law.
In her free time, she enjoys discovering new recipes to cook on the weekend, watching a good movie with snacks and a cozy blanket, taking walks in the park and attempting to schedule as many spa days as humanly possible.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ami came to Elevate in 2020 with two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, including ten years as an independent development consultant in the New York Metro and New England regions. In that capacity, she supported progressive grant writing initiatives around workforce development, affordable housing, and health equity. Ami’s extensive experience with metrics and evaluation in anti-poverty work are key to her role as a team leader and strategist at Elevate, where her portfolio is largely focused on housing and homelessness.
Ami earned her BA in History from George Washington University in Washington, DC. She has completed coursework at the University of Rhode Island and Brown University. In the 1990s, Ami lived and worked in South America and speaks Spanish and Portuguese in addition to her native English.
Ami resides in lovely Providence, RI with her two teenaged children, who keep her very much on her toes.
