Megan has a deep-rooted passion for environmental causes, with a particular interest in sustainable development and environmental justice. She came to Elevate after completing a PhD in Geography and Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Megan has worked and interned extensively in the environmental nonprofit world, including at the Nature Conservancy, and experienced firsthand the need for strategic and effective fundraising. After deciding to leave academia, she felt called to the nonprofit development world. She is excited to use her extensive research, writing, and strategizing experience to support this critical work.
Megan earned an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, an MA in Environmental Management from Harvard University, and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia. Amidst her academic pursuits, she spent time in Costa Rica as an environmental conservation educator in local primary schools.
Having lived between both the US and UK throughout her life, she is excited to be putting down roots in DC. She is actively discovering all the incredible jazz, art, and parks the city has to offer. Outside of her day job, Megan can be found running, hiking, figure drawing, listening to live music, blogging about all things sustainability, or over caffeinating at a local coffee shop. She recently joined the DC Chapter of the Citizen Climate Lobby and volunteers at Sustainable DC.
Ashanti has built his career on great customer service, well-researched writing, and a passion for the arts. Prior to Elevate, he worked in Conferences and Events at Covington & Burling, where he enjoyed working closely with clients and finding creative solutions to their problems. During that time, he was also a freelance writer. His interest in nonprofits began when he worked at the Mansion on O Street and kickstarted the grant writing program for their nonprofit, the O Street Museum Foundation.
Ashanti currently volunteers with the DC Public Library and MAGFest, Inc. At DCPL, he sorts through donated materials for the DC Punk Archive. At MAGFest, he supports the Jam Clinic, teaching musicians of all skill levels how to play in harmony. He graduated from Howard University with a BA in English and a minor in Music.
Ashanti can often be found at one of DC’s many jam sessions, playing saxophone or flute.
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Emily is a social work trained professional who is excited to help nonprofits advance their work for social justice and community enrichment with strategic grant writing. She brings a diverse set of professional experiences in the nonprofit sector to bear on this work, in both advocacy and direct service. She has facilitated conflict resolution using restorative justice practices, helped individuals experiencing homelessness receive disability benefits, and promoted strategic communications on climate change and clean energy. Emily got her start as a grassroots organizer in the youth movement for action on climate change.
Emily holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she specialized in Community Action & Social Policy and engaged in qualitative research on the emotions of activists for her master’s thesis. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with minors in Environmental and Religious Studies, from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
When she isn’t working, Emily enjoys spending time outdoors, going to museums, perfecting her cooking techniques, and hanging out with her little rescue mutt, Pepper.
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Sarah has been with Elevate since 2019 and is currently a Supervising Director, working with Grant Writers and Senior Grantwriters, and serving on Elevate’s Continuous Improvement team. Her passion lies in the performing arts, with a focus on theatre, puppetry, and the aerial arts. Over the past four years, Sarah has worked with many of Elevate’s arts and arts education clients, in addition to community organizing and policy advocacy nonprofits.
A founding company member of DC-based Pointless Theatre, Sarah spent the decade prior to joining Elevate creating adventurous art in the nation’s capital. She also enjoys volunteering with the Miss District of Columbia Scholarship organization, serving as Co-Producer for the annual competition and helping to prepare local titleholders for the national Miss America scholarship competition. She received a BA in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park.
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Lara joined the Elevate team with an interest in conflict resolution and mediation. Prior to Elevate, she worked with a national nonprofit with over 800 high school programs to educate students in insurance and the importance of financial literacy. While a student, Lara interned at the National Center of State Courts, where she worked on justice sector reform projects in Tunisia, Moldova, and Bangladesh. As an intern, she helped draft a grants management manual to guide the Center’s subcontractors in host countries.
Lara engages with Planned Parenthood and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA USA) as a volunteer at events around Washington, DC and on social media. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Peacebuilding from American University, where she also earned her BA in International Studies.
Outside of Elevate, Lara can be seen tasting the cuisine at local restaurants, studying French, and reading up on the latest innovations in skincare.
Sierra has a longstanding passion for social justice, indigenous ways of knowing, and serving her communities through the art of writing and storytelling. She holds her BA in Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications (Applied Linguistics) from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she graduated cum laude from the Honors College.
At Elevate, Sierra uses her strengths in editing, research, and project administration to organize and uplift the causes of her clients – an ever-growing array of local and national organizations working in the arenas of racial equity, women’s empowerment, education, housing, international food/water security, and youth development.
Prior to joining Elevate, Sierra worked as a Youth Development Project Coordinator in Gambrills, Maryland. In this role, she served Native Boys & Girls Clubs across Turtle Island, providing clients with technical assistance, culturally relevant adaptations to federal grant programs, newsletter publications and best practice resources. She traveled frequently, visiting Clubs within the Menominee Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and state of Oklahoma.
Most notably during 2017, she attended a Child Protection Symposium in Bismarck, North Dakota to identify current tools and technologies that support AMBER Alert systems in Indian Country. That same year she and her colleagues collaborated with the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Native Services Unit and National Congress of American Indians to develop a behavioral health curriculum for youth enrolled in the T.R.A.I.L. to Diabetes Prevention Program.
Outside of Elevate, you will find Sierra exploring new places with her fiancé, Gabriel, tending to her indoor garden, and reading up on politics, wellness, and spirituality.
Daniel brings his experience and passion for fundraising on behalf of nonprofit organizations to his work at Elevate. His experience spans sectors ranging from urban farming to international development. Most recently, he drafted fundraising materials for Grassroots Business Fund, a mission-oriented venture capital fund, and honed his operational and project management skills at Dalberg Advisors. Prior to these experiences, Daniel worked at the Amir Project and Food Cowboy, two nonprofits devoted to educational farming and reducing food waste, respectively.
Daniel is also a youth soccer coach, and was recently helping to research and write a book on social impact innovation in higher education. Daniel earned a BA in English Rhetoric from Binghamton University in New York.
When not working, Daniel can be found playing and watching soccer, visiting art installations around the area, or catching a show at the 9:30 Club.
Elena is excited to bring nearly eight years of experience in arts and humanities fundraising to her work at Elevate and her clients. Prior to joining Elevate, Elena most recently held grants management positions at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and at the Folger Shakespeare Library where she focused on writing grants for initiatives ranging from scholarly research projects to performances and exhibitions to arts and literacy-building education programs to rare materials acquisitions. She has a particular passion for serving the performing arts and arts education sectors, and for exploring new ways to optimize strategic planning, evaluation, and infrastructure development processes for arts nonprofits.
Elena supports arts work in the region by serving on the Board of Directors for Gourmet Symphony and volunteering as a judge for the Helen Hayes Awards. She is also an active member of the Grant Professionals Association. She holds a MA in Arts Management from George Mason University and a BM in Instrumental Music Education from The Catholic University of America.
When not at work, Elena maintains a profile as a freelance professional clarinetist and can be found museum-hopping, being a habitual patron of many local theaters, or enjoying the eclectic culinary scene of Washington, DC.
Rachel brings over 10 years of fundraising and consulting experience to the Elevate team along with passion for education, health, and social justice. Prior to joining Elevate, Rachel worked in development for several nonprofits in the Boston area. Rachel’s expertise in donor strategy and cultivation coupled with her creative spirit led to many successes in institutional and major donor fundraising. Rachel also worked in consulting for public sector clients such as the Federal Transportation Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Office of Personnel Management, among others. In her consulting role, Rachel contributed to several successful public sector proposal wins. Prior to starting graduate school in 2010, Rachel spent a year living and working in Paris, France.
Rachel earned her Master of Business Administration in Nonprofit Management and Master of Science in International Health Policy from Brandeis University. In 2011, Rachel was a member of the winning team of the Food for Health Business Plan Competition, resulting in $25,000 in start-up funding for the team’s idea. Rachel also completed her BA in Political Science at Brandeis University (Go Judges!).
In her free time, Rachel enjoys playing and watching soccer, crafting, drinking a good cup of tea while reading something interesting, watching and re-watching the Great British Baking show or Planet Earth, and exploring the DMV area with her husband, Pascal, and twin sons, Luca and Noah.
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Sushmita, who goes by her nickname, Nanu, joined Elevate as a Grant Writer in 2018. During her time at Elevate, she has helped her clients build sustainable grant programs through her strong project management and technical writing skills. Nanu works with a wide range of both direct service and advocacy organizations, including nonprofits that focus on health, addiction recovery, housing, youth development, and investigative journalism.
Prior to joining Elevate, Nanu spent a year teaching literature and creative writing as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Calcutta, India. She also volunteered as a content writer at Tiljala SHED, a Calcutta-based nonprofit that provides educational services and financial aid to ragpickers (waste collectors).
Nanu graduated from the University at Buffalo with a BA in English. Outside of her coursework, she enjoyed working as a writing tutor on campus and volunteering as a science tutor at a local middle school.
On the weekends, you can find her exploring the city, trying new recipes, or relaxing with a cup of tea. When she’s not writing grants, she also enjoys writing prose and poetry on her blog, Aksharbet.
