Jake comes to Elevate after working for HELP USA, a homeless housing nonprofit located in New York City. At HELP USA, Jake worked closely with the Director of Development in researching potential donors, identifying and applying for grants, and assisting in various fundraising efforts. He also helped to construct grant proposals to match funding requests for HELP USA’s various sites and initiatives located across the country. Prior to HELP USA, Jake spent the 2015-2016 academic year in Slovakia teaching English at a secondary school through the United States Fulbright Program. While in Slovakia, Jake assisted the school’s English Department in expanding their curriculum, further developed the school’s English program, and taught a variety of classes ranging from culture to government. His experience in Slovakia has greatly influenced his knowledge of international exchange programs, and is always willing to expose anyone to Slovak food and beer.
Before leaving for Slovakia, Jake worked for the International Rescue Committee in New York City where he was tasked with providing assistance and re-settlement services to recently arrived refugees and authorized immigrants to the United States, primarily from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. In previous internships, Jake worked for a public relations firm, and for the New York City Department of Small Business Services.
Jake graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University with a BA in History, Political Science, and Humanitarian Affairs. He served as captain of the men’s rowing team for his senior year at Fordham, competing in and training for competitions throughout his collegiate career. He also was elected Treasurer of Phi Alpha Theta and inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa.
Jake is a life-long New York sports fan, with the exception of football and soccer in which he roots for the Miami Dolphins and Manchester United. He is an avid outdoor adventurer from his time as an Eagle Scout, and loves to travel and explore new towns, cities, and countries. He loves train travel and can have long conversations about historical events or about an episode of Doctor Who. He can be frequently spotted looking for the best cup of coffee or tea throughout DC, finding a great bookstore, running through parks, or watching the latest hit movie. Jake is thrilled to be at Elevate working with ambitious nonprofits working towards positive social change in and around DC and the United States.
Pronouns: she/her
Sarah is a lifelong DC area resident who has dedicated her career to supporting non-profit organizations through fundraising, project management, and event planning. She brings to Elevate a depth of experience and passion for translating the work of non-profits for funders and the general public.
Prior to coming to Elevate, Sarah was Director of Development at Rock Creek Conservancy, a local watershed conservation group, where she managed all foundation, corporate, and individual support for the organization. At the Autism Society, a disability advocacy and support organization, she served as the National Conference Director, managing the logistics and fundraising for the 1,200 person annual event. As Major Gifts Officer at Greenpeace, she managed foundation and individual support for environmental initiatives and actions as well as special events for the major donor groups. She began her career as a project manager at The Nature Conservancy, moving into training and fundraising roles with the Conservation Science and Marketing departments.
Sarah has a bit of a problem with volunteering too much, especially when her children are involved. As a result, she has served in various PTA positions and has run numerous school silent auctions. In addition, she volunteers regularly with her family with Rock Creek Conservancy and A Wider Circle.
Sarah attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota where she majored in English and Anthropology.
She loves to cook, read, see live music and hike in parks around DC with her husband and children.
Courtney joined the Elevate team in 2017 with a passion for empowering nonprofits to achieve their missions by building effective grants programs to fund their work.
In her role as Director of Business Development, Courtney works with Elevate’s New Client Partnerships team to grow and sustain the company’s partnerships with nonprofits across the country. In her role as a Senior Director, Courtney works with a broad range of direct service clients—including those in the arts, education and youth development, health and human services sectors. She enjoys helping clients to build new grants programs from scratch, launch new programs or expand to new geographies, and develop internal systems and processes that enable organizations to cohesively work across departments to achieve their strategic goals.
Before joining Elevate, Courtney worked in development and communications for a DC-based youth development nonprofit where she led the grants program, writing both public and private grants to support academic, childhood nutrition, and civic engagement programming.
Courtney graduated from Colby College with a BA in Government and International Studies with a focus on Latin America.
In her spare time, Courtney enjoys hiking and skiing, cooking, and exploring DC with her toddler and husband.
Rachel has over 12 years of experience raising money, grant writing, and delivering strategic communications for major international and local nonprofits. Her goal is to serve as a thoughtful and trusted partner to nonprofit clients, guiding them toward the creation of more strategic and successful grants programs. Satisfaction is seeing clients win money that propels much-needed social and environmental change.
Prior to joining Elevate, Rachel worked as a Senior Writer at World Wildlife Fund and as the Director of Development at Minds, Inc. (Mindfulness in DC Schools), where she now serves on the Board of Directors. Previously, Rachel worked as a staff writer at CARE, helping to raise millions of dollars for CARE’s diverse poverty-fighting around the world. Rachel’s other work experience includes writing for the United Nations Population Fund, the Resource Foundation, and the Star-News Newspaper in Wilmington, NC.
Rachel was born in DC, and grew up on the coast of North Carolina. She graduated cum laude from Kenyon College and earned a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. In addition, she is now pursuing a Master of Social Work with the ultimate goal of offering therapeutic support to individuals. Rachel is a trained yoga teacher and has taught meditation classes in DC for several years. She is happiest when out in nature, particularly mountains, and/or in the vicinity of dogs, goats, or other farm animals.
Christina brings a diverse range of experience in international development, women’s and girl’s rights, public policy, and military affairs to Elevate. She has a research interest for international issues, particularly surrounding conflict, modern day slavery, and girls’ education. Prior to joining Elevate, Christina worked as a Grants Specialist at the USO where she developed an institutional fundraising strategy. Previously, she worked as a Development Associate at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and as a Research Assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Global Health and Human Rights.
Christina holds an MS in Global Affairs from New York University and a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Hofstra University.
Outside of her work at Elevate, Christina is an avid runner and does not shy away from spontaneous travel. Recent travels include Oahu, Lisbon, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates. Christina is an active member of the Junior League of Washington.
Pronouns: he/him/hers
Eric is Elevate’s Associate Vice President of Specialized Grant Services. In this role, he leads project-based services that leverage Elevate’s expertise to meet a wide array of institutional fundraising needs like prospect research, executive coaching, or complex proposal submissions. He also oversees Elevate’s external learning products, which provide a rotating calendar of informational and interactive webinars, as well as custom workshops or webinars for nonprofit organizations. Through these projects, Eric pursues a goal of supporting organizations in overcoming gaps in knowledge, capacity, or time to advance their institutional development program.
Eric joined Elevate in 2015 and in his roles as Grant Writer and Director supported more than 25 organizations in raising 20+ million dollars, with a focus on organizations working on systems change work through policy and advocacy. He especially enjoys helping nonprofits define a clear and concise theory of change that communicates their work and its impact. He has developed and facilitated a variety of workshops and webinars on fundraising for systems change, communicating impact, and preparing for federal grant applications, and has presented at the UL Innovative Education Award, Grant Professionals Association, and Providers’ Council annual conferences.
Eric is an avid plant dad and enjoys filling his home with as much greenery as it can fit (or as much as his cat and partner will tolerate). He is always down to trade cuttings or visit a plant shop.
Emily is passionate about supporting her clients’ forward-thinking and effective work in the DC area and beyond. Prior to joining Elevate, she served as the Senior Communications & Development Associate at the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) in Arlington, VA, where she supported the organization’s fundraising, event planning, and communications activities. Before working at APAH, Emily served as the year-long Programs Assistant at Catholic Volunteer Network. She also completed a year of service with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps while working as the Development Assistant at an interfaith organization in Omaha, NE.
Emily graduated from Villanova University with majors in Political Science and Theology & Religious Studies. She is a Fall 2015 graduate of the Leadership Arlington Leadership Center for Excellence’s Young Professionals Program.
When she is not working with clients at Elevate, you can find Emily watching a beloved sports team (Nats, Caps, and Villanova Wildcats), trying a new happy hour spot, or giving endless attention to her dog, Oreo.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Mary brings a lifelong passion for service and youth development to Elevate. In her role, she is committed to making DC nonprofits better by leveraging the unique vantage points and perspectives that local nonprofits bring. Before joining Elevate in 2014, she spent seven years working with Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. While working for the Girl Scouts, she facilitated programs for youth and volunteers, including mentoring for children and their incarcerated mothers, bully prevention, financial literacy, outdoor recreation skills, and youth leadership development.
Mary graduated from the University of Tulsa, earning her BA in Women’s and Gender Studies with a minor in English Literature. While at the University of Tulsa, her studies focused on the intersections of history, film, literature, and feminist theory, and enabled her to critically review power structures around gender, race, sexuality, and class throughout American history.
Outside of Elevate, Mary is a self-declared history nerd and enjoys watching her dog play at the dog park and reading fantasy/sci-fi novels.
Noura joined Elevate in 2015 and has 10 years of experience in proposal development and program design in community organizing, policy advocacy, homeless service provision, education, social services, workforce development, and international development. Prior to joining Elevate, Noura worked in grants and communications at Thurgood Marshall Academy, a high-performing public charter high school in historic Anacostia, where she was the lead writer on private and government proposals, annual reports, and print and e-newsletters. Previously, she worked in international development, designing and managing programs in the Middle East and North Africa focusing on women’s empowerment, workforce development, peacebuilding, and advocacy with Education for Employment and the American Islamic Congress.
Noura holds an MA in Global, International, and Comparative History from Georgetown University, and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in History and French from Goucher College. She was the 2008 recipient of the Goucher College Calvin Prize in History, awarded annually to an outstanding history major. She is also a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Chi Alpha Sigma, an athletics honor society.
A lifelong swimmer, Noura spends most of her time at the pool when she is away from her computer. She competes with the District of Columbia Aquatics Club, and currently serves as a member of the team’s Board of Directors. She is a vigorous defender of the Oxford Comma and a frequent user of the em dash.
Christine brings her educational and professional background in conflict resolution to Elevate. A certified mediator, Christine was the Development Assistant at Mines Advisory Group (MAG) America, helping raise funds for a $17 million humanitarian demining organization. Prior to that she was a Policy Analyst for Voices For Sudan, focusing on the organization’s social media platforms and external communication reports. In her role as Director of Project Coordination, she provides ongoing support to Elevate’s Project Coordinators, ensuring that they are equipped to meet clients’ diverse needs. She brings a deep understanding of database management and administrative tasks to her position, and is committed to ensuring quality systems implementation at Elevate.
Before joining the Elevate team in 2014, Christine earned her MA in Conflict Resolution at Georgetown University and her BA in English Literature at the University of Sussex.
Although she was born in Rochester, NY, she has lived in the greater DC area for the past 18 years. She is a recent adoptive parent to a rambunctious Aussie Shepherd mutt puppy, appropriately named Ruckus.
