Abdulla came to Elevate with a passion for human rights and community service. Prior to joining the Elevate team, he worked as a research assistant in Lahore, Pakistan, focusing on security issues and the internal democracy of political parties in Pakistan. Upon moving to Islamabad, he joined the Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FFR) – a pro bono litigation and advocacy group focusing on human rights violations pertaining to the war on terror – as Manager of Communications and Resource Development. There, he focused on grant writing and had the unique opportunity of working on cases pertaining to civilian casualties of drone strikes and enforced disappearances.
Abdulla is a recent graduate from the George Washington University (GWU), receiving an MA in Security Policy Studies. During his time at GWU, Abdulla focused on Transnational Security and Middle East history. He also holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Political Science from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Outside of Elevate, Abdulla enjoys cooking for his friends, trying new recipes, and catching up on reading while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Francesca brings a deep-rooted passion for social justice and direct service to Elevate. With more than five years of strategic fundraising experience, she loves supporting clients in finding the resources necessary to actualize their missions and visions.
As a Director at Elevate, Francesca leads client teams of all sizes, providing development and institutional fundraising expertise to organizations working on a range of issues, including housing rights and support for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, community development, traditional and alternative education, aging in place, and career and workforce development.
Francesca holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from American University and earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island, minoring in Spanish and Social and Criminal Justice. Outside of Elevate, Francesca loves to cook, pickle, roast, ferment, and explore every corner of the culinary and real world for new recipes.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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.
Pronouns: she/her
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.
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.
Matt brings a passion for environmental sustainability, legal aid, and community growth programs to his work at Elevate. Prior to joining the Elevate team, he worked for a range of governmental affairs firms, environmental nonprofits, and state governmental bodies. He protected child victims of abuse and neglect at the Michigan Office of the Attorney General and worked with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation to help facilitate international clean water projects. He uses his legal education and policy experience to protect the underrepresented and underserved.
Matt currently volunteers at food pantries and legal aid organizations in his free time. He received a JD from Wayne State University Law School and earned a BA in Social Relations and Policy from the James Madison College at Michigan State University, with a minor in Sociology. He also studied abroad at the University of Cambridge.
When not working, Matt is likely to be experimenting in the kitchen or exploring hiking trails.
Tessa brings an avid and long-time interest in working with and supporting nonprofits to her role at Elevate. She is chiefly interested in the ways organizations and their funders can collaborate to most effectively achieve their goals. Over the last several years, Tessa has explored many aspects of the food world from working on a dairy farm in Australia, to running a CSA program for SNAP recipients in Boston. Prior to joining the Elevate team, Tessa worked as a Program Associate at the Center for Food Safety, a national nonprofit and environmental advocacy organization. There, she supported legal and policy work on a diverse range of environmental issues including climate change, soil health, and pollinator protection.
Tessa graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University with a BA in Sustainable Development and Sociology and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Association of New York. While at Columbia, she tailored her studies towards sustainable food systems, spending a semester in Dublin at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.
As a newcomer to DC, Tessa can often be found exploring different areas of the city and trying out every dining establishment she comes across. When she isn’t sampling tacos from her favorite neighborhood spot, Tessa satisfies her love of museum wandering by taking full advantage of the Smithsonian’s free entry–the best deal in town! Now if she can only adopt a dog…
LaTissia brings a passion for social justice to her work at Elevate, and has worked with non-profit organizations for eleven years in DC and Berkeley. Prior to joining the Elevate team, she was Executive and Development Specialist with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. There, she focused on grant writing and donor relations.
In another life, LaTissia considered a career in academia. Switching career paths has brought her no end of joy. She holds a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and she earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Stanford University in Comparative Literature. LaTissia was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow.
At home, LaTissia is a voracious reader and dedicated home cook. Outside of her suburban retreat, she regularly attends dance performances, plays, concerts, and movies. She volunteers with Free Minds Book Club in DC.
Katie first became involved in nonprofits as a member of her university’s TEDx organization. She quickly became passionate about promoting social change through the arts and education. Most recently, she worked at the Dennis Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio where she coached self-regulated learning skills to college students and at-risk male minority high school students. Katie has also worked at the Columbus Museum of Art, the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries, and Cross MacKenzie Gallery. She is passionate about the way that art spaces educate, build communities, and stimulate social change. She is particularly interested in issues of transnationalism, identity, and gender. Her interests are heavily influenced by her experiences growing up overseas as the daughter of diplomats. To date, she has lived in six countries across the world, and hopes to continue traveling for the rest of her life.
Katie holds a BA in History of Art with minors in English and French from The Ohio State University. She graduated magna cum laude and is the recipient of the Barbara Groseclose Award for an Outstanding Paper in the History of Art.
Outside of Elevate, Katie enjoys traveling, cooking, and visiting art museums.
