Dillon has several years of grant writing, communications, and fundraising experience for nonprofit organizations. He is passionate about participatory planning, conservation, international development, and community health initiatives. Before Elevate, Dillon worked as a Fundraising and Communications Coordinator for Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT), where he helped build a robust communications program to generate new conservation projects, strengthen ongoing financial support from donors, and allow for deeper engagement with the organization’s stakeholders. Prior to CWLT, Dillon was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama, where he raised funds and built a large eco-stove project to reduce the amount of smoke inhaled as women cooked each day. He still thinks about his time in Panama daily.
Dillon holds a master’s in regional planning from Cornell University, where he researched participatory planning and communications strategies for local governments. He also holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Lander University, where he was a member of the Alpha Chi and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies.
In his spare time, Dillon enjoys reading, rock climbing, backpacking, trail running, and visiting old friends in far-flung places.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Rebecca joins the Elevate team with over a decade of nonprofit experience including event coordination, grant-writing, and donor relationship management along with program development, education, and outreach. Her previous work spans a wide variety of issue areas including environmental education, outdoor recreation, medical transportation, STEM education, and breast cancer awareness and services. She loves having the opportunity at Elevate to work with clients all over the country who serve the fields of advocacy, education, mental health, environmental issues and more. Her favorite part of the job is when she gets deep into conversation with her clients about the work they do, sharing success stories and meaningful moments. She will also take any opportunity to make a spreadsheet!
Rebecca is passionate about advocating for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights, and volunteers for nearby organizations including GLSEN Kansas, ICT Food Rescue, and the local chapter of Free Mom Hugs. She earned a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from Wichita State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from Kansas State University.
Exploring new hobbies is Rebecca’s biggest pastime as she is constantly learning and trying new things. She is the mom of a teenager, a toddler, two dogs, and an accidental cat. She loves crochet, knitting, being outdoors, spending time in the kitchen with her husband and kids, gardening, and traveling.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Driven by empathy and authenticity, Jaclyn looks beyond the data to see the comprehensive story of the people behind it. She has spent the past 20 years as a documentarian and small business owner, cultivating relationships and developing long-term growth and sustainability strategies. Most recently, she developed the database, marketing, and fundraising strategies for the Liberty African American Legacy Memorial, a grassroots campaign to honor the Black members of the community who were buried in mostly unmarked graves. The memorial is designed to further educate the public about the segregation of historic cemeteries and promote the protection and preservation of Black cemeteries throughout the country.
Jaclyn is a member of The Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit committed to individual action for planet, inclusion, and adventure in the outdoors. Climate change advocacy and inclusion efforts are an integral part of her daily life as she continues to volunteer her time and skills towards local organizations.
In her spare time, Jaclyn thrives when spending time outdoors with her husband, two teenagers, and a dog (who is more like a tame goat). As a cooking enthusiast, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and sharing meals with friends and family. Or you may find her cuddled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a stack of books (usually a mix of insightful memoirs, historical critiques, social or climate justice essays, and unbelievably cheesy young adult fantasy novels).
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Cheyenne has a strong passion for helping underserved and marginalized populations achieve a better quality of life. Before Elevate, she made her debut in the nonprofit world first as a volunteer at an affordable housing and services provider in Ventura County, CA. She gave hundreds of hours of her time to low-income students and their daily academic needs. When a staff position opened up, she jumped on the opportunity and became a direct youth services provider. Over the course of several years, she developed and refined many impactful programs for her students.
In 2015, she decided to jump on another opportunity at the organization, diving deep into the world of fundraising and grant writing. Tapped for her excellent writing and research skills, she soon became a Grant Manager and was eventually put in charge of the grant program for the entire organization. In this role, she penned hundreds of proposals that helped fund a variety of important causes, including food assistance, case management, after-school programs, supportive housing, summer camps, financial literacy training, and more. Since then, she has greatly expanded this scope of expertise to include workforce development, advocacy, disability inclusion, and efforts to strengthen democracy.
Cheyenne graduated summa cum laude with the highest honors from California Lutheran University. She earned a BS in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies. She also holds a Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University. Once a California native, Cheyenne is now happily living in North Carolina. She is an expert cat wrangler, a beginning gardener, and a truly subpar violinist in her own time.
Pronouns : he / him / his
Alexander is a lifelong learner with seven years of technical knowledge and a passion for technology. Prior to joining the Elevate Team, Alex worked at Apple Inc as a Technical Expert, and mentor for new technicians. While at Apple, he also led Apple’s summer tech camp as the lead counselor. With over 80 campers ages six -13, the program curated modules and videos to teach children the importance of technology. Alex particularly enjoyed creating lessons, activities, and games with a technical focus to engage the campers. Alex’s passion for technology extends beyond Apple Inc. One of his most exciting projects was collaborating with a middle school in Greensboro, North Carolina where he curated an evidence-based Technology focused curriculum that taught the students coding, problem-solving, and basic IT troubleshooting.
Alex attended Southern Connecticut State University majoring in Computer Science, he later moved to the DMV area to further his education. Alexander is an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician and a Certified IT Support Technician.
Outside of the working world, he enjoys cooking, traveling with his Miniature Poodle, gaming, and hiking.
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: she/her/hers
Joanna has a career history working in the public (state government) and nonprofit sectors. Much of her work has focused on her passion for creating opportunities for affordable housing and addressing homelessness. She has held positions in nonprofit social service agencies administering housing programs and writing grants to support the agencies’ work. She has also worked as a consultant assisting local units of governments and nonprofits in designing and implementing affordable housing programs using public and private funding sources and helping organizations develop internally to ensure strong program delivery. Joanna worked for the Wisconsin State Division of Housing for a period of time before moving across the county to California. Prior to joining Elevate, Joanna had been working for a community-based organization, writing grants to support the agency’s overall work and providing programmatic support to the agency’s transitional housing programs for homeless families and youth aging out of the foster care system.
Joanna continues to be passionate about her belief in the importance of affordable housing. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Smart Share Housing Solutions, a local organization devoted to finding affordable housing solutions. She completed a master’s program in Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin’s La Follette School of Public Affairs and graduated from the University of Michigan with bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Women’s Studies. Before beginning graduate school, Joanna spent a year as a VISTA working for a nonprofit affordable housing developer. This experience was the beginning of the marriage of her interests in grant writing and affordable housing.
Joanna has lived all across the US but is happy now to call California home, where she enjoys the proximity to the ocean and the mountains.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sam’s drive to strengthen nonprofits comes from her desire to build and support more loving communities, everywhere. At Elevate, she has played multiple roles on client teams with experience working as a Project Coordinator, a Grant Writer, and a Director. She has worked on a wide range of direct service and advocacy clients, demonstrating particular strength working with clients in the education space. She brings client relationship management, leadership skills, and a passion for Elevate’s work to her role as Supervising Director.
Prior to joining the Elevate team, Sam spent time working in international development, education, and housing services spaces. She executed multiple research projects in Uganda and worked as a Research Assistant for the Ford Family Development Program at the University of Notre Dame, where she supported the program’s maternal health initiative in Kenya. Sam served as a 2014 Teach For America corps member in Colorado taught both 1st grade and 3rd grade Special Education. She also spent five years in various management roles at the Root Cafe in Cleveland, whose mission is to provide accessible, local, and organic food to its community members in addition to supporting community building through music, the arts, and conversation.
Sam received her BA in Political Science and Poverty Studies from the University of Notre Dame and completed a Specialization in Fundraising and Development through UC Davis in 2022.
Sam spends the bulk of her free time outside with her husband and three babies. She loves learning about herbalism and gardening, hiking, yoga, and drinking sparkling water.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
As an experienced project coordinator, Claire brings a passion for increasing educational equity to the Elevate team and its clients. In her former role with Americorps, she managed a maker-focused education program and associated grants for an Oakland, California school.
She has also contributed her skills to various education nonprofits in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, most recently, serving as a teaching artist at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, where she designed and implemented a middle school-making course.
A Bay Area native, Claire holds a BA in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley, where she graduated with honors. Outside of work, Claire enjoys hanging by one of Pittsburgh’s many rivers, cooking meals with friends and taking her dog Rollo out on the town.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sara is passionate about building healthy communities for people and our planet. Before joining Elevate, Sara worked on the 2020 election with Work for Progress as a Campaign Associate. She canvassed voters in Colorado and provided information about candidates for state and federal elections. She also recruited new staff to join the Work for Progress campaign. Prior to her work during the 2020 campaign cycle, Sara was an Administrative Assistant for Can-SOLVE CKD, a pan-Canadian patient-oriented kidney research network. She provided administrative support for the operations team, coordinated logistics for meetings and events, and assisted in developing an online learning module about patient-oriented research and kidney research in Canada.
Sara is a volunteer for Climate Crisis Policy, where she uses her cartography skills to map membership of the coalition. Sara earned her BA in Geography with a focus on Environment and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia.
In her free time, Sara loves to cook vegetarian meals, explore the outdoors, and read books about food and plants.
