Caroline brings a background in project management for pharmaceutical clients and grant writing and management in the nonprofit sector. At Elevate, she manages teams of grant writers and coordinators and mentors them so their work shines, all in the effort to secure funding for worthy causes.
Caroline graduated with a BA in Communications from George Mason University and earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
In her free time, Caroline enjoys helping others in a variety of ways and most of all, likes spending time with her family. She can be found cooking, dancing, or walking outside most of the time.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Erin is Elevate’s Associate Director of Technology & Data, managing our data and technology teams. She brings several years of experience in building out Elevate’s internal infrastructure to this role, as she has held several positions in the operations department since first joining the company in 2019. Prior to joining Elevate, Erin worked for a trade association in Washington, DC where she focused on providing excellent administrative support.
Erin graduated from The University of Vermont, where she received a double BA in Political Science and Economics. During her time at UVM, she spent three semesters performing research on the relationship between politics and the entertainment media. She also spent her last semester working as a Student Researcher for the Vermont Legislative Research Service, examining complex policy issues and providing research reports for State Legislators.
Outside of Elevate, you can find Erin volunteering as an election judge, taking her rescue dog, Carmela Soprano, for walks, and watching a lot of reality tv.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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.
Elizabeth has more than 15 years of fundraising experience and a passion for social justice. She loves helping nonprofit organizations secure the resources they need to pursue their missions and create positive social change effectively.
Elizabeth leverages her expertise and project management skills in a hybrid role at Elevate. As the Director of Business Development, she 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 Senior Director of Client Services, she leads client teams of all sizes, providing development strategy and institutional fundraising expertise to organizations working on issues including public health, civic engagement and advocacy, social services, immigrants’ rights, international development, and education.
Elizabeth loves forming close relationships with clients to help them build and sustain a tailored grants program that meets their organizational needs and goals, addresses their capacities, and can be adapted to meet challenges as they arise. She is especially skilled at working with organizations with multiple tax statuses, including 501c3s, 501c4s, and fiscal sponsorships. Clients who are new to grant funding benefit from Elizabeth’s expertise in setting up the internal infrastructure (budgets, program design, systems) necessary to prepare to pursue grants.
Prior to Elevate, Elizabeth was the Director of Foundation Relations at Alliance for Justice, a national advocacy organization. She was responsible for planning and implementing the organization’s $3 million foundation fundraising program. She also worked as the Assistant Director of Development for Foundation Relations at Hillel International, where she oversaw foundation relations for a $26 million international organization. She began her career in development at various international organizations, including the Centre for Development and Population Activities, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and the Council of the Americas/Americas Society.
Elizabeth holds an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a BA cum laude in Anthropology from New York University. She is also a certified ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher and spent two years teaching English in Mexico and Europe. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons. Outside of Elevate, she enjoys hiking and biking with her family, swimming, reading fiction, gardening, and listening to podcasts.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Elevate’s Vice President of New Client Partnerships, Jessica is responsible for all marketing and new business development at Elevate. She also supports the company’s Specialized Grant Services department. Leaning into her own experience as a grant writer and her background in nonprofit strategy, program design, and management, Jessica brings a deep understanding of the “pain points” nonprofits face and a strategic approach to addressing these through smart grant programs.
Jessica joined Elevate in 2016 as a team Director, and held roles within Elevate’s management and business development teams before joining the executive team in 2022. She is an experienced nonprofit professional with a background in corporate and foundation fundraising, program design, strategy, and partnerships. Prior to Elevate, Jessica worked in development and program management roles at the National Recreation and Park Association and the National Environmental Education Foundation, both based in the DC region. She also spent two years in her early career teaching high school biology in Northern Virginia.
A native of Atlanta, Jessica earned an MEd in Secondary Science Education at Georgia State University and a BS in Applied Biology at Georgia Tech.
When not at work, you may find Jessica on the tennis court, in her kitchen, buried in an e-book, or traveling to Brooklyn to play “auntie.” Jessica works from her home in Falls Church, Virginia, where she lives with her husband, their middle schooler, and Georgie, a special needs pup that regularly features on Elevate social media.
