Pronouns : he / him / his
Frank comes to Elevate hoping to help solve complex problems in a data-driven and practical way. He was recently the Operations Team Leader at the Global Language Network where he maintained the rosters for classes in over 20 foreign languages.
Frank is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) at Claremont McKenna College. He is currently involved in many organizations on campus but spends most of this time with the CMS swim team.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, family, reading, and watching movies.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Neal Montoya has a childlike curiosity that guides her and a background in facilitating multiple projects while building community. Before Elevate, she served an AmeriCorps VISTA term with Food Recovery Network (FRN). When she began working at FRN, Neal had limited knowledge about the food justice sphere, but her love for learning new things gave her the confidence to take the role. As a result, she learned about food insecurity and food recovery while building robust systems for the FRN Network and fostering relationships with students and alumni across the nation.
Neal attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and received a BA in English Literature with a minor in History. During her undergraduate years, she interned at the Dickinson Electronic Archives, participated in two Alternative Break trips, and served as a production assistant on student films.
When she’s not working, you can find Neal reading a book, playing video games, taking random photographs of her surroundings, or practicing songs and scales on her beloved bass guitar.
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.
Johnisha’s approach to collaborating with Elevate clients is informed by her prior diverse experiences working alongside and at nonprofits. As the former Development Manager for The Nashville Food Project, she successfully secured foundation, corporate, and government grants to support programming that alleviates food insecurity, builds community, and creates a more just and sustainable food system. Prior to that, Johnisha managed a community-based culinary nutrition program active in 10 major cities that focused on the health of individuals of African descent. In addition to forging vital new community partnerships and conducting trainings for community leaders, she wrote and piloted a children’s version of a six-week culturally relevant curriculum. As a practicing attorney at a top 50 law firm in DC, she devoted hundreds of hours to pro bono legal work to a host of nonprofit causes. During law school, she also worked on behalf of incarcerated individuals seeking post-conviction relief, including with Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative.
Johnisha thrives as a generalist, and has therefore relished the opportunity to collaborate with a range of impressive nonprofits with missions that seek to promote or improve early childhood education, child welfare, environmental justice, racial justice, health equity, and adult literacy. As a Grants Specialist at Elevate, she advises clients on funding strategy, and works to strengthen existing language and develop language for new and innovative programming.
Johnisha has also contributed to Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives at her workplaces. Largely due to her efforts, The Nashville Food Project launched a standing committee composed of both Board and staff members to drive a comprehensive, organizational approach to DEI. She also served on Elevate’s Inclusion Diversity Equity Accessibility and Justice (IDEA + J) working group.
Johnisha was a recipient of the Center for Nonprofit Management’s Sam Howard Empowerment Fund for emerging leaders of color in the nonprofit sector and a LongHouse Food Media Scholar. She has published articles focused on social and racial justice in Yes! Media and is working on a memoir. She holds a JD from New York University School of Law, a BA from Harvard College, and an AAS from Johnson & Wales University.
Carrie comes to Elevate after five years of living abroad in the Republic of Ireland. Before her time in Ireland, she trained as an actor in the Meisner and Method disciplines in New York City, working primarily in theater, commercials, and print. During this time, Carrie also worked at some of New York City’s finest dining and event establishments, giving her an excellent foundation in customer service. She is passionate about equality, social justice, and the soft power of arts and culture and is excited to be a part of an organization whose clientele reflects these passions.
Upon moving to Ireland in 2016, Carrie earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from American College Dublin. She then worked as a Community Lead for a start-up organization and was a Client Services Professional in the corporate sector.
She eventually aligned her work experiences with her personal values and enrolled in the Master of Arts program at the University College Dublin to earn a degree in Cultural Policy and Arts Management, where she graduated with honors. Her research focused on arts funding in the EU and arts engagement with migrants, asylums seekers, and underserved populations during this time.
She has volunteered with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and while in Dublin, she participated in multiple fundraising campaigns for Woman’s Aid and the Mater Hospital.
When she is not working, you can find her traveling, attending gigs, trying to master new recipes, and spending time with friends and family.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Christian comes to Elevate with over a decade of experience serving nonprofits in education, housing, health and mental health, the arts, and social services. Prior to joining the team at Elevate, he served as the Executive Director of Care to Learn, a nonprofit providing funding to address students’ emergent health, hunger, and hygiene needs throughout Missouri. Growing up in a family that valued volunteerism and community engagement, he has seen countless examples of the difference that nonprofits make in their communities and is excited to help Elevate’s clients increase their impact. Before entering the nonprofit arena, Christian worked (briefly!) as an attorney and professor, teaching courses on animal law and criminal justice.
Christian earned his JD from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis.
When not serving Elevate’s clients, Christian enjoys spending time with his fiancé, Serena, and their daughter Keener, reading, gaming, playing guitar, or watching any horror movies he can find.
Pronouns : she / her / hers
Patrice comes to Elevate with a decade of marketing and communications experience. She has worked within the trade association, nonprofit, and small business sectors, and her experience ranges from leading brand strategies to managing nonprofit partnerships with organizations like Make-A-WishⓇ. Patrice has dedicated her career to connecting small businesses and nonprofit-based organizations with their target audiences through a mix of corporate strategies and grassroots marketing. She has a passion for collaborative strategy development and brand awareness campaigns and thrives when identifying emerging market opportunities and producing high-class content.
Patrice obtained her undergraduate degree in Business Management from Bowie State University and has continued graduate-level coursework at the University of Virginia. Outside of work, Patrice enjoys spending time with her husband and children, traveling, and live music.
Sarah came to Elevate with a drive to continue her career in public service and a passion for supporting programs and organizations that improve the quality of life for people around the country. Sarah has worked in local government in North Carolina with the Town of Boone and the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission, a regional Council of Governments. During her time in local government, Sarah worked closely with municipalities to encourage economic development, cultural resource management, and regional advocacy. Sarah has written grant applications for a variety of state and federal agencies including the Appalachian Regional Commission, FEMA, and HUD to name a few.
Sarah has her Master of Public Administration and BSBA in Marketing from Appalachian State University. A true “Boonie” at heart, Sarah can usually be found enjoying the outdoors via a kayak or hiking trail. Go, Mountaineers!
Sarah also enjoys spoiling her dachshund, Stella, and baking in her spare time. Her favorite baked good to share with friends and family is her nana’s famous pound cake.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Joshua first joined Elevate in 2021 with a drive to continue his career in the nonprofit sector of DC through a client services and development role. After completing his graduate education, he set his sights on continuing to pursue his professional interests in client stewardship, operations, and database management. At Elevate, he has worked closely with the Client Services and Operations teams, and through his current role, the New Client Partnerships team.
Joshua earned an MA in Philosophy from Boston College and, prior to that, a BA in Philosophy from Florida International University. Throughout college, Joshua was highly involved with a variety of academic organizations and honor societies. He also worked as a DJ for Florida International University’s radio station WRGP — The Roar Miami.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Joshua enjoys reading, tending to his plants, and exploring new music.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Taryn has a passion for learning and making the world a better place for everyone. During her time at Elevate, she has worked with a variety of educational, environmental, health, and housing clients—and now specializes in working with advocacy organizations. She is actively involved with our Learning & Development team, which aims to build a culture of learning at Elevate, and is a member of the Grant Professionals Association.
In addition to her prior grants consulting and university grants office experience, Taryn has also worked in museum administration, educational technology, and independent journalism. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher University and a BA in Humanities from Roberts Wesleyan College.
Outside of work, Taryn is known as a collage artist and mural painter with a penchant for collecting oddities. She and her husband reside in Northwest Alabama with their dogs, Maple and Ginkgo.
