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
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
Donna has been passionate about advocating for others by putting pen to paper throughout her career. This led her to a career in Social Work, where she focused on writing to serve individual clients combating disease, injustice, and poverty. As a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Program Officer at Americares, Donna wrote over a dozen mental health trainings for frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers and helped administer a grant program for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Free and Charitable Clinics.
Donna currently volunteers as a grant writer for a small NGO called “Together We Can Guatemala” and a rescue farm called K-Stone Rescue Ranch. She is also a member of the NYC branch of “Shut Up and Write!” and her local Rotary Club. Donna earned an MS in Social Work from Columbia University and a BS in Social Work from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She has published articles in Grief Digest and First Things.
When she is not writing for causes, Donna enjoys working on her memoir with a hot mocha, architecture walks in Manhattan with her Great Pyrenees (and a hot mocha), and writing in the café at the American Museum of Natural History. She also loves building custom shelves and furniture from used pallets, fueled by, of course, a hot mocha.
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.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
At Elevate, Ren specializes in writing grants for clients on a range of issues, primarily focusing on education and youth development, health care, and services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Her clients report that she has a knack for learning deeply about their programs and funding landscape to develop strategic grants that are highly competitive for funding. Ren draws from her own experiences as a Grant Writer to support the career development of Elevate staff in her current role as Supervising Director.
Ren has followed a passion for promoting access to health services in the United States and abroad throughout her career. While pursuing her Master of Social Work, she saw how access to high-quality physical and mental health care plays a vital role in enabling individuals to achieve their fullest potential.
Before joining Elevate, she worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, where she assisted with writing grants for their programs in Liberia and Haiti. She was also an intern with Georgia State Representative Shelly Hutchinson, where she conducted research and wrote policy briefs related to improving access to health services, immigrant rights, and criminal justice reform.
Ren graduated from the University of Georgia with a Master of Social Work and a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. She also has a BS in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University.
In her free time, Ren loves doing anything outdoors! In particular, she enjoys hiking and playing ultimate frisbee.
Megan has a deep-rooted passion for environmental causes, with a particular interest in sustainable development and environmental justice. She came to Elevate after completing a PhD in Geography and Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Megan has worked and interned extensively in the environmental nonprofit world, including at the Nature Conservancy, and experienced firsthand the need for strategic and effective fundraising. After deciding to leave academia, she felt called to the nonprofit development world. She is excited to use her extensive research, writing, and strategizing experience to support this critical work.
Megan earned an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, an MA in Environmental Management from Harvard University, and a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia. Amidst her academic pursuits, she spent time in Costa Rica as an environmental conservation educator in local primary schools.
Having lived between both the US and UK throughout her life, she is excited to be putting down roots in DC. She is actively discovering all the incredible jazz, art, and parks the city has to offer. Outside of her day job, Megan can be found running, hiking, figure drawing, listening to live music, blogging about all things sustainability, or over caffeinating at a local coffee shop. She recently joined the DC Chapter of the Citizen Climate Lobby and volunteers at Sustainable DC.
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.
Prior to joining Elevate, Morganne ran Ghana in-country operations for Saha Global, a clean water nonprofit based in Boston. While in Ghana, she doubled Saha’s staff, updated several monitoring and evaluation and operations systems, and hosted donors from the US to get the nonprofit on its current expansion path. Using this operations knowledge and funding experience from her time with the Key Relationships department at charity: water in New York City, Morganne is excited to bring her expertise to Elevate and support innovative nonprofits as they strive for social change.
Morganne received her BA from Colby College, studying Economics and French. While at Colby she served as captain of the women’s swimming and diving team and was a member of the Colby Leadership Academy.
Outside of Elevate, Morganne can be found trying new coffee shops, exploring farmers’ markets, and fostering dogs until they are matched with permanent parents.
Pronouns: she/her
As President & Chief Operating Officer, Katy ensures Elevate’s growth strategy, operational processes, financial planning, and personnel and performance management are highly effective, coordinated, and aligned with our broader purpose of serving the nonprofit sector. She leads our Executive Management Team, manages all day-to-day operations, and oversees The Gallery at Elevate.
Katy is committed to establishing Elevate as a hub for nonprofits. Since joining the firm in 2017, she has overseen the launch of Elevate’s twice-annual Conversation Series, invested in our training and education division, and restructured or Client Partnership team to drive continual learning and improvements in our client services and staff experience. In the process, her fiscal leadership has reinforced Elevate’s core values, prioritized equity, and promoted sustainability.
Katy came to Elevate after two decades of public service, including eight years of leadership in the Obama Administration. She served as Assistant to the President for Management and Administration, Director of White House Operations, and Chief of Staff of the US General Services Administration.
An advocate of leadership and wellness, she founded the President’s Leadership Workshop and the Executive Office of the President’s Health and Wellness Council. She was a member of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and a mentor in several Washington, DC youth programs. Prior to joining the Administration, she spent close to 10 years in the United States Senate working on operational and legislative issues.
A long time runner, Katy has completed 7 marathons, including the NYC and Marine Corps Marathons. She is a graduate of George Mason University.
