Demarra Gardner is president and founder of Change Agent Consulting (CAC)-a full service organizational development consulting firm. CAC’s areas of expertise include strategic planning, fund development, program development, leadership development, start-ups, evaluation, and cultural competency. CAC has been in operation since 2007.

She also serves as founding director of Educating for Freedom in Schools (EFIS), a youth development organization that provides youth and summer enrichment, culturally relevant mentorship, and youth and parent leadership development opportunities.

Demarra has an MA in Clinical Mental Health from Western Michigan University and is a licensed professional counselor, and is very active in her community where she serves in varying capacities, including, but not limited to; Parents for Public Schools of Greater Kalamazoo, Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community, and Leadership Kalamazoo.

• Effective Strategies for Building a Diverse Board
• Service Delivery and Cultural Competence Go Hand in Hand

 Lori Gordon 

Owner & Consultant at Coaching for Life

Joining us from Metro Detroit, Lori has recently relocated to Jackson. Her most recent project has been to survive Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Prior to that, Lori has over 20 years experience with nonprofit organizations, including teaching and administration in both education and the faith based community.

Lori has taught workshops on various subjects including: volunteer management, personality assessments, team building, and group dynamics. She has provided management consulting in the areas of employee hiring, job analysis, culture and morale improvement, and creating effective job descriptions and policy and procedure manuals, to name a few. 

She holds a Bachelors Degree in Organizational Leadership and a Masters Degree in Training and Development. Lori currently facilitates her own business here in Jackson entitled Coaching for Life.

• Managing PITA's in the Workplace

 Beth Hayden  

Member Services & Marketing, Nonprofit Network

Beth’s role in coordinating member services and Nonprofit Network’s online presence, allows her to utilize her experience and expertise in graphic design as well as her love for technology. By nurturing member relationships and finding and utilizing free/low-cost tools for these purposes she boosts our members' interaction and marketing.

In addition to her work at Nonprofit Network, Beth is an adjunct instructor at Jackson Community College, teaching courses in the graphic design program and serves on the JCC Graphic Advisory Committee. She continues to coordinate many projects for local nonprofit organizations while providing professional opportunities for her students. Most recently she facilitated collaboration for the design and photography needs of several nonprofit organizations, while at the same time, helped to develop a sense of philanthropy in the students. Beth earned her B.A. in Professional Communications from Siena Heights University and a degree in Visual Communications from Jackson Community College. In her spare time, she continues to provide design and consulting services to many local organizations through her freelance work.

• Tech Savvy Nonprofits

Senior Program Advisor to Philanthropic and Nonprofit Services at the Johnson  Center for Philanthropy at GVSU Receiving her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Ore. and her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, Terry worked previously as Senior Consultant to The Foraker Group, a unique Alaska nonprofit support organization with over 400 nonprofit partners. She also worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs where she consulted nonprofit organizations in Central Asia and Russia. Terry is experienced in strategic planning, nonprofit management, program design and implementation, board development and training, and annual and planned giving.

• Succession Planning

 Kinetic Affect  

Kinetic Affect combines the past experiences and powerful voices of two men from different walks of life. Gabriel Giron and Kirk Latimer are committed to challenging beliefs, pushing boundaries, embracing differences, andundefinedtogetherundefinedthey seek to increase awareness of local and global issues.

Gabriel Giron
 
A broad-faced Latino with a bigger heart than fist, Gabriel Giron capitalizes on the scars of a difficult and angry past. After lazily making his way through high school, Gabriel felt oddly drawn to the military, seeking to secure an education and a bit of discipline. Eight months into his enlistment, he was diagnosed with stage 3B testicular cancer. He underwent heavy cycles of chemotherapy and several surgeries, spending three years in treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He is now deemed cancer free. The days spent wondering whether he would live or die gave him a newfound perspective on life.

Kirk Latimer
 
Now dressed in slacks, dress shirt and tie, few would recognize the history of a violent fighter in Kirk Latimer. A past filled with aggression inside and outside the ring, led Kirk to turn his anger from his color-trunked opponents toward himself, resulting in his arrest at the age of sixteen. He continued a cycle of vengeance and retribution until his senior year of high school when five of his friends and classmates committed suicide. It took him nearly six months to cry over his loss, the first step towards changing the course of his life.

Giron and Kirk Latimer are committed to challenging beliefs, pushing boundaries, embracing differences, andundefinedtogetherundefinedthey seek to increase awareness of local and global issues. Learn about the unique ways in which they share stories of vulnerability and strength.

• Speaking Your Mission Forward

• Developing a Fundraising Plan
  

With almost 20 years of development experience, LeeAnn brings a broad range of skills and experience to her work and to the Jackson community. As Development Officer for the Allegiance Health Foundation, she oversees donor appeals and capital campaigns; organizes system operations between the Foundation, finance, volunteer services, Allegiance Hospice and others; and coordinates Raisers Edge data management.  Before joining the Foundation, LeeAnn was Marketing Coordinator and Capital Campaign Director for Allegiance Home Care Services, where she led a successful $2.3 million campaign,  and Director of Development for the Ella Sharp Museum, where she coordinated a successful $1.4 million capital campaign and implemented a corporate sponsorship program.  LeeAnn holds a Certificate of Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University and has completed the Advance Course in Health Care Fundraising from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. She earned a B.A. in Business from Stephens College.

• Developing a Fundraising Plan

Assistant Vice President – Trust Officer at the Wisner Office of County National Bank (CNB), Jackson MI

Barry has 20 years of experience the financial service profession. He has been with CNB for just over a year. He brings both trust and investment experience having worked with Paine Webber for seven years, and later with National City Bank and Comerica Bank for twelve years in both trust administration and investment management for these banks. His experience also includes several year managing the Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) and Charitable and Endowment departments; working closely with the financial advisors, attorneys, life agents and CPAs who advise high net worth clients and institutions

Barry is a graduate of Cedarville University and has completed levels I, II and III of Trust School at Cannon Financial Institute. He currently holds the CTFA (Certified Trust and Financial Advisor) and CRC (Certified Retirement Counselor).

Barry is a member of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Metro Detroit, The Jackson Estate Planning Council, and the Nonprofit Network of Jackson. He has formerly served on the Planned Giving Committee of the Salvation Army of SE Michigan and as a Junior Achievement volunteer instructor.

• Planned Giving

 Donna Murray-Brown

Director of Metro Detroit Partnership for Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA)
Donna is charged with providing leadership and oversight in Metro Detroit to ensure the organization’s strategic plan, goals and objectives are achieved, and MNA and its affiliate organizations continue to grow and thrive in the region. Prior to joining MNA, Donna Murray-Brown was Vice President and Community Development Director for Charter One Bank. As a part of the Charter One leadership team, Donna utilized her technical expertise and nearly 21 years of banking experience to direct significant community development programs and banking initiatives creating affordable housing, small business development and economic empowerment and revitalization throughout the state of Michigan. Donna earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Community Development from University of Detroit Mercy. Donna is a native Detroiter and an active community volunteer. She currently resides in Detroit with her husband and three children.

• Collaboration - Examples & Case Studies

 David Near 

President of The Near Consulting Group, LLC

The Near Consulting Group (NGC) was founded in 2005 to provide general business and human resources consulting services to non-profit and for-profit corporations. More specifically the NGC provides recognized and proven expertise in the following areas:

Strategic Planning and Implementation, Work Process Development & Implementation, Workforce Planning including Competency Model-Based Recruiting ,Board Structure, Performance & Governance, Non-Profit Corporation Formation, Management & Funding, Human Capital Valuation & Management, Intellectual Capital Management, Project Planning and Execution, Ideation and Problem Solving, Focus Group Study Design & Facilitation.

David retired from The Dow Chemical Company after 27 years in 2005 as Global Portfolio Management Director for the Human Resources Department. He is a graduate of Colorado State University and the University of Michigan Business School.

 Renell Weathers 

Outreach Director, Michigan League for Public Policy

As outreach coordinator, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of tax and budget policies to their communities.
 
Prior to coming to the League, Renell worked as Senior District Representative for U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer where she collaborated with a diverse array of community leaders, agencies, grassroots organizations and local units of
government. She also she served as Constituent Relations Director and District Representative for the Office of Michigan Senate Minority Leader, managed a nonprofit that provides programs for at-risk youth and operated her own child care service.

She is a member of the Jackson Chamber’s MLK Diversity Committee, whose mission is to promote community collaboration to reflect Dr. King’s dream and to motivate youth for service and excellence. Renell attended Wayne State University and holds a bachelor of arts in management and organizational development from Spring Arbor University.

• Advocacy for Wimps

Andy Wolber 

Andy helps organizations leverage technology for social impact. His experience includes staff positions with Michigan Nonprofit Association & NPower Michigan, the Dallas Historical Society, Dallas Theatre Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and volunteer leadership of the Dallas Arts District Friends. He holds an MBA/MA in Arts Administration from Southern Methodist University. Other engagements include: contributing writer for the TechRepublic Google in the Enterprise blog and teaching  Public Sector Information Technology at Grand Valley State University.