Nonprofit Management

Amira Barger serves as a leader in nonprofit management and has done so for the last 14 years. The foundation for her leadership and community-building was set at an early age when her family moved from San Diego, CA to the tiny Pacific Island of Guam, USA to serve as missionaries in the 90’s. Barger was intrigued by the budding ideas around what would one day be coined “collective impact” and her upbringing entrenched the desire to live a life of service. She decided to use her skills to continue forward movement in the nonprofit sector. She received a BA in Marketing from Vanguard University, an MBA from Letourneau University, and invested in her professional development by receiving both the CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) and CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) designations. In addition, Barger serves on the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration’s Board as Chair and part of the External Relations Committee. She's also an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, the Public Relations Society of America, and the American Public Health Association.

Stephanie Casenza has devoted her career to helping advance the mission and vision of a broad range of organizations as a professional and a volunteer. Moving easily between the business and not-for-profit worlds, she has held management, development, and public relations roles for advertising/public relations agencies and for social services, higher education, healthcare, and arts organizations throughout California. Casenza has taught courses at University of California, San Diego Extension; at San Diego State University; and Nonprofit Management Solutions in San Diego. In addition, she has served on more than a dozen nonprofit boards. She currently serves as director of development for LSS of Northern California, which provides supportive housing services to formerly homeless individuals, families, and emancipated foster youth in multiple counties.

She earned a master’s degree in executive leadership from the School of Business at University of San Diego and her undergraduate degree in journalism from San Diego State University. She also received the universal accreditation for public relations from the Public Relations Society of America and is a candidate for the CFRE.

Jacqueline Chan has dedicated her career to help nonprofit and public agencies use data to drive equitable impact and inclusive community development. She currently serves as the Director of Data and Evaluation at United Way Bay Area where she oversees organizational efforts to measure impact and use data insights to drive decision-making. Chan has over a decade of experience in applied research and evaluation spanning the fields of public health, education, housing, sustainable development, and workforce development. She strongly believes equity and empowerment are critical for the transformational change needed to disrupt the cycles of poverty and injustice.

Chan holds a Master of Public Health degree in Global Epidemiology from Emory University.

Douglas Cook, C.P.A., M.P.A. is Principal of Cook & Company, an accounting firm specializing in performing independent audits of nonprofit organizations. He has nearly two decades of professional accounting experience and has become a well-respected specialist in nonprofit accounting and tax issues. Cook has also taught at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University.

I sincerely believe as professionals that we have a duty to bring along the next generation of professionals. The joy of teaching is to inspire students to move forward with the desire of learning and doing and not be afraid to take risks.Life is not about the ultimate destination but the journey getting there and what we experience and learn along the way.

Dwight Dickerson, Esq. is the Director of the Paralegal Studies Program at California State University, East Bay and a former member of the ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals Approval Commission and an active member of and presenter for The American Association for Paralegal Education.

He has been a member of the faculty of the CSUEB Paralegal Studies Program since 1991, and is an instructor of Contract Law and Nonprofit Law on the CSUEB Hayward Hills campus. Dickerson graduated from Brandeis University with honors majoring in American Urban Studies and received his J. D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He has been an active member of the State Bar of California since December 1977, specializing in real estate, consumer business, and non-profit law related matters.

Amy Hsieh is a nonprofit fundraising professional with over 20 years of experience successfully developing partnerships with corporations, foundations and government agencies. With a commitment to helping nonprofits advance their institutional funding strategy, Hsieh has a solid background in all aspects of grants management, including grant writing, prospect research, program and partnership development, evaluation, and budget development.

Hsieh's expertise spans the fields of health and human services, education and youth development, employment and vocational skills training, behavioral health, housing and homelessness, and HIV/AIDS services.

Hsieh has managed institutional fundraising for various nonprofits, including Bay Area Community Health, Samaritan House, and the Health Trust. She currently serves on the boards of the Eating Disorders Resource Center and the San Francisco Unified Lion’s Club, enjoys hiking and healthy living, and is committed to helping nonprofits magnify their impact.

Hsieh has a BA from Yale University and an MFA in Studio from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dr. Lydia-Hughes Evans has over 15 years of experience walking alongside organizations and individuals on their pathways to success through her breadth of experience in the education, non-profit, and business sectors. She has exercised her entrepreneurial muscles as the Founder & CEO of Pure Momentum Consulting, LLC for the past 13 years, where she provides nonprofit management and operations support. She served on the Board of Directors for World Hope International (2018- 2020) and has worked in administrative and departmental leadership roles for several non-profit agencies. Dr. Lydia-Hughes Evans has a BA in English and Psychology from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO; her MA in Education (Instructional Leadership); and her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University.

Heather Imboden is a founding principal of Communities in Collaboration, a woman-owned evaluation and community engagement consultancy based in Oakland, California. Imboden combines her skills in facilitation, outreach, and analysis with her expertise in community and economic development to lift community voice in partnership with diverse stakeholder groups for nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. Imboden’s work often focuses on advancing equity at the intersection of public education, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. She is also committed to local capacity development, striving to share her knowledge of the tools of engagement so that communities have a greater ability to advocate on behalf of themselves. In addition to her experience in community development, Imboden’s background includes more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications for nonprofits.

A respected social media marketing and personal branding expert, Irene Koehler has helped thousands improve business results by strategically developing marketing strategies and personal brands. Driven to support others' success, she works closely with clients to understand their objectives and challenges to create a unique plan tailored to fit their needs. Koehler is a highly sought-after speaker, trainer, and strategist, and she also teaches social media marketing courses at San Francisco State University and Cal State East Bay. Connect with Koehler at Irene Koehler Consulting on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Koehler has a lifelong passion for community service and has held leadership positions in civic, cultural, educational, and non-profit organizations.

Joel Mackey is an attorney currently serving as the Executive Director of the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund, aka the Ed Fund. Joel is also an instructor with University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University and California State University East Bay. Joel is also a graduate student at Northwestern University seeking a master’s degree in mental health counseling.

Prior to joining the Ed Fund, he worked as the legal and policy analyst with Making Waves in Richmond, CA. Previous to Making Waves, Joel served fourteen years as the Executive Director of East Bay Habitat for Humanity and nearly four years as the Executive Director of Harbor House in Oakland. Before embarking upon a career in the nonprofit sector, Joel was employed as an attorney in law firms in both San Francisco and Chicago. He maintains his license to practice law in both California and Illinois. His legal expertise in nonprofit legal issues augments his nonprofit legal advising and consulting practice focusing on group facilitation, strategic planning, organizational development, and mediation services.

Joel’s nonprofit experience includes service on numerous nonprofit boards, including East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, Berkeley Community Law Center, the Homeless Action Center, Consumer Credit Counseling, the People’s Credit Union, and the Family Independence Initiative.

Joel is a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University. He completed his undergraduate studies at Trinity College.

Joel’s avocation is coaching youth sports. He is currently the head coach of the girl’s varsity basketball team at Making Waves High School. He has also coached boy’s high school basketball and youth soccer for more years than he can remember.

Dr. Sonia Mañjon, the CEO of LeaderSpring, is an experienced executive director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Her experience ranges in higher education, nonprofit management, and government administration. She served as the inaugural director of the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise at The Ohio State University (OSU). Before joining OSU, Dr. Mañjon was Vice President for Institutional Partnerships, Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), and Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre at Wesleyan University. She was appointed by Connecticut Speaker of the House to the State Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission. In California, she was a member of the Alameda County Education Reform Policy Board for secondary and postsecondary education. Dr. Mañjon is also the former executive director of the Center for Art and Public Life at California College of the Arts. She enjoys yoga, swimming, and spending time with her sons Zyan and Ezra.

Susana M. Morales is an organizational development consultant and leadership coach with 20 years of experience. Her work expands nationally and internationally across several sectors: nonprofits, state and local governmental agencies, and universities. She currently teaches at the Department of Public Health at Sacramento State University.

Morales is an expert in coaching teams on how to be more effective and consulting organizations on evaluation and strategic planning. Her organizational development work focuses on strategic planning, change management, culture management, community engagement, facilitation, and evaluation. She is also a leadership coach. As a coach, she is a champion for her clients and cultivates and amplifies their leadership by offering tools, resources, and strategic guidance.

Melissa Perez is a senior consultant at Glavin Jacobson Inc. (GJI), a nonprofit management consulting firm that helps nonprofits of all sizes navigate the challenges they face as they grow. Since joining GJI, Perez has helped clients secure their first really large gifts from donors and increase volunteer leadership involvement. Her proudest achievement is creating a strong culture of philanthropy among staff and volunteer leadership that work on behalf of her client organizations.

In addition to fundraising experience with annual fund, major gifts, and foundation and corporate grants, Perez has expertise in complex corporate partnerships and management of the development office team. Throughout her career, Perez has interwoven volunteerism with philanthropy to create meaningful experiences for fellow employees, board members, and funding partners.

Perez’s career spans the non-profit and corporate communities from United Way, the San Francisco Opera and AT&T to small non-profit start-ups. She has served in staff and board roles and is currently the president of the board of directors of Development Executives Roundtable (DER). Perez’s board experience provides additional insight into corporate partnerships, volunteer engagement, and board leadership.

Perez graduated from The University of Texas with a BBA in Marketing.

Dr. Renee Rubin Ross, principal of Renee Rubin Ross Consulting, is a nationally recognized leader in board and organizational development and strategy. Her firm offers strategic planning processes, facilitation, and coaching for social sector organizations.

Dr. Ross teaches Board Development and Grant Proposal Writing for the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program. She is a board member of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management and governance chair.

Committed to racial equity in the nonprofit sector, Dr. Ross supports organizations and individuals in practices that celebrate and amplify diverse voices and perspectives. Dr. Ross utilizes inclusive, participatory facilitation and training methods that structure conversations to surface thinking, build investment, and engage the wisdom of the group.

Between 2011 and 2014, Dr. Ross served as a program officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation, working with more than 15 non-profit organizations to focus their message for greater alignment with grant guidelines and share grantees’ stories and successes. Her doctorate in education from New York University explored parent participation in schools.

Eleanor A. Smith, principal of Eleanor A. Smith Associates, has provided strategic consulting services to foundations and nonprofit organizations since 1997. Services include strategic planning, evaluation, grant-making guidance and support, best practices research, program development, market and stakeholder research, and feasibility analysis. Smith teaches workshops and courses in Program Evaluation and Program Development at CSUEB and Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation at SFSU.

She holds a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and a BA in Comparative Culture from the University of California at Irvine.